This quick glossary for home improvement enthusiasts covers various aspects of home remodeling from jamb and joinery to pure design.

Jambs and Joinery: Fundamentals of Cabinets and Doors

Jamb: The interior side of a door or window frame.

Joinery: In basic carpentry, this is the activity of assembling woodwork by means of different joints, such as dovetails, dowels, dadoes and rabbets, mortise and tenon, or tongue and groove. To learn more about joinery, browse Popular Woodworking Magazine's RSS feed.

Joist: A thick, horizontal beam of timber used to support a floor or ceiling.

Lacquer: Hard varnish obtained from the sap of a an Asian lacquer tree. Any varnish made of shellac that dissolves in alcohol. A varnish containing lac, a resinous substance secreted by scale-shaped insects that attach themselves to bark.

Lavabo: Refers to a washbowl or washstand, or the support for one. Lavabo basins often possess a fountain or unique water supply. Types include the Lavabo SV 1300, designed specifically for outdoor settings by Alpina, a Belgian designer of mobile kitchens, and this ultramodern Lavabo washbasin for bathrooms, designed by Cappellini and featured in Trendir.

Lintel: Supported at each end by a post, these horizontal beams span an opening and usually support a superstructure, such as artwork or ornamentation found above doors and archways.

Of Moon Gates and Marbling: Home Remodeling and Decor

Marbling: Can refer to the veining in marble itself, a painted imitation of marble often found in countertops in bathrooms and kitchens, and sometimes to an effect in glass brought about through heated fusion of colored glass rods.

Miter: Two pieces of wood or other material cut at similar angles that meet at a corner junction, such as those found in door trim or picture frames.

Moon gate: Circular opening in a wall large enough for human passage. Moon gates are a characteristic of Chinese architecture.

Mullion: Slender, horizontal or vertical bar that divides glass panels or windows.

Pure Design: A classical theory re-popularized with publication of the 1907 book by Denman Ross, Pure Design: Harmony, Balance, Rhythm. Pure design theory posits that all art and design is based on a set of fundamental principles, which unify to create a universal aesthetic ideal.

This quick list of home remodeling terms covers just a fraction of the alphabet. Check out the final installment of Renovator's Place Home Improvement Dictionary: From Q to Z.