Architraves

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	Complimentary Skirting Sizes
To 2.4m	90-135mm
To 2.7m	115-185mm
To 3.0m	135-230mm
To 3.6m	185mm+

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?

Architraves when framing a door run to the floor, with the skirting board butting into the side of the architrave. Sometimes a skirting block is used instead, meaning that the architraves run into the top of the block, and the skirting board comes out of the side of the block. This is useful when a different profile design, or thickness is used, or to create a more decorative finish.

No, however if your chair rail is thicker than your architrave any overhang of the chair rail would need to be champered at a 45 degree angle to finish it.

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 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.