Technical
library
Reference sheets for interior designers and architects: dimensions, materials, finishes, standards and specification wording, each with a drawing and a free A4 factsheet.
304 vs 316 stainless: hospitality, wet areas, coastal
304 or 316 by environment: a decision chart, the IMOA site score, hospitality finishes and paste-in specification wording.
Which metal for which environment: a selection matrix
Eight metals against six environments, from dry interior to indoor pool hall: a key, an honest caveat for each, and specification wording.
Stainless steel finish codes: 2B, BA, No.4, mirror
EN 10088-2 codes against trade names, what each finish does to light, where each suits, and wording that fixes the finish.
PVD coatings explained: thickness, colour and care
Thickness, hardness, colours, substrates, limits, care and specification wording for PVD coatings, with the sources named.
Types of steel for interiors and architectural metalwork
Stainless 304, 316, 430, 444 and duplex, mild steel and weathering steel: EN numbers, a grade table, a pitting-resistance ladder and specification wording.
Balustrade and handrail rules in England (Part K)
Guarding and handrail heights, the 100 mm sphere rule and its condition, and glass in critical locations, by paragraph number (England, 2013 edition).
Brass alloys explained: CW508L, CW614N and the rest
Eight brass alloys compared on copper and lead content, workability and use, with what the datasheets leave out and specification wording.
Lacquered vs unlacquered brass and copper: what to specify
Lacquered, unlacquered and waxed brass and copper compared: ageing, cleaning, how to put it right, where the evidence ends, and specification wording.
Plating and coating thickness in microns: what to specify
Plated, PVD, lacquer, anodised and galvanised finish thickness in micrometres, what sits beneath, polish-through, and specification wording.
Ironmongery finish codes decoded: SSS, PSS, SAA, PB, SC
Common hardware finish codes decoded, where makers' keys disagree, what sits behind each finish, and schedule wording.
Cleaning metal finishes: stainless, brass, PVD, powder coat
A care table for stainless, PVD, brass, bronze, powder coat and anodised metal, a cleaner chart and a handover table.
RAL, BS 4800 and NCS: colour and gloss references
RAL, BS 4800, BS 381C and NCS compared, how to name a colour completely, gloss in GU, and specification wording.
Table heights: dining, coffee, bar and desk
Heights in mm for every common table type, the seat-to-top rule, thigh room, and specification wording.
Seat height, depth and width by seat type
Seat height, depth, width and arm height by seat type in mm, with every measuring datum defined on a side-view drawing.
Seat slope and back rake: how many degrees
Seat slope and back rake in degrees by seat type, what each angle is measured from, and the formal versus relaxed trade-off.
Formal versus relaxed seating: the comfort matrix
Four seating characters, from formal to deep lounge, set out by geometry, fill, suspension and cover, with a drawing and specification wording.
Upholstery foam, feather and fibre for specifiers
What density and hardness mean, what a foam data sheet should say, how fire certificates treat foam, feather and fibre, and wording to specify the build.
Banquette dimensions: seat, back and table gap
Every dimension of a banquette in section with its datum: finished or loaded seat height, depth, back, rake, drop and gap, with specification wording.
BS 7176 hazard categories, label and specification wording
The four BS 7176 hazard categories, typical premises, the compliance label, what Crib 5 does and does not prove, and specification wording.
Approved Document M for furniture and joinery
Reception, bar, bedroom and door figures from Approved Document M volume 2 with paragraph numbers, and what it leaves out.
BS EN 16139:2025 seating: Level 1 and Level 2
What BS EN 16139:2025 tests, what Level 1 and Level 2 mean, what it leaves out, what changed from 2013 and what to ask for.
Bar, counter and stool heights, overhangs, footrails
Bar, counter and stool heights drawn to scale: seat-to-top gap, overhang, foot rail, stool pitch and the 850 mm accessible section, with spec wording.
Sofa, armchair and bench dimensions
A sofa in section and plan with every dimension lettered, ranges for armchairs, ottomans and benches, sectional modules and door, corner and ceiling checks.
Furniture tolerances: height, squareness, flatness
Typical starting points for length, height, squareness, flatness and gaps, wood movement from primary data, one-sided limits, and wording that names the datum and the method.
Seating sit-test and comfort sign-off protocol
Four prototype stages, who sits and for how long, a one-page scoring sheet, a pass rule and sign-off wording for comfort approval before production.
Contract versus domestic furniture: the build checklist
A twelve-line checklist for contract against domestic furniture: tests, fire route, frame, joints, fixings, foam, fabric, finish and warranty, with how to verify each.
Furniture strength and durability standards map
A map of the BS EN strength and durability standards for seating, tables, desks, storage, beds and outdoor furniture, domestic and non-domestic, with editions checked and wording to specify.
Types of moulding and profiles: a reference chart
Fifteen moulding profiles drawn on a 5 mm grid and named, a room drawing, the naming conflicts, and wording for a moulding schedule.
Skirting and architrave sizes by ceiling height
What four common skirting rules of thumb give from 2.4 to 4.2 m ceilings, drawn to scale, how skirting meets architrave, and wording for a schedule.
Joinery specification that cannot be priced down
A clause-by-clause checklist for joinery and timber specifications that cannot be read two ways, with sample references and paste-in wording.
Stair rise, going, pitch and headroom (Part K)
Rise, going, pitch and headroom for private, utility and general access stairs, from Table 1.1 of Approved Document K, with a section drawing and a worked set-out.
Wall panelling set-out: rails, stiles and panel widths
Rail and stile widths, panel proportions, dado heights and joint positions: a six-step set-out, a scaled worked example and drawing-note wording.
Wall panelling styles chart: shaker, fielded, bolection
Eleven panelling styles drawn in elevation and section, how each is built, what it suits and what to watch, with wording for a panelling schedule.
Wardrobe and dressing room dimensions: internal sizes
Wardrobe depth, rail heights, shelf and drawer sizes and walk-in aisles, each range with its reason, three dimensioned drawings and specification wording.
Veneer specification: cuts, matches, backing, balance
Veneer cuts, book, slip and random matches, panel and sequence matching, backing and balance, with original drawings and paste-in wording.
Timber cuts explained: plain, quarter, rift, live sawn
Plain, quarter, rift and through-and-through sawn timber: ring angles, grain, movement, board width, and wording that fixes the cut.
Joinery tolerances and scribing allowances
What a wall, floor and ceiling may be out by, how scribing takes it up, how to survey, and a dimensioned drawing with paste-in wording.
Specifying Murano glass lighting: a specifier's guide
Glass, colour, handmade variation, weight and fixing, paperwork and programme, with a drawing checklist and paste-in wording.
Chandelier sizing and hanging heights in metric
Chandelier diameter and hanging height in millimetres: the common rules, their basis, head clearance, suspension length and a drawing.
Part L and chandeliers: do the efficacy limits apply?
What Approved Document L says about chandeliers, the 2021 and 2026 efficacy figures with paragraph numbers, and what to ask building control.
Dimming protocols for decorative lighting compared
Phase-cut, 0-10V, DALI-2, DMX512 and wireless compared for decorative fittings: what each is, the pitfalls and what to ask.
Pendant heights and spacing over bars, tables and islands
Pendant heights over bars, tables and islands in millimetres, checked against eye heights, with spacing arithmetic, glare guidance and a dimensioned drawing.
Hospitality lighting levels by space: what standards say
Which document covers which space, the few lux figures that are openly published, how uniformity is measured, and wording that leaves targets to the lighting designer.
Colour temperature by space: warm-dim and consistency
Colour temperature by hotel and restaurant space, a drawn swatch scale from 2200 to 4000 K, warm-dim, SDCM and consistency across fittings, with specification wording.
Luminaire data sheet: what to demand from a supplier
56 fields in eight groups for a bespoke luminaire data sheet, minimum and best practice, an annotated mock sheet and paste-in wording.
Luminaire conformity: EN 60598-1, UKCA, CE and the DoC
UKCA or CE, the declaration of conformity, BS EN IEC 60598-1, who is the manufacturer, and the documents to ask for with a bespoke or imported luminaire.
Is it genuinely Murano? Origin marks and paperwork
Murano, Venetian or Murano-style: what the origin mark proves and does not, the evidence to ask for and paste-in specification wording.
Parquet patterns: herringbone, chevron, basketweave
Parquet patterns drawn in plan with the rule behind each: herringbone, chevron at 45 and 60 degrees, basketweave, brick, chequerboard, cubes and panels.
Wood flooring grades: Prime, Select, Natural, Rustic
Prime, Select, Natural and Rustic compared across UK suppliers, why the names disagree, and how to make a grade enforceable.
Solid vs engineered wood flooring: what really changes
Solid and engineered builds drawn in section, an oak movement chart, wear-layer and sanding arithmetic, and the words to put in the specification.
Timber floor acclimatisation and site conditions
Why acclimatisation advice conflicts, every figure traced to its source, a moisture-and-humidity chart and a site-conditions sequence.
Natural stone finishes: polished, honed, flamed
Eight stone finishes drawn as swatches, with look, grip, marks and care notes, and wording to specify a finish.
Subfloor requirements for wood flooring
Subfloor moisture and flatness limits compared, the straight-edge and hygrometer tests drawn, who is responsible, and a handover checklist.
Engineered stone and silica: what specifiers should ask
What HSE's 2026 engineered stone guidance says, which materials carry silica, eight questions for fabricators and specification wording.
Why bespoke quotes differ and how to compare them
The ten specification lines that make tenders differ, what each changes in the work, and a checklist for comparing bespoke quotes like for like.
UK FF&E schedule template: the columns that matter
The columns an FF&E schedule needs, including fire, timber and test-report columns for UK projects, with column definitions and a worked row.
FF&E fire documentation matrix for UK projects
Which fire standard and which certificate each FF&E item needs, a decision drawing, and how to read an upholstery fire test report.
Delivery access survey: will it get in?
A route checklist from kerb to room, a corner-turn test, a tip-up test, notes on lifts, hoists and cranes, and delivery-constraints wording.
Site survey and dimension verification
A site survey checklist for bespoke joinery and furniture: datums, plumb, squareness, scribe allowances, who measures what, and sign-off wording.
Site readiness checklist for joinery and FF&E
A twelve-point site readiness checklist and tick sheet for installing bespoke joinery and furniture, with moisture guidance and a building-conditions clause.
Sample hierarchy and approval for bespoke work
The seven kinds of sample from swatch to first article, what each proves and which one binds production, with approval conditions and clause wording.
Comparing bespoke quotes like for like: a checklist
A side-by-side grid and checklist for comparing bespoke quotes: inclusions, exclusions and qualifications, the words that signal a gap, and clarification wording.
Snagging bespoke joinery and FF&E: acceptance criteria
Defect classes, natural variation by material, inspection conditions, a snag record and acceptance wording, agreed before the work is made.
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