Skirting Boards & Architraves

Traditionally the skirting board was developed to hide the junction between floor and plastered wall. Plaster often developed cracks and rough edges and the skirting board was a neat way to cover this up. As well, it covers the rough ends of carpet.

Over time the skirting board came to achieve additional benefits such as preventing drafts, hiding electrical equipment and providing a barrier to protect walls from the daily activity of kids, pets, vacuum cleaners and general traffic.

However, beyond mere functionality a skirting board now provides an aesthetic completeness

While it is true that other elements of home design are larger in terms of impact, getting the design of your skirting boards right makes a big difference. They frequently act as a conduit in blending colour and style themes between rooms. They ensure your objective of consistency and a décor that is pleasing to the eye.

The factors to consider therefore are 1) style, 2) colour, 3) material and 4) finish. All these details need to be combined as they add up to the perfect decorative completion of your build or renovation.

What style of skirting is right for you? Determine your style is a great place to start.

Contemporary or period?

In modern homes often a plain, minimalist skirting board without intricate detail will work.

But it is possible that a period style will too, especially when great care is taken with its colour and by teaming it with the right furniture and furnishings.

It is important to note though that this will not apply in the reverse scenario, i.e. a contemporary skirting in a period home, because they mostly have other features such as door or wall trims and dado rails that must be matched.

It is all about getting the balance right!  

Take for example Georgian and Victorian style homes. These mostly have tall and airy rooms – some up to 3 metres – which will accommodate high and more ornate skirtings.

Then Edwardian homes, which are not quite so spacious. Or the contemporary home with a 2.4 metre ceiling height. Skirtings for these must be kept in proportion, not only with the height of the ceilings but the size of the room.

Skirting styles cannot be mixed and matched in different rooms, adjacent corridors and certainly not in the same room! Some traditional or period style skirtings have such distinctive ridges and mouldings that this would not be possible anyway.

How to choose the right size skirting boards? First, decide what you are wanting to achieve in your home build, addition or renovation. These are some factors to keep in mind……. 1) Space. A commonly held belief is that large skirting boards can only be used in big rooms with high ceilings. But if you are wanting to create a cosy space, a higher-than-normal skirting is something you can experiment with. Similarly, to create an impression of extra spaciousness you can keep the skirtings smaller in a large area. Ask our team to show you some sample decors. 2) Height. A good starting point is the following chart:  

Ceiling Height	Skirting Height	Architrave Width
2400 - 2700mm	135mm	90mm
2701 - 3000mm	185mm	90mm
>3001mm	230mm	115mm

  The above are suggestions only. Any skirting 185mm high or more we consider to be large skirtings. 185mm suits most new homes. A more “busy” profile generally looks better in a room with more space available. In a smaller room – if you are using a high-profile style – we would recommend a design with more “breathing space”, i.e. with 50% of flat space in its profile. Think about what you want to achieve. Do you want a dramatic effect, a cosy space or just to open your room out? Do you want the skirtings to stand out as a piece of architectural art, or do you want to just enhance the décor of your room?

An Architrave is a timber moulding that is installed to surround a window, door or other openings to hide the join between the wall and door or window frames. An important decorative detail that enhances the architectural style of a building and protects it from knocks and bumps. An Architrave is not a structural element, they create the illusion of height or accentuates a doorway or window surround. Adding a custom architrave profile to your interior adds grandeur & architectural details to the space. Intrim Mouldings large range of designer architrave profiles will suit all styles & designs to create a look that will impress. Available in numerous sizes and hundreds of styles, match your architraves to your skirting boards or select a complementary design style. Samples are available to help you select your perfect profile.  

Once you have chosen the skirting board the next decision to make is about the architraves. While most people will choose the same profile – in a smaller height – it is possible to mix and match profiles to achieve a look that is both interesting and beautiful. Following are some recommendations that will help in getting the mix right: 1) Architrave widths for different door heights recommendations:

Door Height	Architrave Width
2.04m	66-90mm
2.34m	90-135mm
2.70m	115mm+

2) Skirting and architrave combination recommendations:

Skirtings	Architrave
90-135mm	66-90mm
115-185mm	90-115mm
185-230mm	90-115mm
230mm+	115mm+

The most commonly used combinations are:

• 135mm skirting with 90mm architrave
• 185mm skirting with 90mm architrave

The colour scheme you choose is a big factor in achieving the desired result – a pleasing overall look – with either coloured or neutral toned skirting boards. Here are some ideas:

•  Coloured skirtings with white or off-white walls. This helps to “frame” a room and offers scope for toning wall decorations,

•  White or cream skirtings with coloured walls. This places the emphasis on the skirtings, so it is important to install a good style and finish as any imperfections will be noticeable. Care needs to be taken with this as it is easy to get wrong.

•  Walls and skirtings in the same colour but with the subtle variation of having the skirtings a shade lighter or darker. Or skirtings and walls the same colour. Either of these give a seamless appearance and both are a popular statement in contemporary homes. Both approaches give the impression of greater space.

Primed or Un-primed? Put simply, primed mouldings are those that have been coated with a primer before leaving our factory. After they have been installed, they then only need painting with your final colour. This is fast becoming the preferred option as it saves time and money for the end user. Extra lead time must be allowed for if you choose this option. Normally it will add only a few days to your expected delivery date.  

When choosing your skirting boards & architraves you need to analyse how much traffic the skirting is going to have to cope with and how soon you may need to replace them. Plus in an addition or renovation, how are they going to look adjacent to existing rooms?

Also consider the aesthetics of the finished room, so consider other features such as chair rails, picture rails, wainscoting and other wall panelling designs.

Keeping to a budget? A cost-saving option is to reduce the skirting thickness without altering its height. This can often give you the profile you want but at a cheaper price. We estimate that while skirtings and architraves are less than 1.2% of the overall project costs, the impact they make and the value they add is far greater.

Aim for consistency. Practicality, longevity and aesthetics combined throughout your project will give you years of satisfaction. Skirtings must flow whether in corridors or adjoining rooms. They make far more impact than you may have thought!

The difference between a Skirting board and Architrave is the location and the size. The Skirting board is designed to be fitted around the perimeter of a room, fixed to the wall where it meets the floor. An Architrave, however is usually a smaller width than the skirting board, and is fitted around the windows and doorways to cover where the wooden frame meets the plasterboard.

Yes, Fast Trim is not designed for small orders and as such the minimum order quantity is 400m which can be made up of a combination of skirting and architrave. If you are not sure if your project will be that size, talk to us and we can make a recommendation as to whether Fast Trim is suitable.