D, E, F. (dado - furring)

Dado: the lower part of a wall usually marked by and below a dado rail moulding or cornice.

Datum: a fixed horizontal line from which all heights and depths can be calculated and measured.

Daubing: an ancient term for rough plastering.

Dentil: a bed moulding used in a classical cornice consisting of a series of small square projections. Their breadth should be half their height and their intervals two-thirds of their breadth.

Depeter: decoration of an external render by pressing in hard decorative stones or fragments of other materials to form a decorative pattern.

Dextrene: when made into a solution and added to the water in which plaster/render is to be mixed it will both harden and retard.

Diaper: a geometrical pattern carved on a wall in a frieze or panel.

Dots: plaster applied in small dabs to either the background or backing, levelled or plumbed and then used as grounds for the formation of  the final plaster surface.

Draught: draw, the very slight splay given to all vertical members of a plaster mould. This will enable casts to be removed from the mould without the loss of an arris.

Dressing: bedding, planting, the fixing of lines of enrichment, ornament, etc., to plaster models and mouldings, ordinary Portland cement/sand cornices and cappings.

Drivers: the dry mix of ordinary Portland cement and sand used to extract surplus water when forming moulded features in this material.

Dubbing or Dubbing-out: a mode of bringing a hollow or uneven surface to a fair one, to receive the usual thickness of plaster work. It is accomplished by fixing pieces of tile, slate, bricks, or lath with gauged coarse stuff, cement, or nails.

Dutch-rush: a fine fluted reed having a sharp file-like surface. It is used for taking seams of casts and for cleaning up plaster and cement cast work. It is superior to glass paper, as it is not so readily affected by damp. It is also used for wet polishing plaster, cement, and wax.

Efflorescence: a white frothy deposit that appears on the surface of finished work. Due usually to the presence of salt in the background.

Egg and Dart: an enrichment in a classical cornice consisting alternately of eggs and darts.

Egg and Tongue: oviformed figures alternately with a tongue.

Ellipse: a part of an oval, a curve produced from two or more centres.

Enrichment: an added ornamentation usually consisting of lines of bead, bead and reel, dentils, egg and dart, fret, guilloche, honeysuckle and various leaf designs.

Entablature: the horizontal superstructure on the columns in classical architecture. It is divided into three parts: the architrave, or lintel, the frieze, and the cornice or projecting member.

Entasis: the convex swell found on classical columns, may be the full height of the column or the upper two thirds.

Epistyle: architrave on the capitals of columns which unites them.

Expanded metal lathing (EML): a sheet steel material which is cut and stretched to form a perforated surface. It is used as an alternative to wooden laths but is a poor substitute when working with lime plasters.

Extrados: the outer convex side of an arch.

Façade: the face or front of a building.

Fascia: a flat member or broad band, generally used in the architrave of the more elegant orders. They are divided into three bands; the lower called the first fascia, the middle one the second, and the upper one the third fascia.

Fat lime: Class A lime putty having a good workability.

Fattening up: the slow absorption of water into a lime putty. This literally plumps it up and makes it more plastic.

Fatter: the fatter a lime ism, the more and it can carry cohesively and the smoother its putty.

Feather edge rule: a tapered rule used to close in floating and straightening finishing.

Fence: a clay, plaster, wood, or metal guard to enclose a mould or cast, to prevent the escape of wax or other liquid material.

Festoon: garlands of flowers, fruit and leaves, arranged in loops, often used on friezes and panels.

Fillet: a band applied principally to mouldings.

Fine stuff: A mixture of lime putty and very fine aggregate which is stored to mature for use as plaster finishing coats.

Finial: the ornament which forms the external termination of a pinnacle or other point.

Firstings: the first coat of casting plaster used when producing fibrous plaster casts.

Fixing Fillet: a band or wedge of wood or other material embedded in the structure to which woodwork or other materials are fixed.

Float (to float): a float is a laying on and smoothing tool for plastering.

Floating: the undercoat in solid plasterwork that produces a flat, true surface to receive the finishing (setting) coat.

Floating flair: to use the float to achieve a sound, smooth and flat finish on plaster.

Flush: a term used to signify a continuity of surface in two bodies joined.

Flute: one of  a series of channels running up the face of a column or frieze. Sometimes it is filled by a staff which runs up to one-third of the height of the column, and it is then said to be cabled or reeded.

Fly ash: a very fine coal ash which may have pozzolanic properties. See also PFA.

Foliage: ornamental scrolls or lines formed with stems, branches, and leaves. The serrations of ornamental leaves are termed lobes.

Free lime: lime in a mortar which remains as calcium hydroxide and has not yet carbonated or combined with a pozzolan.

Fresco: the painting of freshly applied lime plaster finish so as to produce a combined paint plaster surface.

Fret: From a term used in heraldry. An enrichment consisting of one or more bands, generally straight, and forming various squares and parts of squares.

Frieze: the middle member in the entablature which separates the architrave from the cornice. In the Tuscan order it is always plain; in the Doric it is enriched with triglyphs; in the Ionic it is sometimes swelled; in the Corinthian and Composite orders it is enriched with figures or foliage. The term is also applied to decorated longitudinal wall surfaces.

Furr: a white scaly lime substance which often forms on th surface of moulds.

Furring: nailing wood fillets on joists and rafters to strengthen them, or to make the surface straight and level to receive lath and plaster or fibrous slabs.
 

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