Architrave is most often seen as a moulding between the doorway and wall and as such is commonly incorrectly referred to as a doorway surround, door casing or door frame. Architrave can be made from a variety of materials with various types of wood usually being used.
Architrave is seen as moulding that is used to frame rectangular openings in homes, these are most often used around doorways but can also be used around other kinds of rectangular openings found in the home such as windows.
You may be thinking why is it necessary to use architrave? The simple answer is that is not a necessity but there are many reasons that you should consider using it as part of your interior design.
The main reason is for style and decoration. Architrave can be used to add style to a room and can be seen as more than just a finishing touch. It can really add to the character of a room and help set it in the style that you are looking for.
In addition to the decorative appeal of architrave there are also numerous practical advantages too.
The joins between the door frame and the wall can often be quite unsightly with small gaps that can increase in size as shrinkage occurs. Architrave can essentially be used to mask these types of gaps and can also perform the same job where the wall meets the ceiling around a doorway.
Any exterior corners are also likely to suffer knocks, bumps, kicks and scrapes and solid architrave is much better at withstanding these than bare plaster that can easily become chipped and scuffed.
Choosing Styles
The style of architrave you opt for will depend on the style of home you have or want to create.
Modern homes tend to use more square or rounded styles of skirting and architrave such as Bullnose, Splay and Bevel styles. These modern styles can include steps to provide depth and style but these stepped styles will usually be squarer in nature.
More traditional architrave will tend to have more curves and cuts with WT20 and WT29 being ones of the many popular profiles.
At Warringah Timbers, we have more than 1900 profiles and designs to choose from, and if you are looking for architrave for your home then take a look at our complete Moulding Brochure.