Abrade
In construction, abrade means to remove the surface of a material by rubbing, grinding, or blasting it with an abrasive substance. This maybe used in cleaning, surface preparation before painting or tiling, creating a profile for better adhesion or just for aesthetic purposes. Abrasive materials can include sand, synthetic particles, or water under pressure, while tools like sanders, brushes, and blasting (sand blasting) equipment are used to perform the action. An aesthetic example might be the use of a sand blaster on new green oaf framing to remove softer timber and create contours along the grain giving the effect of aged wood.
In terms of glazing The York Glaziers Trust: Illustrated Glossary mentions the word abrade as meaning "To grind away the coloured upper surface of a flashed glass, revealing the base glass beneath. Tell-tale scratches left by the grinding tool will often remain around the edges of the abraded area. This technique is most commonly found in the context of flashed ruby glass."
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Conservation rooflights.
- Curved glass.
- Daylit space.
- Devitrification.
- Domestic windows.
- Double glazing v triple glazing.
- Glass.
- Glass manifestation.
- Glass mullion system.
- Glazier.
- Low-E glass.
- Patent glazing.
- Rose window.
- R-value.
- Rights to light.
- Sand blasting machines.
- Secondary glazing.
- Security glazing.
- Shot Blasting for Balcony Restoration.
- Stained glass.
- Structural glass assembly.
- Suction lifter.
- Tempered glass.
- Triple glazing.
- Types of glass.
- Types of window.
- Window.
- Window frame.
- Glazing
Featured articles and news
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.

















