Architraves and skirting in Berkshire/Hampshire!

[ajbaker]

I cannot believe it is so hard to find attractive skirting and architraves. As part of my bedroom renovation I am replacing all of the MDF skirting with something more befitting of a 200 year old listed house. And since I am doing one room it makes sense to do all (that have MDF that is).

Anyway, I really do not like the profiles that modern skirting and architraves have. The traditional Torus et al have been disfigured to the extent we are left with ugly, huglely rounded shapes. I have found some skirting with a more gentle and attractive shape, but cannot find any architraves with a similar profile.

Any suggestions for Berkshire or Hampshire? Thus far skirting is costing £8/m (supplier wont do architraves). I have found some architraves I like for £8.50/m but think it must be possible to find something cheaper.

Would I be able to have something made for this price? Any ideas?!?!

 

[middi]

You are faced with the catch 22 situation.

The standard contemporary profiles are generally stocked and not that expensive, due to the volume that get sold.

Some traditional profiles are sometimes stock item at some outlets but higher premiums are charged, again due to the volume sold.

To obtain some traditional profiles, as may be in your case, there is no choise but to ask a willing joinery shop to make them for you, as you can appreciate it is not the time or the wood that will make them expensive, usually it is having the cutters made and fitting them on their spindle molders that bumps the price up.

Not much help I am afraid.

 

[Nemesis]

However - it's possible that your house did not have skirtings originally, but plaster to ground level.

That could save some cash...

If having anything run up, as Middi says it's the cost of setting up the cutters which adds, so have plenty done at once, not just bit by bit.

 

[yoofookinwah]

Why not make your own skirting?

I used a router and 7" x 1" to recreate the rotten floorboards here.

 

[Penners]

Why not make your own skirting?

I used a router and 7" x 1" to recreate the rotten floorboards here.

That's a strange thing to do. I would have created new ones, rather than rotten ones. :wink:

On a less flippant note, it would be quite difficult to create the moulding shown in the OP's photo, using a handheld router or even a domestic router table. That's a big board to push through in a vertical position, and quite deep radiuses (radii?) to cut.

It really needs an industrially sized machine - a spindle moulder preferably.

 

[njr_26]

Hi there

You could try Dressers

 

[yoofookinwah]

Why not make your own skirting?

I used a router and 7" x 1" to <b>recreate the rotten floorboards here.</b>

That's a strange thing to do. I would have created new ones, rather than rotten ones. :wink:

On a less flippant note, it would be quite difficult to create the moulding shown in the OP's photo, using a handheld router or even a domestic router table. That's a big board to push through in a vertical position, and quite deep radiuses (radii?) to cut.

It really needs an industrially sized machine - a spindle moulder preferably.

Ooops

I had a pal machine a new bit for me and cut the shape that way.

 

[ljn]

Dressers? Is that a suplyer? Do you have any details?

 

[Nigel Watts]

If your house is 200 years old it will very probably have had different details and mouldings in different rooms, reflecting a hierarchy of uses. These days however builders tend to use uniform mouldings, doors etc in all rooms. It is sometimes tempting to over elaborte when restoring an old house. Try to resist this.

The main rooms would have the thickest doors, the highest skirtings and the most elaborate cornices. The secondary bedrooms would have been much simpler, the kitchen probably even more so. Wood other than painted pine would only have been used in the very grandest houses, which might have had solid mahogany or oak doors.

For a bedroom other than the principal bedroom of the house I would opt for something fairly simple, perhaps a six inch skirting with a simple bead in painted pine. The architrave should probably be a Roman or Greek ogee (Greek ogees are fairly easily obtainable, but older Georgian houses usually have Roman ogees). For a grander architrave you can mount the ogee on the outer edge of a wider, flat board with a bead on the inner edge. The choice all depends on the age and style of the house. If there are any original mouldings, take the cue from them.

 

[ajbaker]

Nigel. Thank you, that is a really insightful post, and raises questions I hadn't even thought about, and also explains a few things in the house.

It is a small, 2 bedroom mid terrace property. It used to belong to the parish originally, but we are unsure if it was once larger for the clergy or used to accommodate his minions. Either way I can see how the smaller bedroom and dining room have small, non-profiled skirting. It's difficult to establish if the architraves are original, but they are old. As you say they are Ogee, but they are a lot less pronounced and somehow just more subtle and appealing than the modern variation on this profile.

Unfortunately the skirting in the main bedroom (the room I am working on currently) and lounge is not original. Whilst I take your comments on board, because of my distaste for the modern profiles, the oak flooring in each room and I guess a little of my taste being reflected in the choice, I will go for matching oak in these rooms. Would you say the pictured profile is too complicated or too 'elaborate' as you say?

I am still none the wiser on the architrave.

Do you believe a plinth is likely to have been used? There are none in the house now, but am also considering if this would be suitable?

njr_26, are you referring to a supplier called Dressers? If so could I have more detail please...

 

[Geoffrey]

I would just go for what you like - it is decoration after all, not a major structural alteration. I've recently had new skirting made by a local timber merchant/joiner. They had a variety of cutters to choose from and would have had some made to order had I wished - and turned out to be cheaper than anything I'd found on the internet.

 

[ajbaker]

Geoffrey - ahh the voice of reason. Think I may have gone a little overboard with my concern for skirting there. I rest easy in the knowledge I have done the best I can for the room already.

 

[mardinor]

I can also recommend highly Dressers. We used them for skirting, architrave and panel moulding for our house. They have a good range at 'proper sizes' and scale (rather than scaled down and simplified for today's tiny box houses). Prices are fair, they will send samples, and do beautiful oak and Sapele as well as pine. And the pine is actually straight and not full of knots. Best of all, they only charge £10 for nationwide delivery (not bad for 5m lengths!)

The website is a bit hard to navigate, but persevere and get a paper brochure. Or call them, they're quite helpful.

Can't recommend highly enough.

http://www.dresser.uk.com