GLOSSARY

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This glossary is not intended as a comprehensive overview of technical terms: it only contains the terms used on this website plus a few others. For an explanation of other furniture-related terminology, use the dictionaries or search tools on our search page.

Chamfered Square legs that are cut away on the inside.
Dovetailed A term used for joining two pieces of timber by interlocking the edges (like a jigsaw puzzle). Mainly used on drawers to give extra strength, but can also be used to make a feature design.
Flushbutted This is where items are too large to fit through normal size doorways and aisles, or if extra strength is required. Units are built separately and bolted together at the location where they are to be installed. Usually done with wardrobes, bookcases and corner entertainment units. Our 'Pinjarra' wardrobes can be flushbutted.
KD Abbreviation of 'Knock Down'. As the name suggests, it is flat packed furniture which can be assembled at home. Allen keys, spanners, screws and bolts are supplied where required. It is an easy and safe way to transport goods: imported furniture is mainly in KD form.
MDF 'Medium Density Fibreboard'. Not to be confused with chipboard. MDF is a lot smoother and can be painted to give an excellent finish.
Melamine Chipboard (particle board) which has a formica veneer on both sides. Excellent for office and general furniture.
Mortice & Tenon Another way to join timber. It has an interlocking piece to give extra strength to the joint and is mainly used on tables and dressers.
Pattern Matching Some fabrics have a repeating pattern which must be matched when covering a sofa, so that the design of the fabric continues smoothly and unbroken. When covering a sofa with such fabric, more material is required to allow for this "aligning" or "matching up", resulting in a higher cost of the sofa.
Pediment Often called a 'backboard'. Used on chiffoniers and chests of drawers, it is mainly used for decoration.
Rebated Literally 'trenched or locked in'. Used mainly in drawer bases so that the base cannot fall out.
Rubberwood Wood from the rubber tree. Rubber trees have been cultivated on plantations in Asia, Africa and Latin America for the last 100 years. When natural rubber resin became uncompetitive to the synthetic variety, the rubberwood tree started to be used for furniture and is now farmed for that purpose. The timber is an excellent medium for furniture because of its hardness. The wood is usually called "Rubberwood", "Parawood" or "Hevea". Rubberwood has a pale cream colour and can be stained to any colour.
Sheesam A hardwood timber from the Indian subcontinent. Sometimes called Indian Rosewood. It has a rich gold and brown grain that is polished with a clear varnish.
T&G 'Tongue and Groove'. This is where lengths of timber are slotted together. It gives a strong, decorative finish to the back of items such as bookcases, dressers and entertainment units.
Veneered Chipboard which has a thin veneer of timber glued to the top and bottom.

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