Fasteners, Glue and Materials Glossary
Fasteners, glue, filler and the stock terms that come up on a materials list.
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Jump to a term: 2P-10 (CA Glue Plus Activator) Board Foot Bondo (2-Part Wood Filler) CA Glue Plus Activator Construction Adhesive Finger-Joint (FJ Primed) / Clear Pine / Poplar / Oak / Maple / MDF Finish Nail Sizing (Penny System) Hardboard Kiln-Dried (KD) Moisture Content Nominal vs. Actual Size OSB Particleboard Pin / Brad / Finish Nail / Casing Nail / Collated Plywood Primer / Paint-Grade vs. Stain-Grade PVA Glue PVC / Composite Trim Quartersawn / Plainsawn S4S (Surfaced Four Sides) Sap Pocket / Pitch Pocket Trim-Head Screw / Pilot Hole Veneer Wood Filler / Spackle / 2-Part Filler / Color Putty
2P-10 (CA Glue Plus Activator)
Genericized shorthand for a thick CA (cyanoacrylate) glue plus spray activator kit that bonds in seconds without clamps.
Board Foot
A volume unit, not a length: nominal thickness times actual width times length, 144 cubic inches to the board foot. Hardwood is priced this way, while softwood dimension lumber and stock molding are priced by the lineal foot.
Bondo (2-Part Wood Filler)
Also called: 2-part wood filler.
Genericized brand name for a two-part, catalyzed filler used for wood repairs. Sun's Up crews use it only to fill their own miters, the one exception to 'we don't fill.' Repairs beyond that are the painter's job.
CA Glue Plus Activator
Also called: 2p-10.
A cyanoacrylate glue plus spray activator kit that bonds in about 10 seconds without clamps.
Construction Adhesive
A tube adhesive (Liquid Nails/PL Premium type) used for backing-free skirt boards and similar bridge-gap situations.
Finger-Joint (FJ Primed) / Clear Pine / Poplar / Oak / Maple / MDF
Also called: finger-joint stock.
The core trim material palette: finger-joint pine (short pieces glued end-to-end, pre-primed, affordable paint-grade), clear pine (knot-free), poplar (durable paint-grade hardwood), oak/maple (stain-grade hardwoods), MDF (straight, paintable, moisture-sensitive).
Finish Nail Sizing (Penny System)
Also called: d (penny).
The 'd' penny-sizing convention for hand nails. Sun's Up orders by GAUGE (23/18/15, never 16), not penny sizing, since primary fastening is pneumatic/battery gun work.
Hardboard
A dense, smooth-faced sheet good used for door skins and similar molded surfaces.
Kiln-Dried (KD)
Lumber dried in a kiln to a controlled, low moisture content before sale.
Moisture Content
Also called: MC.
The technical measure of how much water is in wood, driving movement and warp risk.
Nominal vs. Actual Size
The gap between the name on a board and what a tape actually shows. A 1x4 is 3/4 by 3-1/2 inches, a 2x4 is 1-1/2 by 3-1/2. The name is the nominal size, the tape is the actual size, and the actual is always smaller.
OSB
Oriented strand board, an engineered sheet good used as a structural/rough substrate.
Particleboard
A sheet good made from compressed wood particles and resin, the base for melamine shelving.
Pin / Brad / Finish Nail / Casing Nail / Collated
Pin is 23 gauge and headless. Brad is 18 gauge. Finish nail is larger-headed, 15 gauge in Sun's Up's kit. Casing nail is a finish-nail variant with a slightly larger head. Collated means the nails are joined in a strip or coil for gun feeding.
Plywood
Sheet goods built from thin cross-laminated wood veneers, the base material behind most built-in and shiplap backing work.
Primer / Paint-Grade vs. Stain-Grade
Primer is painter scope entirely. Paint-grade material (MDF, poplar, finger-joint pine) will be painted, so cosmetic defects can be filled; stain-grade material (clear pine, oak, maple) shows the grain and needs cleaner joints.
PVA Glue
Also called: wood glue, titebond.
Type I/II/III wood glue, the standard adhesive for every miter and scarf joint. Sun's Up uses Titebond II or III.
PVC / Composite Trim
Cellular PVC is a closed-cell PVC board with no wood in it, so it absorbs almost no water, does not rot, and will not support mold. The trade files PVC and composite exterior trim together under one name.
Quartersawn / Plainsawn
Two ways a log gets cut into boards, which is why two boards of the same species can look nothing alike. Plain sawn is the common, cheaper cut and shows tall cathedral arches. Quartersawn is cut into quarters first so the growth rings run nearly perpendicular to the face, giving straighter grain.
S4S (Surfaced Four Sides)
Lumber milled smooth on all four faces, ready to use without further planing.
Sap Pocket / Pitch Pocket
A resin-filled defect in softwood lumber that can bleed through paint or finish.
Trim-Head Screw / Pilot Hole
Trim-head screws have a small head that sets flush like a nail, used occasionally (garage-step risers) instead of a gun nail; a pilot hole is pre-drilled to prevent splitting.
Veneer
A thin layer of real wood applied over a sheet-good or hollow-core substrate for appearance.
Wood Filler / Spackle / 2-Part Filler / Color Putty
Wood filler and 2-part filler ARE Sun's Up scope for filling their OWN miters, the one exception to 'we don't fill.' Spackle and filling FIELD nail holes are explicitly NOT our scope, that is the painter's.
What does your crew call it? If you use a different word for something on this page, or we are missing a term you use every day, tell us and we will add it.