Image: shutterstock
About This Quiz
Calling all HGTV buffs! Think you know enough about home building materials to ace this quiz? Let's see if you can hit the nail on the head with this one!
As easy as that may sound, building a home involves much more than a hammer and a nail! The materials list can be just as long as your gutters that stretch from the roof to the ground. There's plaster, there's foundation, there's molding, oh my!Â
And these materials are just the beginning. You may not come to appreciate the value of a home improvement store until it's time to build a home. Where once you strolled in to buy a new lightbulb, now you pace down the aisles of plywood, rebar and cast iron pipes. Excuse me, is this a chop saw or a router table?
You see, walking around a home construction site or supply house can be quite daunting! Building a home is not for the faint of heart. It is a task that will challenge you both physically and mentally. Much like this quiz... ok, just mentally!
Think you're ready to name that home building material? Secure your ladder and level out your floor, it's time to build up and move on in!
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Gutters
2x4
PVC pipes
4x4
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and resist compression. There are more than a dozen types of wood!
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Stucco
Spray paint
Veneer
Wood Stain
Be careful around stained wood. One of the most common issues is water stains. Be sure to use a coaster so your glass doesn't leave a ring on the wood stained table.
Advertisement
YouTube
What type of home building material do you see here?
Wood Stain
Concrete
Concrete is the main ingredient to build a proper foundation for a new house. A foundation is what connects the house to the ground - it naturally pulls the weight of the house down to the ground, keeping it stable.
Paint
Caulk
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Paint
Wood
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective coating of walls and ceilings. Plastering is done more commonly on the inside of houses, while rendering is done on the outside.
Shiplap
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Paint
Cement
Asphalt shingles
Aluminum Siding
Aluminum siding is used when a more durable finish is required on a house. It is lightweight and easy to shape, but sturdy enough to protect a house against the rough elements.
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Thatch
Joist
Urbanite
Insulation
There are various kinds of insulation, but they all have the same purpose - to reduce the transfer of heat in a home. If your home is well-insulated, you will be able to maintain comfortable temperatures (and bills!) through all types of weather.
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Shiplap
Brick
Bricks are building material used to make walls, pavement and other elements in masonry construction. A person who lays bricks is known as a mason - a highly skilled profession.
Stucco
Aluminum siding
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Aluminum siding
Brick
Asphalt shingles
Asphalt shingles are a type of roof shingle that uses asphalt for waterproofing. It is one of the most widely used roofing covers in North America because it has a relatively inexpensive up-front cost and is fairly simple to install.
Ceramic tile
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Veneer
Wall board
A wall board is a pre-made board used for walls and ceilings. It often covers the wooden frame and insulation of a new home and with a coat of plaster, can be painted or wallpapered.
Rock
Gutters
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Gutters
AC power plugs
Did you know that AC stands for alternating current? Every home must come equipped with AC power outlets - typically they are found low on the wall and every few feet.
Router table
Circuit breaker
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Clay
Stucco
Stucco is also known as 'render.' It is a material made of aggregates, a binder and water, and it is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. Most often used on the outside of a house for design.
Paint
Chop Saw
Advertisement
Shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Veneer
Caulk
Marble
Did you know the Taj Mahal is entirely clad in marble?! So what is it? Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystalized carbonate minerals such as calcite or dolomite.
Rock
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Plywood
Plywood is a sheet material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer. The layers are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated 90 degrees to one another. This makes for stronger, more reliable wood.
2x4
Glulam
Insulation
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Chisel
Gypsum Board
What is Gypsum you wonder? It is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. It is not only used for plaster and wall board but it can also be used as a fertilizer.
Plywood
Marble
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Clay
Paint
Carpet
While more and more people are appreciating hardwood floors, nothing quite tickles your toes like wall to wall carpeting. Carpets can range from 100 percent wool to synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester.
Insulation
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Shiplap
Wood stain
Paint
You can't finish building a home without some paint Make sure your color schemes are chosen and be sure to store it properly when finished. If not, the leftover paint will dry up and you won't be able to use for touch-ups down the road.
Joist
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Aluminum Siding
Grout
Grout is a particularly fluid form of concrete used to fill gaps. Around the house, it is used to fill around tiles in the kitchen or bathroom - including the shower and tub.
Windows
Marble
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Rock
Concrete
Ducting
Ducts are conduits used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to deliver and remove air. Duct systems are also referred to as the ductwork.
Ladder
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Ladder
Tool Belt
Circuit breaker
A circuit breaker is an automatically-operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by over-current. These are found in every home, typically in the basement.
Laser Level
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Wood Stain
Cinder block
Rebar
Rebar is short for reinforcing bar. It is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device to strengthen and hold concrete in compression. The most common type of rebar is carbon steel.
Finish nailer
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Cast iron pipes
Cast iron pipe has been used as a pressure pipe for transmission of water, gas and sewage since the 19th century. Today is it used mainly in homes for sewerage and gas piping.
Finish nailer
Stucco
Grout
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Grout
Aluminum Siding
Ladder
Wire rope
Wire rope is several strands of metal wire twisted into a helix forming a composite "rope"! Today, steel is the main material used for wire ropes. Back in the day, it was wrought iron!
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Sledge Hammer
Glulam
Ladder
If you don't have several ladders on site, it may be very difficult to build a home! Always make sure your extension ladders are set up safely with at least three rungs over the top of the structure.
Chop Saw
Advertisement
YouTube
What type of home building material do you see here?
Chop Saw
Stucco
Bamboo
Bamboo, like true wood, is a natural composite material with a high strength-to-weight ratio which is useful for building homes. It is a main source of construction material in South Asia, East Asia and the South Pacific.
Marble
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Marble
Brick
Windows
The eyes of the home. How many? Which shape? How will they lock? Selecting windows when building a home will be a job in itself. Good luck!
Wall board
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Clay
Clay is a finely-grained natural rock or soil material. Did you know that it is actually considered a plastic due to its water content? It then becomes hard, brittle and non–plastic upon drying.
Cast iron pipes
PVC pipes
Rafter
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Thatch
Veneer
Moulding
Rock
Rock is a natural substance. It is categorized into three major groups: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Rocks have been used in home building since the beginning of time.
Advertisement
YouTube
What type of home building material do you see here?
Cinder block
Rebar
Laser Level
A laser level is a control tool consisting of a laser beam that projects a fixed red or green beam along the horizontal and vertical axis of the new home. Laser levels have been around since the 1970s.
Plywood
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Spray paint
Spray painting is a technique where a device sprays a coating of paint, ink or varnish through the air onto a surface. Spray guns evolved from airbrushes.
Ducting
Asphalt Shingles
Finish nailer
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Finish nailer
Rebar
Thatch
Thatch is a combination of living and dead plant matter, including crowns, stolons, rhizomes, and roots. Did you know that it can provide insulation against temperature and moisture?
Rock
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Caulk
Caulk is both a noun and a verb. The term can refer either to the caulking substance or to the process of applying it. Its function in a construction zone is to provide thermal insulation, control water penetration and in some cases, mitigate noise.
Wire rope
Asphalt Shingles
Carpet
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Joist
Laser Level
Sledge Hammer
Sledgehammers are most often found in renovation areas. They are used for breaking through drywall or masonry walls. They require two hands and a lot of force.
Wire rope
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Tool Belt
Plaster
Chop Saw
A chop saw is also known as a cut off saw or a miter saw. It is used to make a quick, accurate crosscut in a workpiece at a very specific angle. They are commonly used for cutting moulding and trim.
Asphalt Shingles
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Tool Belt
A tool belt is a home-builder's best friend. It holds all types of tools and materials right at the convenience of their waistline.
Asphalt Shingles
Mortar
Dropped ceiling
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Dropped ceiling
Cast iron pipes
Chisel
A chisel is a tool with a characteristically-shaped cutting edge on its end. It is used for carving or cutting hard material such as wood, stone, or metal by hand - typically by striking the top end with a mallet.
Finish nailer
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Laser Level
Finish nailer
A finish nailer is typically used on the roof installation of a new home. Did you know the first nail gun was introduced in 1950? It had an original speed of 40-60 nails per minute.
Spray paint
Ducting
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Ducting
Grout
Joist
A joist is a horizontal structure used during the framing phase of home-building. They are either made of wood or steel and support the anticipated load of the frame over a long period of time.
Cinder block
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Plaster
Aluminum Siding
Rafter
Did you know a pair of rafters is called a couple? In home construction, rafters are normally made of wood. In older homes, rafters can be found in most attics. Exposed rafters have become a feature of more modern homes.
Concrete
Advertisement
Bob Vila
What type of home building material do you see here?
Concrete
Ladder
Glulam
What is Glulam? It is glued laminated timber. By laminating a number of smaller pieces of lumber, a single large, strong, structural member is manufactured and serves as a vertical column or horizontal beam in new homes.
Spray paint
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Veneer
Veneer is a thin slice of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm. It is obtained either by "peeling" the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular blocks of wood known as flitches.
Spray paint
Gypsum Board
Marble
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Molding
At their simplest, moldings hide and seal natural joints produced in the framing process of building a structure. On the inside of a home, people look for crown moldings as a sign of character and sophistication.
Marble
Brick
Wood
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Wood
Dropped ceiling
A dropped ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main, more structural, ceiling. These are often found in finished basements, as well as office environments.
Gypsum Board
Gutters
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Gutters
Cast iron pipes
PVC pipes
What does PVC stand for? Polyvinyl chloride. It is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer. It is used for plumbing purposes in new home construction.
Circuit breaker
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Circuit breaker
AC power plugs
Gutters
You don't want to build a home without gutters. These are important for collecting and discharging rain water from the roof. They can be made of cast iron, aluminum, copper and bamboo.
Chop Saw
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Chop Saw
PVC pipes
Shiplap
Shiplap is a type of wooden board used commonly as exterior siding in the construction of residences, barns, and sheds. It is also used indoors for the rough or rustic look that it creates when used as paneling or a covering for a wall or ceiling.
Urbanite
Advertisement
shutterstock
What type of home building material do you see here?
Sand
Sand is not just for the beach! Did you know that sand is an integral part of bricks, concrete, glass, mortar and even paint?
Concrete
Gypsum Board
Grout
Advertisement
n/a
What type of home building material do you see here?
Router table
A router table is a stationary woodworking machine. It has a vertical spindle that protrudes from the machine table and can be spun at speeds typically between 3,000 and 24,000 rpm!
Urbanite
Finish nailer
Tool Belt
Advertisement
Gregory Cox
What type of home building material do you see here?
Thatch
Urbanite
Urbanite can be thought of as re-purposed or recycled concrete. It forms when a construction worker uses a jackhammer or sledge hammer to break up an existing slab of concrete!
Sand
Insulation
Advertisement
You Got:
/48
shutterstock