A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S.T.U.V.W-Z

TABLET TEST --Standard testing method for carpet flammability using a methenamine reagent tablet for ignition under controlled conditions. Sometimes referred to as the "pill" test.
TAK DYEING -- A process in which dye is applied over a continuous dyed fabric by a controlled "sprinkle" technique.
Talley, lumber -- a record of lumber volume giving the number of boards or pieces by size, and often includes grade and species.
TAPESTRY -- A term formerly, but now rarely, used to describe a looped pile fabric woven on the velvet loom.
TCA: Tile Council of America.
TEMPLATE -- A pattern, generally of paper or cardboard, for shaping material to be cut. A type of model used to convey the pattern, shape, or profile to be used in the manufacturing process.
TERRACOTTA: Hard baked tile of variable color and water absorption. Usually unglazed, this product requires a sealer to prevent staining. Used mainly on interior floors. Sometimes referred to as Cotto.
Texture --The finish structure consisting of visual and tactile surface qualities.
TEXTURED -- Distinctive appearance achieved by variations of surface, yarn size, cut and uncut pile, and yarns of different fibers.
TEXTURE RETENTION -- The ability of the carpet to retain its original appearance and hand after being subjected to wear.
THICK-BED MORTAR: A thick layer of mortar (more than 1/2 inch) that is used for leveling.
THIN-SET: The term used to describe the installation of tile with all materials except Portland cement mortar, which is the only recognized thick-bed method.
3-4-5- TRIANGLE: A triangle with sides in the proportion of 3:4:5, which produces one 90 degree comer. Plotting a 3-4-5 triangle is a method used to establish a pair of square reference lines on a large surface. These lines can be used to determine if the installation site is square and to create a grid of layout lines for setting tile.
THREE-QUARTER CARPET -- The term used in referring to a fabric woven 27 inches in width. It is a carryover from the early days of carpet weaving, when the European "ell" was the standard width for weaving carpet strips. Since an ell is equivalent to 27 inches and since the U. S. standard measure is the yard, the term 3/4 carpet was coined.
THRESHOLD -- The raised board beneath a door. Also known as sill or saddle.
TIE WIRE: The 18-gauge galvanized wire used for a variety of purposes in construction work.
Tiger Iron - related to Tiger's Eye, but more plain. A banded, opaque stone, with metallic grey, some red, and sometimes a little brown Tiger's Eye.
Tiger's Eye - an opaque brown stone, with bands of darker brown and golden-yellow. It has a silky luster, and catches the light along the golden bands, causing the chatoyant quality Tiger's Eye is known for. (Chatoyancy - having a changeable luster, like a cat's eye.)
TILE: A ceramic surfacing unit, usually relatively thin in relation to facial area, made from clay or a mixture or a mixture of clay and other ceramic materials called the body of the tile, and having either a glazed or unglazed face. Fired at a temperature sufficiently high enough to produce specific physical properties and characteristics.
TILE ASSEMBLIES: See Mounted Tile.
TILE CUTTER: Special machine to cut ceramic tile.
TILE NIPPER: Special pliers that nibble away little bites of ceramic tile to create small, irregular or curved cuts.
TIP SHEARING -- Texture pattern created in the same way as random shearing, but generally less definite than random shearing patterns.
Tolerance --Allowable deviation from specified dimensions.
tongue and groove (T & G) -- in strip, plank, and parquet flooring, and some mosaic parquet; a tongue is milled on one edge and a groove on the opposite edge. As the flooring is installed the tongue of each strip, slats, or unit, is engaged with the groove of the adjacent strip or unit.
Tooled Finish --A finish obtained by texturing either the mould or the Cast Stone (ex. bushhammered, six-cut).
TOP COLORS -- Colors of the yarn used to form the design, as distinguished from ground color.
TONE ON TONE - A carpet pattern made by using two or more shades of the same color.
TOTAL WEIGHT -- Weight per square yard of the total carpet including yarn, backings and coatings
Tracery -- Arched ornamental work with interlacing, branching lines. Usually consists of openwork in the head of a Gothic window.
TRAFFIC--The passing to and fro over a given surface area with special reference to carpet wear resulting there from.
TREAD -- The horizontal part of a step on which the foot treads.
Trim -- the finish materials in a building, such as moldings, applied around openings (window trim, door trim) or at the floor and ceiling of rooms ( base board, shoe molding, cornice, and other moldings.)
TRIM UNITS: Units of various shapes consisting of items such as bases, caps, comers, moldings and angles necessary to achieve installations of the desired sanitary and architectural design.
Trowel Finish --A finish normally given to the back or unformed side of Cast Stone. This finish may look slightly different than the moulded sides of the piece.
Tuck Pointing --The final tooling or pointing of a raked out mortar joint.
TUFTS -- The cut or uncut loops of a pile fabric.
TUFT BIND --The force required to pull a tuft from a cut pile floor covering or to pull free one leg of a loop from a looped pile floor covering.
TUFTED CARPET -- Carpet or rug formed by the tufting process.
TUFTING -- The process of stitching yarn through a backing,, material to form a pile surface.
TUFT MISSING -- Result of either tuft not being inserted or tuft being removed. Appears as a void.
TWIST CARPET--Surface texture created with tightly twisted yarns, resulting in an nubby or pebbly effect
TWO TONE -- A design or pattern obtained by using two tones of the same color.