The following is a list of frequently used terms around here at Nashville Sash and Door – we thought we’d include it for your educational benefit.

Astragal – The center member of a double door, which is attached to the fixed or inactive door panel.

Baluster – a vertical stair part turned, carved or otherwise vertical section placed between the handrail and the stair tread or stair stringer.

Balustrade – a barrier system that includes handrails, newels and balusters.

Bead – not the necklaces you catch at Mardi Gras but a semicircular or rounded profile; also a small moulding to secure glass or panels to a door, hence “glass bead”.

Brick Mould – the exterior profile that is used to trim out a door installation around the top and sides of the door and/or sidelights.

Casing – Interior or exterior trim designed to conceal the joint or gap between two components.

Clad – The outside “skin” of a modern window or door, usually made of seamless prefinished vinyl or extruded prefinished aluminum.

Clerestory -  A window near the top of an outside wall.

Corbel – a particularly massive bracket

CPU – Customer Pick Up area at Nashville Sash & Door

Egress window – A window large enough (as defined by local building codes) for exit or entry in case of an emergency.  Typically required in bedrooms.

Fenestration – An architectural term referring to the arrangement of windows in a wall.

Finger joint – A series of “fingers” that are precision-machined on the ends of two pieces of wood, which are meshed and bonded tightly together.

Flutes – surprisingly, we are not talking about a musical instrument.  Flutes are decorative vertical grooves placed in a wood surface such as a baluster or newel.

GBG – “Grille between the glass” as in a simulated divided light application.

Glazing – The glass panes (also called “lights”) in the sash of a window.

Glazing bead – a plastic or wood strip applied to the window sash around the perimeter of the glass.

Gradient of a stair – the ratio between the rise and run of the stair; the angle of inclination.

Hopper – a window with a top sash that swings inward.

Jamb liner – metal or plastic covering the inside surface and head jambs of sliding windows.

Jamb – top and two sides of a door or window frame that contact the door or sash; top jamb and side jambs.

Jamb – the vertical and horizontal frame members, which along with the sill, make up a door frame.

Keeper – the protruding, hook-shaped part of a casement window lock, which is mounted on the inside surface of the sash stile.

Low E – A common term used to refer to glass which has low emissivity due to a film or metallic coating in the glass or suspended between the two lights of glass to restrict the passage of radiant heat.

Masonry Opening - the opening in a masonry wall to accept a window or door unit; the same as a rough opening in a frame wall.

MDF – Medium Density Fiberboard. 

Moulding, Crown – moulding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered.

Moulding, Dentil – series of small square blocks uniformly spaced and projecting like teeth.

Moulding, Egg and Dart – moulding design using an egg and dart alternatively. The egg is said to represent life and the dart represents death.

Moulding, Shoe – quarter round trim applied at the bottom of the baseboard where it meets the floor.

Moundling, Sill – moulding designed to resist or shed water away from a wall surface.

Mullion – (also known as “mull”) is the vertical or horizontal divisions or joints between single windows in a multiple window unit.

Muntin – a short bar, either horizontal or vertical used to separate glass in a sash into multiple lights.  Also called a windowpane divider or a grille.

Nasado – A nickname for Nashville Sash & Door.  It’s the first two letters of Nashville Sash & Door.  Its pronounced “nah sah doe”

Newel – a solid square or turned section of a vertical post at the center and at regular turns and transitions of a rail system.  The newels provide the main support for the rail system.  There is a starting newel at the base of the stairs and a landing newel at the turns or top of the stairs.

Palladian window – a large, arch-top window flanked by smaller windows on each side.

Pilaster – a vertical column (often ornamental and mainly decorative) that projects slightly from the wall. It is most often used as simulated columns in an entryway or other door openings.

Pitch - the angle of the staircase.  This is determined by the rise and run.

Rake - sometime the tool used to gather leaves but in this case, we are talking about the slope or angle of the staircase.

Rise - the vertical distance between the upper surfaces of two consecutive treads.

Risers – the vertical face of a step.

Rough Opening – the opening left in a frame wall to receive a window or door unit.

Run – the horizontal dimension between the face of two consecutive risers.

Sash - this is the four pieces of wood that hold a piece of glass; a part of a window as in “top sash”, “bottom sash” and “casement sash”. 

Sash balance – a system of weights, cords and/or coiled springs that assist in raising double-hung sash and tend to keep the sash in any placed position by counterbalancing the weight of the sash.

Sash cord – in double-hung windows, the rope or chain that attaches the sash to the counter balance.

Sash weights – in older double-hung windows, the concealed cast iron weights that are used to counterbalance the sash.

SDL – Simulated Divided Light.    A method of constructing windows in which muntins are affixed to the inside and outside of a panel of insulating glass to simulate the look of true divided light.

Side lights – Tall, narrow, fixed or operating sash on either or both sides of a door to allow light into the entryway or vestibule.

Sill Horn – this runs under the bottom of the brick mould in an entry door.  The purpose is to prevent the rotting of the brick mould and exterior casing.

Split Jamb – this allows the installer to adjust for different wall conditions.  The two jamb sections meet at the center of the wall in a tongue-and-groove joint.  The middle line of the join is hidden by the built in doorstop.

Starting tread – the first tread and rider at the bottom of the staircase.  Starting treads are usually rounded on the ends to accept volutes or turn outs.

Sticking – No, its not when your window won’t open, its a profile machined into the edges of stiles, rails, mullions, muntins or bars, adjacent to panels or glazing materials.  Several types of sticking from which to choose: craftsman, cove & bead, ovolo.

Stile & Rail – a door assembled of a framework of vertical (stile) components and horizontal (rail) components to form openings that are filled with inserts comprised of wood, glass or other material.

True Divided Light – a term that refers to windows in which individual panes of glass or lights are assembled in the sash using muntins.

U-Factor – A measure of heat transmission through a wall or window.  The lower the U-Factor, the better insulating value.

Volute – a decorative way to start a staircase.  The volute is round with a newel in the center surrounded by balusters and ascending to the rake of the handrail.