Skirting/Architrave

Orcamesh · 5 Jan 2012

G'day

In the nearish future I hope to strip our lounge & dining room of all its (currently painted) skirting/architraving/etc and replace with unpainted wood. I guess some of you have done this before? However, as you can imagine once you start in one room you end up going round the whole house because the interface with an adjacent room (which has painted skirting) would look a bit odd against the new unpainted (probably oiled) wood.

Does anyone have any photos of any rooms they have done showing this kind of interface and how it looks?

I would like to see it before committing to real wood, otherwise I might just stick with painted. My problem is that whilst doing the whole house in oiled wood would be great, this is going to be v. expensive and v. time consuming!

I just can't decide at the moment so any visual help would be great. I've got a nasty feeling that the painted option is what we'll end up with, but let's see...

cheers
Steve

AndyT · 5 Jan 2012

What age is your house? How much joinery is there, and what is it like?

If it's Victorian - and would therefore need deeper, more elaborate skirtings, I doubt you'd be able to buy replacements in wood that was good enough to display with an oiled finish, unless you spend a huge amount.

If it is newer, and you just need a simple hardwood board about 100mm wide with a roundover - it may well end up looking like an office!

The worst option (in my opinion only) would be to rip out something that is right for the age of the house and replace it with something wrong.

Also, where we have oak flooring in some of the rooms in our (Victorian) house, I've kept the skirtings painted - because, visually, they are part of the painted wall, not the stained floor. Just a thought to help before it's too late!

Orcamesh · 5 Jan 2012

AndyT":a6xczraz said:
What age is your house? How much joinery is there, and what is it like?

If it's Victorian - and would therefore need deeper, more elaborate skirtings, I doubt you'd be able to buy replacements in wood that was good enough to display with an oiled finish, unless you spend a huge amount.

If it is newer, and you just need a simple hardwood board about 100mm wide with a roundover - it may well end up looking like an office!

The worst option (in my opinion only) would be to rip out something that is right for the age of the house and replace it with something wrong.

Also, where we have oak flooring in some of the rooms in our (Victorian) house, I've kept the skirtings painted - because, visually, they are part of the painted wall, not the stained floor. Just a thought to help before it's too late!

Hi Andy
It's a mid 50's 4 bed house, extended in the late 80s on one side. So there is tons of wood. Which is why if I was going to change it from painted to unpainted in 2 rooms I would want to stop there. But I am not sure if this would work visually where it changes from one room to the next. The skirting is simple, like todays, one bevel running along the top edge. There are also two "room divider" double doors to replace (by me) and at that stage I have to choose what wood to use. Obviously, if it is going to be seen then I need a better grade of wood than pine. Pine look would not suit the style of the house. My plan had been to buy my own timber and create the bevel edge myself, so I would not be buying in ready to run skirting. I appreciate your advice, so its good to know what others have done or not done. There's no panic, it won't start until mid-March at the earliest! thanks Steve

twothumbs · 5 Jan 2012

l'd stick with renewing the doors. A lot of work if the grounds loosen off and tidying up plaster. Remaking planted stops and facings is ok if everything is neat to start wiith. Best wishes.

byrnsey · 5 Jan 2012

We do quite a bit of trimming out. Used to always trim out houses in oak (doors,floors,skirtings,archatrives) but latley we have been hanging oak doors and redwood skirting and archatrives painted, looks better imo.