Tradesmen Slang

Tradesmen Slang

Experienced tradesmen from builders to plumbers will often use their own words to describe materials, services or even other tradesmen! So, don’t be alarmed when your builder starts talking about muck - it's likely they are not referring to the state of your house! It’s purely tradesmen lingo for Mortar! 

 

We’ve highlighted our favourite phrases below to help you understand your tradesmen!

 

Phrase 

Meaning 

Dust 

Cement 

Scratch 

Sandpaper 

Lagging 

Insulation that covers pipes to regulate the temperature 

Eggshell 

Type of paint that gives a glossier finish than matt paint, but isn't quite high gloss 

Drafting 

Drawn up plans or blueprints for a project 

Snag List / Punch List 

Minor issues once a job has been completed to be rectified to finish off the job 

Sparkie(s) 

Electrician(s) 

Chippie(s) 

Carpenter(s) 

Muck 

Mortar 

Lumber 

Timber 

Dib and Dab 

Drywall Adhesive  

Chinaman hat / mushroom vent/ elephant’s foot 

Flue ventilator cowl 

Tradie 

A Tradesmen 

Brickie 

Bricklayer 

Spoil  

Material dug out from excavation  

Efflorescence 

Powdery white salts that appear on the surface of brickwork 

Screed 

A layer of concrete that is used to smooth down a surface before being finished 

Skim 

Finishing coat of plaster 

Barge Board 

Wide board fitted on edge of tiles following the slope of the roof 

Coping 

Protective finish to the top of a wall 

Joist 

Support for floor & ceiling  

Knotting 

Varnish to stabilise knots in wood 

Render 

External sand-cement coating for walls 

Stack 

Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and toilets 



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