Pallets - Wooden platforms used for storing and shipping bundles of shingles.

Pitch - The degree of roof incline expressed as the ratio of the rise, in feet, to the span, in feet.

Ply - The number of layers of roofing: i.e. one-ply, two-ply.

PARAPET WALL - A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck.

PARGE COAT - A thin application of plaster for coating a wall.

PARKING STRIP - The area in front of a building between the sidewalk and the street usually landscaped with grass. The parking strip serves as a buffer between the road and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk.

PATTERNED GLASS – On type of rolled glass having a pattern impressed on one or both sides. Used extensively for light control, bath enclosures and decorative glazing. Sometimes call "rolled," "figured," or "obscure" glass.

PAVER STONES - Usually pre-cast concrete slabs used to create a traffic surface.

PENTHOUSE - A relatively small structure built above the plane of the roof.

PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BOND – Guaranty by a surety company that if a contractor fails to perform under a contract, the surety company will complete the work.

PERLITE - An aggregate formed by heating and expanding siliceous volcanic glass.

PERMANENET SET – The amount by which a material fails to return to its original dimensions after being deformed by an applied force or load.

PHOTO-OXIDATION - Oxidation caused by rays of the sun.

PITCH - A term frequently used to designate coal tar pitch.

PLAN SUBMITTAL - Submission of construction plans to the city or county in order to obtain a Building Permit.

PLANS - See Blue Prints.

PLAT - A map of a geographical area as recorded by the county.

PLATE LINE - The top horizontal line of a building wall upon which the roof rests.

PLATFORM FRAMING/PLATFORM CONSTRUCTION - The process of constructing a building in one or more consecutively installed platforms. (Usually one story constitutes a platform.)

PLENUM CHAMBER - Chamber or container for moving air under a slight positive pressure to which one or more ducts are connected.

PLOT PLAN - A bird’s eye view showing how a building sits on the building lot, typically showing setbacks (how far the building must sit from the road), easements, rights of way, and drainage.

PLYWOOD -Wooden panels formed by gluing thin sheets of wood together, with the grain of adjacent layers arranged at right angles.

POCKET (CHANNEL) – A three-sided, U-shaped opening in a sash or frame to receive glazing infill. Contrasted to a rabbet, which is a two-sided, L-shaped sections as with face glazed window sash.

POINTING - The process where joints between masonry units, brick, etc., are filled with mortar.

POLISHED WIRED GLASS – Wired glass that has been ground and polished on both surfaces.

POLYMER - A substance consisting of large molecules which have been formed from smaller molecules of similar make-up.

POLYSULFIDE SEALANT – Polysulfide liquid polymer sealant which is mercaptan terminated, long chain aliphatic polymers containing disulfide linkages. They can be converted to rubbers at room temperature without shrinkage upon addition of a curing agent.

POLYURETHANE SEALANT – An organic compound formed by reaction of a glycol with and isocyanate.

POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) – Polymer formed by polymerization of vinyl chloride monomer. Sometimes called vinyl.

PONDING - A condition where water stands on a roof for prolonged periods due to poor

drainage and/or deflection of the deck.

POP OUT - See stucco popout

POP RIVETS - Fasteners used to join pieces of metal that are installed by either compressed-air-assisted or hand-operated guns. Unique in that they are installed from one side of the work.

POROSITY - The density of substance and its capacity to pass liquids.

PORTLAND CEMENT - A mixture of certain minerals which when mixed with water form a gray colored paste and cure into a very hard mass.

POST - A vertical member of wood, steel, concrete or other material that transfers weight from the top of the post to whatever the post is resting on.

POST & BEAM CONSTRUCTION - Most common type of wall framing, using posts which carry horizontal beams on which joists are supported. It allows for fewer bearing partitions, & less material.

POT LIFE – The time interval following the addition of an accelerator before chemically curing material will become too viscous to apply satisfactorily. See Shelf Life.

POWER - The energy rate, usually measured in watts. Power equals voltage times amps. or W = E x 1. The heavier the flow of amps at a given supply, the higher the rate at which energy is being supplied and used.

PRECAST - Concrete building components which are formed and cured at a factory and then transported to a work site for erection.

PRE-SHIMED TAPE SEALANT – A sealant having a pre-formed shape containing solids or discrete particles that limit its deformation under compression.

PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE – Valve installed in the water service line where it enters the building to reduce the pressure of water in the line to an acceptable pressure used in buildings (40-55 psi desired).

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE – Valve to relieve excess pressure in water storage tanks.

PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER - Lumber that is treated in such a way that the sealer is forced into the pores of the wood.

PRIMER - A material of relatively thin consistency applied to a surface for the purpose of creating a more secure bonding surface and to form a barrier to prevent migration of components.

PRIMING – Sealing of a porous surface so that compounds will not stain, lose elasticity, shrink excessively, etc. because of loss of oil or vehicle into the surround.

PROJECTION – In roofing, any object or equipment which pierces the roof membrane.

PROTECTION BOARD – In roofing, heavy asphalt impregnated boards which are laid over bituminous coatings to protect against mechanical injury.

PURLINS - A horizontal structural member spanning between beams or trusses to support a roof deck. In slope glazing, purlins are the horizontal framing members.

PUSH STICK – In hardware, a tool used when cutting a short board on a table saw.

PVDF – Architectural coating. See Kynar Coating.

PARAPET WALL - A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck.

PARGE COAT - A thin application of plaster for coating a wall.

PAVER STONES - Usually pre-cast concrete slabs used to create a traffic surface.

PENTHOUSE - A relatively small structure built above the plane of the roof.

PERLITE - An aggregate formed by heating and expanding siliceous volcanic glass.

PHASE CONSTRUCTION - In roofing the practice of applying the felt plies of the built-up roofing membrane in two or more operations, separated by a delay of at least one day.

PHOTO-OXIDATION - Oxidation caused by rays of the sun.

PITCH - A term frequently used to designate coal tar pitch.

PITCH PAN OR POCKET - A bottomless metal box placed on the BURM around irregular projections. These

are subsequently filled with coal tar pitch or mastic to effect a weather tight seal.

PLY - A single course of roofing felts.

PLYWOOD - Wooden panels formed by gluing thin sheets of wood together, with the grain of adjacent layers arranged at right angles.

POINTING - The process where joints between masonry units, brick, etc., are filled with mortar.

POLYMER - A substance consisting of large molecules which have been formed from smaller molecules of similar make-up.

POLYURETHANE - Any of various polymers with a urethane base.

PONDING - A condition where water stands on a roof for prolonged periods due to poor drainage and/or deflection of the deck.

POP RIVETS - Fasteners used to join pieces of metal that are installed by either compressed air assisted or hand operated guns. Unique in that they are installed from one side of the work.

POROSITY - The density of substance and its capacity to pass liquids.

POUR COAT - The top coating of bitumen on a built-up roof.

PRECAST - Concrete building components which are formed and cured at a factory and then transported to a work site for erection.

PRIMER - A material of relatively thin consistency applied to a surface for the purpose of creating a more secure bonding surface.

PROJECTION - Any object or equipment which pierces the roof membrane.

PROTECTION BOARD - Heavy asphalt impregnated boards which are laid over bituminous coatings to

protect against mechanical injury.

PURLINS - A horizontal structural member spanning between beams or trusses to support a

roof deck.