Add More to Your Doors with an Oak Architrave

An oak architrave is designed to encase the frame of your doorways. It's an architectural feature that has a storied culture through Ancient Greek architecture. Even today, an oak architrave has a lintel and post design that mirrors the style used in Ancient Greek temples.

When you buy an oak architrave in the UK, it's likely you want to add a classical touch to your decor. A staple of buildings designed in the 18th and 19th centuries, a solid oak architrave is a durable feature with a combination of symmetry, beauty and harmony. In Ancient Greek, the architraves used around doorways were majorly constructed from stone. Furthermore, they were mostly used outdoors. Thanks to innovations in carpentry and woodwork, we can now design an architrave out of oak veneer or solid oak. This is why they have become popular in homes and office buildings across the UK.

Here at UK Oak Doors, when you buy any of our architraves, you're getting the highest quality of aesthetics and functionality. We build our architraves using the best solid oak wood planks. Hence, you can expect to enjoy the highest level of durability. You can also use an architrave to cover up flaws like uneven walls, imperfect finishing and cracked wallpaper. At UK Oak Doors, we offer a collection of architraves to fit all of your design and functionality needs. Shop our oak architrave designs today.

Oak Architrave 4 Profiles

Our Solid Oak Architrave is made exclusively with solid oak and will match perfectly for colour and wood grade with our oak doors. The available mouldings suit both contemporary and country style properties. The architrave is available in single and double sets in four profiles: Ogee architrave, Torus architrave, Chamfer architrave and Bullnose architrave. All of our Oak Architrave is currently supplied unfinished ready to be oiled or stained. This enables you to match them with your doors and other furnishings.

The architrave is manufactured using the same American white oak as our doors. Our range of oak architraves along with our skirtings and lining sets are reproduced from carefully selected period mouldings to ensure they will fit in with the design of your house. Architrave is currently sold in single and double sets. A single set contains 2 x 2.1m and 1 x 1m lengths, a double set contains 3 x 2.1 metre lengths. This is enough to complete the architrave on one side of the opening. We sell it this way as both sides are not always required (e.g for a wardrobe, cupboard, pantry or under the stairs). If you need an architrave on both sides of your door then you will need to order 2 packs of architrave.

What about the Finish?

One of the most asked questions about buying a hardwood architrave revolves around the finish. Here, you have two options depending on whether or not you want to do DIY. Unprimed Unprimed boards will not have any finish on them. It means your oak architrave will be in raw form. As such, you'll be tasked with deciding whether or not you want to add finishing yourself. Typically, this involves priming, coating and eventual painting. The advantage of this kind of oak veneer architrave lies in its affordability. It's an economical approach to completing your home decor project.

How to Buy Architrave in the UK

Before buying a solid oak architrave, you should consider whether the design will fit the room. It's best to buy an architrave that won't clash with the already existing decor. However, this is just the least of considerations to make. There's the measurement aspect of buying an architrave.

How to Choose the Width

If you are installing architrave in the room for the first time or have completely removed previous installations, you won't have to worry about matching widths. If the reverse is the case, you may have to measure the width of an already existing architrave. This will guide your choice. The main determinant of the best width for a American white oak architrave is how close the wall is to the door frame. Here are the options to consider: 70mm: This is the most popular architrave width used in UK homes. Since most homes have 150mm skirting boards, a 70mm solid oak architrave will pair with them nicely. 95mm: When the skirting in your home is tall, it's best to combine it with a wide hardwood architrave. For aesthetic results, use this width with skirting measuring 17mm-195mm in height. 120mm: Although a rarity in the UK, they are best used to complement skirting boards that are up 220mm in height.

Best Thickness for Your Oak Architrave

Mostly, your architrave should be thicker compared to skirting boards in the same room. It's a design trick that allows for a smooth transition from one feature to the next. Although, in perfectly square rooms, they may be of the same thickness and still look even. If you're not sure of the best thickness for your oak veneer architrave, you can use plinth blocks. Typically, they are thicker than both the architrave and skirting. As such, they'll create a smooth transition while still offering a traditional feel. Other than that, here are the best thickness measurements for a solid oak architrave: 15mm: This is the thinnest architrave we offer here at UK Oak Doors. It's a great fit for modern spaces where there's a need to save floor space. 18mm: If you're looking to buy an architrave that won't look out of place in your UK home, this is the thickness to go for. 25mm: This thickness length is best for tall skirtings and situations where you need a wider architrave. A 25mm architrave is heavy and will get the job done.

Best Architrave Length

Determining the best length for an oak architrave can be a bit tricky. Here's what you need to know: 2440mm: It's the shortest available length for your door architrave. It allows for wastage and works best with standard height doors. 3050mm: This architrave length will accommodate the top and side of your standard-size door frame. In most cases, there's always wood remaining for the head. 4200mm: It's the longest available length for a solid oak architrave. For this length, you'll get enough to cover 2 legs and 4 heads of a door frame. Look through our American white oak architrave collection today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the answers to questions that will guide your decision to buy an architrave

What is an Architrave?

An architrave is a moulding feature that's used to design a frame for a wall. Essentially, it offers a seamless transition from the door to the wall.

What's the Difference between Skirting and Architrave?

Skirting boards encircle the perimeter of the room and are fixed at the point where the wall and the floors meet. On the other hand, an architrave is far thinner compared to skirting. It's also installed at the point where plaster and door frames meet.

Should Architrave be Thicker than Skirting?

It's best to choose the same level of thickness for your architraves and skirting. This way, the architrave won't sit away from the direction of the skirting.

Does Architrave have to Match Skirting?

In the ideal scenario, your architrave and skirting should match. However, matching is often a function of size and design. Even if they have different design systems, the architrave and skirting can still complement each other. It's all about the style, design and shape of each feature.

How do you Treat Oak Skirting Boards?

Start by using a water-based stain. You can also use a solvent-based stain to finish skirting boards before installing them