Interior Materials Glossary A–Z

Interior quotes are full of shorthand: BWP, HDHMR, PGVT, PUR, PVD. This glossary explains the materials and terms used in Indian home interiors in plain language, with a note on where each one belongs. Tap a letter to jump.

A

Acoustic panel Surface

A wall or ceiling panel that absorbs sound instead of reflecting it, made from fabric-wrapped mineral wool, felt, foam or perforated wood. Performance is given as an NRC value between 0 and 1; the higher the number, the more sound it soaks up. Useful in home theatres, studies and echoing living rooms.

Acrylic Finish

A coloured polymer sheet, usually PMMA about 1 mm thick, pressed onto MDF or HDHMR to make glossy or matte shutters. Deeper colour than laminate; gloss versions show fingerprints. Full guide →

Aluminium profile shutter Hardware

A slim aluminium frame holding glass, fluted glass or a thin panel. Used for kitchen wall units, crockery units and wardrobe doors where a light, framed look is wanted.

B

Bamboo Natural

A fast-growing grass pressed into boards, flooring and panels. Strand-woven bamboo is the hardest form. Choose low-emission products, as the binding glue matters as much as the bamboo.

Blockboard Board

A core of softwood strips sandwiched between veneers. It resists sagging over long spans, so it suits doors, long shelves and bed frames. Indian blockboard is made to IS 1659.

Brass Metal

A copper and zinc alloy used for handles, inlays and lighting. Raw brass darkens with time; lacquered or PVD-coated brass keeps its colour.

BWP plywood Board

Boiling Water Proof plywood, the most water-tolerant grade, made to the marine plywood standard IS 710. The right board for kitchen base units, sink units and vanities. Full guide →

BWR plywood Board

Boiling Water Resistant plywood. Better against moisture than MR grade, less so than BWP. Good for kitchen wall units and wardrobes in humid rooms. Full guide →

C

Cane and rattan Natural

Rattan is a climbing palm; its solid stems make furniture frames, and its peeled outer skin, cane, is woven into webbing for chair seats, headboards and shutter inserts. Keep it dry and away from pests.

Ceramic tile Surface

Glazed fired-clay tile with higher water absorption than vitrified tile. Mainly for walls and dados; check the manufacturer rating before using it on floors.

Copper Metal

A warm reddish metal used for sinks, hoods, lights and accents. It develops a darker patina unless lacquered and should not be cleaned with bleach.

Cork Natural

Bark harvested from the cork oak without felling the tree. Warm and quiet underfoot, and a natural sound and heat insulator. Used as tiles, underlay and pinboards.

D

Dado Surface

Tiling or cladding on the lower or working part of a wall, such as the band between a kitchen counter and the wall units, or bathroom walls up to door height.

Dhurrie Textile

A flat-woven Indian rug in cotton, wool or jute. Reversible, light and easy to wash, which makes it practical in Indian homes.

Duco paint Finish

The common Indian name for a sprayed lacquer finish on furniture, originally nitrocellulose-based. It has largely been replaced by PU paint, which is tougher.

E

Edge banding Hardware

A strip of PVC, ABS or veneer glued to the cut edges of boards to seal and finish them. PUR (polyurethane reactive) glue gives thinner, more water-resistant joints than ordinary EVA glue.

Engineered wood flooring Surface

A top layer of real hardwood bonded to a plywood or HDF base. It looks like solid wood but moves less with humidity, so it suits Indian bedrooms better than solid planks.

Epoxy grout Finish

A two-part resin grout that resists stains, water and mould far better than cement grout. Worth it for kitchen dados, showers and light-coloured floors.

F

Fluted panel Surface

A panel with a series of vertical grooves or rounded ribs, made in MDF, wood, stone, glass or PU. Common on TV walls, bed backs and island fronts.

G

Glass, toughened and laminated Glass

Toughened glass is heat-treated to be several times stronger than ordinary glass and breaks into small blunt pieces. Laminated glass has a plastic interlayer that holds broken pieces together. Use them for shower screens, railings and table tops.

Granite Stone

A hard igneous stone that handles heat and scratches well, which is why it is India's most common kitchen countertop. Polished, honed and leathered finishes are available; reseal every year or two.

GVT and PGVT Surface

Glazed vitrified tile and polished glazed vitrified tile: vitrified tiles with a printed glaze layer, allowing marble, wood and stone looks. PGVT has a glossy polished surface.

Gypsum board Board

A gypsum core faced with paper, screwed to a metal frame for false ceilings and partitions. Faster and cleaner than POP, with moisture-resistant versions for kitchens and bathrooms.

H

HDHMR Board

High-density high-moisture-resistant board, a dense fibreboard with a smooth surface. Popular for shutters and wardrobes; keep edges sealed and avoid repeated re-screwing in the same holes.

Hinge, soft-close Hardware

A concealed cabinet hinge with a built-in damper that slows the door in the last few centimetres. Now standard in modular kitchens and wardrobes.

HPL Finish

High-pressure laminate: layers of resin-soaked kraft paper and a printed décor paper pressed under heat, usually 0.8–1.5 mm thick. What most Indian quotes simply call "laminate".

I

IS marks Standard

Bureau of Indian Standards codes printed on building materials. For boards: IS 303 (general-purpose plywood in MR and BWR grades), IS 710 (marine plywood, sold as BWP), IS 1659 (blockboard), IS 12406 (MDF) and IS 3087 (particle board).

Italian marble Stone

Imported marbles such as Statuario and Carrara, prized for white backgrounds and veining. Soft and sensitive to acids like lemon and vinegar, so it needs sealing and gentle cleaning.

J

Jaali Surface

A perforated screen with geometric or floral patterns, traditionally carved in stone or wood, now often CNC-cut in MDF, metal or acrylic. Used for partitions, pooja doors and ceiling panels.

Jute Textile

A coarse natural fibre grown mainly in eastern India and Bangladesh. Used for rugs, baskets and wall hangings; it softens with use but is not ideal for wet areas.

K

Kadappa stone Stone

A dark grey to black limestone from the Kadapa region of Andhra Pradesh. Once common for kitchen platforms and floors; it is porous and needs sealing against oil stains.

Kota stone Stone

A fine-grained limestone from Kota in Rajasthan, usually blue-green or brown. Durable and naturally slip-resistant when not polished, so it is used for balconies, utility areas and outdoor paths.

L

Lacquered glass Glass

Glass painted on the back and baked, giving a glossy coloured surface. Used for premium shutters and backsplashes; heavier than acrylic and needs sturdy hinges.

Laminate Finish

The most common shutter finish in Indian interiors: a decorative sheet, usually about 1 mm HPL, glued to plywood or board. Tough, affordable and available in thousands of colours and textures.

Limewash Finish

A breathable paint of slaked lime and natural pigments, brushed on in layers to give a soft, cloudy, matte look that changes with the light.

Louvers Surface

Angled slats in shutters or panels that allow air through while blocking direct view. Useful for utility doors, AC covers and shoe units.

M

Makrana marble Stone

A white Indian marble from Makrana in Rajasthan, the stone of the Taj Mahal. Harder-wearing than many imported marbles, used for floors, pooja rooms and inlays.

MDF Board

Medium-density fibreboard: wood fibres bonded with resin into a smooth, even board. Excellent for painted and PU shutters and routed designs, but weak against water. Made to IS 12406.

Membrane (PVC foil) Finish

A thin PVC film vacuum-pressed over shaped MDF, so it can wrap profiled and grooved doors in one piece. Keep it away from ovens and hobs, where heat can lift it.

Microcement Finish

A polymer-modified cement coating about 2–3 mm thick applied over existing floors, walls or tiles to give a seamless concrete look. Needs skilled application and a good sealer, especially in bathrooms.

MR plywood Board

Moisture Resistant plywood, the interior grade under IS 303. Fine for bedroom wardrobes, TV units and study units away from water. Full guide →

N

Nano white Stone

An engineered stone made by fusing glass and mineral powders, giving a bright, uniform white. Used for countertops and floors; less forgiving of scratches than granite.

O

Oak Wood

A strong hardwood with a bold, open grain, widely used as veneer and flooring in contemporary and Scandinavian interiors. White oak has a cooler, tighter look than red oak.

Onyx Stone

A banded, often translucent stone that glows when backlit. Soft and delicate, so it belongs on feature walls, bar fronts and panels rather than working counters.

P

Particle board Board

Wood chips bonded with resin, often sold pre-laminated. The cheapest carcass board; it swells if water gets in, so keep it to dry, low-load uses. Made to IS 3087.

Plywood Board

Thin wood veneers glued in layers with the grain alternating, giving strength in both directions and good screw holding. Graded MR, BWR or BWP by water tolerance. Full guide →

POP Surface

Plaster of Paris, mixed on site for false ceilings, cornices and wall finishes. Cheaper than gypsum board and easy to shape, but messier to apply and more prone to cracks.

PU paint Finish

A sprayed polyurethane paint for furniture, in any colour and in matte to high gloss. It can coat curved and grooved doors, and scratches can be repaired on site.

PVD coating Metal

Physical vapour deposition: a very thin, hard metal layer bonded in a vacuum chamber. PVD brass, gold and black fittings resist tarnish and wear better than plated ones.

Q

Quartz (engineered) Stone

Crushed natural quartz bound with resin into slabs. Non-porous, stain-resistant and uniform in colour; avoid placing very hot pans directly on it.

Quartzite Stone

A natural stone formed from sandstone under heat and pressure. It can look like marble but is much harder and does not etch with acids. Sometimes mislabelled; ask for a scratch or acid test.

R

Recon veneer Finish

Reconstituted veneer: fast-growing wood that is dyed, glued into blocks and re-sliced to give a uniform, repeatable grain. Cheaper and more consistent than natural veneer. Full guide →

Rubberwood Wood

Timber from rubber plantations, treated and used widely in ready-made furniture. Light in colour and affordable; it needs treatment against insects and moisture.

S

Sheesham Wood

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo), a dense, attractively grained hardwood used in traditional and solid-wood furniture.

Sintered stone Stone

Mineral powders fused under very high heat and pressure into thin, large slabs. Highly resistant to heat, stains and UV, but edges can chip, so fabrication must be skilled.

Solid surface Surface

An acrylic- or polyester-based sheet that can be joined without visible seams and repaired by sanding. Good for seamless counters and basins; less heat-resistant than stone.

SPC flooring Surface

Stone plastic composite: a rigid, waterproof vinyl plank with a mineral core and a printed wood or stone layer. Clicks together over existing floors.

Stainless steel 304 Metal

The standard food-grade steel, with about 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Used for sinks, baskets and countertops; brushed finishes hide marks best.

T

Tandem box Hardware

A drawer system with metal sides and concealed full-extension runners, usually with soft close. Holds more weight and runs more smoothly than basic channels.

Teak Wood

A golden-brown hardwood with natural oils that help it resist moisture and termites. Used as solid wood and veneer; plantation teak is more common and affordable than old-growth.

Terrazzo Surface

Chips of marble, stone or glass set in cement or epoxy and ground smooth. Very durable for floors, and increasingly used for counters and tiles.

Texture paint Finish

A thick paint applied with trowels, rollers or combs to create patterns and relief on walls. Usually kept to one feature wall.

Travertine Stone

A limestone formed by mineral springs, with natural pores and channels. The holes can be filled and honed or left open for a rustic look; it needs sealing.

U

uPVC Surface

Unplasticised PVC, used for window and door frames. It does not rot or rust and needs little upkeep; check for steel reinforcement in the frames.

V

Velvet Textile

A cut-pile fabric with a soft sheen that shifts with direction. Performance velvets made of polyester wear best on sofas.

Veneer Finish

A thin slice of real wood pressed onto plywood or MDF and sealed with polish. Gives genuine grain without the movement of solid wood. Full guide →

Vitrified tile Surface

A dense tile fired at high temperature with very low water absorption (0.5% or less). The standard floor tile in Indian homes, in plain, double-charge and glazed versions.

VOC Standard

Volatile organic compounds released by some paints, adhesives and boards. Low-VOC and low-emission products keep indoor air cleaner, especially in closed bedrooms.

W

Wallpaper Finish

A printed wall covering in paper, vinyl, fabric or grasscloth. Vinyl-coated types are wipeable and cope better with humidity.

Walnut Wood

A dark chocolate-brown hardwood with a fine grain, used mostly as veneer in India for premium wardrobes, TV walls and furniture.

Wool Textile

A natural fibre that is resilient, warm and naturally flame-resistant. Used for rugs and upholstery; blends with synthetics are easier to clean.

WPC board Board

Wood-plastic composite board that is waterproof and termite-proof. Useful for bathroom vanities and outdoor units; heavier than plywood and with lower screw holding.

Z

Zellige tile Surface

Hand-cut glazed terracotta tiles from Morocco. Each piece varies in tone and thickness, which gives a shimmering, uneven surface. Needs an experienced tiler.