Wood ceiling glossary

By the Editors · October 15, 2026

30 words you will hear when planning wood overhead.

Acclimation

Letting wood adjust to a room's humidity before installing.

Batten

A narrow strip of wood.

Beadboard

Boards with a bead profile along one edge.

Box beam

A hollow beam built from boards.

Cedar

A lightweight, aromatic wood with natural rot resistance.

Clear coat

A transparent protective finish.

Cypress

A wood traditionally used in the South.

Douglas fir

A strong, straight-grained softwood.

Eave

The roof edge that overhangs the wall.

End grain

The cut end of a board.

Engineered plank

Layers of wood with a real-wood face.

Grain

The pattern of wood fibers.

Hand-hewn

Texture made by shaping wood by hand.

Joist

A horizontal framing member.

Knot

A dark spot where a branch grew.

Lanai

A covered outdoor room.

Marine varnish

A tough, UV-resistant varnish developed for boats.

Pecky cypress

Cypress with pockets from localized decay in the living tree, valued for texture.

Pine

A common, affordable softwood.

Plank

A long, flat board.

Rabbet

A notch along a board edge so boards overlap.

Sealer

A first coat that limits absorption.

Soffit

The underside of an overhang.

Stain

Color that soaks into wood.

Tongue and groove

Boards that interlock edge to edge.

Timber framing

Building with large posts and beams.

UV

Ultraviolet light that fades finishes.

Veneer

A thin slice of wood on a core.

Whitewash

A thin white finish over grain.

Wood movement

Swelling and shrinking with moisture.