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Glossary

Not sure what a certain term means? Find it here in our glossary. Simply browse through or navigate by choosing a letter.

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Kauri-Butanol (KB) Value - A measurement of solvent strength. The higher the KB value, the stronger the solvency. This is only applied to hydrocarbon solvents.

Kerf - A shallow slot cut into a piece of lumber usually measured by the width of the saw blade.

Kerosene - A low viscosity oil distilled from petroleum or shale oil, used as a fuel, paint thinner and alcohol denaturant.

Key block - A piece of wood at the peak of a gazebo roof designed to meet the rafters.

Kill point - The position where the final strips of wallpaper join together, usually resulting in a mismatch. For this reason, the kill point should fall in an inconspicuous place.

Kiln-dried lumber - Lumber that is dried in a kiln, or a large oven, rather than by natural air currents.

King stud - Regular length studs to which header members are attached. May or may not be located at on-center positions.

Kneading the wallpaper - The technique of lightly pressing a roll or strip of wallpaper to further minimize the curl factor that originates from the packaging process. To knead the roll, reverse-roll a strip and place it on a work surface; then roll it back and forth while applying slight pressure.

Knee kicker - A tool used for stretching carpet; the front end of the tool grips the carpet; the back end is shaped so the user can apply forward pressure with the knee.

Knee space - The area located underneath a vanity countertop.

Kneewall - A wall that extends from the floor of an attic to the underside of the rafters. Kneewalls are short (usually 48-inches high) and often non-bearing.

Knot - The high-density root of limbs that are very dense, but are not connected to the surrounding wood.

Knot Sealer - Liquid coating designed to seal the tannic acids in wood knotholes and keep them from discoloring a coating.

Krebs Units (KU) - An unit of viscosity for a Stormer viscosity instrument.

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