A Glossary Of Flooring Terms

Every industry has its own language and terms. These words and phrases can be confusing to anyone who is not part of the daily operations of a specific sector, and the flooring business is no exception.

To help you understand the terms, acronyms, and phrases regularly used when purchasing and installing hardwood, laminate flooring, vinyl, ceramic, or natural stone, Sine’s Flooring has created this handy reference guide. Here you’ll find valuable information allowing you to comprehend and communicate your flooring needs effectively.

LVT and LVP
Luxury Vinyl Tile and Luxury Vinyl Plank.

Schluter
A water-proofing system for showers and floors when using ceramic.

Engineered
Wood flooring that has a plywood core with a real wood veneer on top.

1/3 lap, 1/2 lap, and Soldier Pattern
1/3 and 1/2 lap refers to staggered tile patterns, and a soldier pattern is stacked one on top of each other.

Loose Lay and Floating Floors
Vinyl can be a loose lay install using no glue and a floating floor, which is a click system install for laminate and LVP/LVT floors.

Skim Coat
A patch is used as a skim coat to smooth and take out any imperfections in the existing floor before installation.

Binding/Serging
Binding is an edging to cover the rough edge of a carpet so it won’t fray. Serging is done on area rugs for a neat and finished look.

Listello
A border tile in a shower. It can be decorative or a tile of a different colour.

Carpet and Vinyl Seams
Carpet is sold in 12-inch and 15-inch widths and vinyl is sold in 12-inch and 13.2-inch widths. If a room is bigger than these widths, a seam is required.

Smoothedge
A wood strapping with small nails facing up and installed around the perimeter of a room so carpet can be kicked in and tucked under baseboards.

Score and snap
Refers to thin wall tiles and LVP/LVT that can be scored with a knife and snapped off instead of using a wet saw for thicker ceramic, or a skill saw for LVP/LVT.

Nominal
An Industry Standard measurement - carpet and vinyl is not exactly 12-inch or 15-inch ceramic is not exactly 12 x 12, 12 x 24 and so on. Similarly, area rugs are not exactly 5 x 8, 7 x 10 or 8 x 11. All of these vary in measurements.

Tray or dry pack
When installing a walk-in shower floor there are two options, Schluter tray - a determined size of tray that is used as a base or dry pack - sand is used to slope the floor, kerdi is put on top for waterproofing and then a small tile is installed.

Underlayment
Underlayment is a pad that is installed under the carpet of laminate.

Substrate
The existing floor, whether it is plywood or chipboard.

If you’re looking for flooring experts in Cobourg and Brighton, ON, reach out to the experts at Sine’s Flooring. We offer quality flooring services across Bowmanville, Oshawa, Peterborough, Quinte West, Belleville, Trenton, Campbellford, Roseneath, Cobourg, Baltimore, Grafton, Colborne, Brighton, and the surrounding areas. We specialize in customized floor covering needs and ensure you receive complete satisfaction. We also possess a large selection of flooring products, which allow you to create the traditional, contemporary, or modern space you’ve always wanted.

View our full list of services here, read customer reviews here, or get in touch with us here.