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The Complete Architrave Buying Guide
October 22, 2020
12027
When it comes to selecting the right architrave for your home, there are a variety of factors to consider, from size and style to material and finish. Architraves not only add a decorative touch but also help to cover gaps around door frames and windows, providing a clean and professional look. This buying guide will walk you through the key aspects of choosing the perfect architrave, including the different sizes, materials and finishes available.
What is an architrave?
An architrave is an interior moulding that is fitted around a doorframe or a window. They allow you to hide messy door joints or rough surfaces by acting as trim where the joints meet the walls or floor.
Architraves are typically available in a wide range of materials and finishes, most commonly MDF and solid oak, as well as styles such as traditional or modern.
When selecting architrave sizes, it's important to consider the width, depth and length to ensure a cohesive look throughout your home. Whether you are starting from scratch or trying to match existing trim, understanding the various options can help you make the right choice. Looking for the full details on architrave and its uses? Read our ‘What is Architrave?’ blog.
Choosing the width
If you’re starting a fresh installation (e.g. You’ve removed your existing architrave from the door), you probably won’t need to match previous architrave widths. If you’re leaving some of the previously installed architraves you will need to choose the same widths to ensure consistency throughout your home.
Remember to take note of how close your door frames are to your walls. If your frame is close to the wall you must measure to see if your chosen architrave will fit.
- 70mm width - This is the most common architrave width in British homes. This is because the majority of people have 150mm or shorter skirting boards, so the 70mm architrave suits skirtings of this height.
- 95mm width - This is the second most common width. As the skirting gets taller, the architrave gets wider, meaning we usually see this width with skirtings around 170mm or 195mm tall. Depending on the design you chose, you may be limited to this size as the design cannot physically fit on a 70mm wide architrave
- 120mm width - This is the least common width that is available. This is usually used with skirting boards that are 220mm tall.
Choosing the depth
Generally, architrave is thicker than skirting boards. This helps to achieve a clean transition from one to the other. In more modern homes, skirting and architrave can be installed at the same thickness so that they are flush at the join, but this is only possible where the walls are perfectly square, which is uncommon in older properties.
Plinth blocks are a great way to create a clean transition between skirting and architrave. A plinth block will be thicker than both the skirting and architrave, and when installed really helps to create a more traditional feel.
- 15mm thickness - This is the thinnest thickness that we provide as standard. This suits modern designs and helps to save floor space within the building. Some designs can’t be manufactured from a material as thin as this because the detailed section of the profile becomes too brittle and prone to cracking.
- 18mm thickness - This is the most commonly chosen architrave thickness, and is found in many homes throughout the UK. These boards will be heavier than their thinner counterparts, but handling will be a lot easier.
- 25mm thickness - This is one of the thickest boards, generally used for wider architrave with taller skirting. These boards are heavy due to the increased thickness, but almost all designs fit on this sizing.
Choosing the length
Choosing the length of your door architrave can be a little bit tricky. If you want to order in lengths, you will choose from the first few options in millimetres. If you decide to order in sets, you'll choose from the last two options.
- 2440mm length - This is the shortest length available and the most commonly purchased size for architrave. This option allows for wastage and will easily cover standard height doors.
- 3050mm length - If you have standard sized doorways you will be able to get 1 leg (side of the door frame), and 1 head (top of the door frame), out of 1 length. You can achieve this by cutting the designed lengths out of the piece, then use the left-over piece for the head.
- 4200mm length - This is the longest length available for architraves. You will be able to get 2 legs and out or 4 heads out of 1 piece of this length.
- Single architrave set - A single set consists of 1 leg (both 2440mm) and 1 head (1220mm in length). This makes this size suitable for standard size single doorways. You will be able to cover one face of a single door frame with a single set, for both sides of a door you will need 2 single sets.
- Double architrave set - A double set consisting of the same as a single set, but the head is longer. This makes the double set suitable for use within a standard size double doorways. You will be able to cover one face of a double door frame with a double set, if you need to do both sides of a door you will need to purchase 2 double sets.
Choosing the finish
Different finishes are available depending on your budget and how much DIY you are happy to do!
- Unprimed - If you choose to purchase unprimed architrave, your boards will arrive without any finish applied, in their "raw state." The advantage of ordering unprimed architrave or skirting boards is the cost savings. If you have the time and ability to prime the boards on-site yourself, opting for unprimed products can be a more economical way to complete your project. When ordering MDF architrave, you will need to prime and undercoat them on-site before applying the final paint finish.
- Primed - If you choose the primed option, you can expect to receive MDF architraves that have a singular layer of primer applied to them.
- Fully finished - When you purchase fully finished architrave, it will arrive pre-painted with a smooth, white satin finish. This saves you both time and effort, as no additional painting is required.
Skirting 4 U provides a wide range of fully finished architraves and skirting boards to suit different interiors. All of our architraves are made from premium-grade moisture resistant MDF or American White Oak and can be ordered in a white satin or gloss finish (MDF only).