# Forum Home Renovation Doors, Windows, Architraves & Skirts  Window Framing

## Rimfya

Hello all, I'm a graphic designer by nature, so any help you can render me will be greatley appreciated (and if you need business cards I can give you the hookup  :Biggrin:  ). I am an absolute ameture so help is a must, here's my problem:   
I have replastered my walls in the kitchen, but the masonite that was up was thinner than the gyprock that has replaced it, so now my window frames aren't out far enough for the skirting to go around. This part in the photo is the worst, and does squeeze in a bit, but it's roughly 3mm all around. So what's the best thing to fill in the gap between the frame and the new skirting; here's a diagram 
(It will all be painted too, so we can hide whatever fills it)   
That's problem one on the left, problem two is on the right    
The new kitchen cabinet here is a little too close to the window right, and I don't want terrible looking skinny skirting right around, so I guess I'll have to cut that section out before putting it all up there right? 
Thanks again for any help, if I need to clear up anything more just ask! 
(oh, and is it skirting around a window or architrave? I dunno...)

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## peter_sm

I call it an architrave, even if it is around a window. Same stuff. When I had this problem on a couple of doors, I used an electric planer to plane the 70-80&#37; of architrave that went over the plaster back by the amount required. On one door it was about 8mm, but lucky it was near a corner of the room, so you can't really get your head around to see the side profile of the architrave is only 11mm instead of 19mm thick. 
You have a 3mm difference between the window frame and plaster, and that will not be too hard to cut back. In fact you may find that depending on the type of architrave being used you may not notice it. You may get a small gap on the plaster side that will fill nicley with a tight smear of no-gaps. 
No-gaps is a good friend of a 1950's house renovator. LOL

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## Ronaldo451

Can't do much else about the architrave other than shave down the cupboard portion.  
Can offer some advice though about the gap caused by the different thicknesses of window reveal/wall gyprock. 
I am mixing and matching all sorts of windows in replacing all the old painted shut wooden double hung windows in our double brick home. None of the replacements (from garage sales, Ebay, etc) had the right thickness reveals to neatly butt to the inside wall edge. 
I found the easiest way to cosmetically address this was to tack a bit of the right sized moulding or similar to the exposed edge of the too narrow reveal (to give something to nail into when fixing the architrave) and simply cut panels of thin ply (3mm) to veneer over the old reveal to the full size/depth required.  
Think it was about $18.00 for a 2400 x 1200 sheet from Bunnings (called 'mulan' veneer?) which has the added bonus of being able to be easily cut and trimmed with a stanley knife. 
I cut/trimmed each piece (ie 4 for each window), sanded and painted them and simply glued in place - no nail holes to patch!! In effect this 'replaces' the visible portions of the window reveal. 
Cheers, Ron

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## Tommy

You could run a new reveal inside your old one .This has the added benefit of giving you a wider architrave near your cupboards .Its only about 20mm but every mil counts.

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## ausdesign

If it was a timber window i'd be looking at cutting the nails & moving the window inwards but being alum. the outside fin will possibly prevent this.
Rebating the arc's is usually the solution & if you dont feel competent & the rebate can be uniform maybe a joinery shop can run them down for you.

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## peter_sm

Just to clarify, when I did my architrave rebating, I had the difficult situation of the difference in thickness being gradually different from top to bottom. 
Old houses are fun in the way you have to exercise your skills to everything

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## MikeT

I think I've got a similar problem (if I read it correctly) - the gyprock is proud from the window up to 10mm.  In about 2 places over a collection of three windows totally 6m length.  There were walls in between each window so wasn't a problem before.  I didn't notice it before I got the gyprocker in.  One spot is in a prominent position where I wanted to use thinnish architraves and the other spot one end of a base plate for the timber blinds.  Most other spots are OK in where they are are like humps on the gyprock.   I was planning on cutting back the gyprocking and planing the studs and re gyprocking.  All above seem to mention slicing back the architraves but this almost sounds a little more difficult and less assured of success.  Is my approach reasonable or should I take another approach.

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## ausdesign

With 10mm to contend with I wouldn't be rebating.
There's several unorthodox [or unworkmanship] approaches you could try either singularly or in combination, such as cutting back the plaster so that the back edge of the arc just covers - taking to he plaster with a hammer [neatly] to compress the edge of the sheet behind the arc - both will still tilt the arc. Planing the back of the arc to scribe it to the shape.
Being 10 mil i'd probably be going back to the start, removing the plaster & fixing the studs. A big job & a judgement call that you'll have to make but in the long run it may be quicker & a better job. 
Others may have a better slant.

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## silentC

Mike, I wouldn't cut the Gyprock. You'll never get as good a finish on it as it will be a vertical butt joint, unless you're planning on going right back to the corner. Big job, especially if the cornice is already in. 
I have a mate who always says "never go backwards". I often repeat that to myself in these situations, because I have a tendency to want to rip it all out and start again. If it was a structural issue that needed to be rectified, then of course you would do it properly. However this is cosmetic. It's not going to be the most tradesman like solution, but then a lot of the things I have seen tradies do would make your toes curl anyway. 
So I would be looking at one of the suggestions above to 'hide' the problem. I once had a door in a wall that was out of plumb by a few mm. I put the door jamb in plumb and the result was I could see the edge of the plaster at the top on one side and the jamb protruded past the plaster on the other. So I milled a rebate in the arc so that it slipped over the end of the plaster. On the other side, I filled it with no more gaps. Guess what? Nobody ever noticed but me! 
I had one years ago in a 1950's house. Same thing, a door in an out-of-plumb wall. Only this time the wall was out by more than an inch top to bottom! So I put the jamb in plumb, then I glued a half sheet of Gyprock to the bottom of the wall which ran from the door jamb to a corner, then I plastered over the lot. Once the arc went on, you couldn't tell. I rebated the arc on the other side but you couldn't see the edge because it was facing into a corner. Unless you looked along the skirting, which had a bit of a wobble in it, you couldn't tell. 
Point of all this is that you can get away with a certain amount of 'creativity' with the cosmetic stuff, as long as you think about it and use the right materials.

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## markharrison

Why rebate the architrave? Why not add a shim? Or am I missing something?

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## silentC

It depends on the situation. For clear finished arcs you don't want to see a strip of a different coloured timber. It's also fiddly to get the shim in the right place, although you could tack it to the arc first. And you would have to do it to all of the windows or it will be noticeable. Six of one and half a dozen of the other really but it's more likely you'll notice it around a window opening than where the arc meets the wall. But then once the curtains go on, you'll probably never look at it again.

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## Master Splinter

Since you are re-painting the window sill and not going for a stained or clear finish... 
Glue on a 10mm (or whatever the gyprock/sill gap is) thick timber 'shim' to bring the sill flush with the new gyprock level.  Use a timber similar to what is there (ie dont use a bit of pine if it is hardwood...there are usually nice bits of milled Tas Oak in a variety of sizes at your local hardware store).  Thickness of window sills is about 19mm, so with a bit of luck you can find a 10x20mm piece to use. 
Use a gap filling adhesive so you dont have to muck around cleaning off the edge of the old sill too much, just roughly smooth any dags off it (Araladite, West System epoxy, or a polyurethane adhesive).  This also means you dont have to worry too much about filling before you paint.  Just scrape/sand off the squeeze-out and you are done. 
Unless you have a nail gun, pre drill a few holes to bang some nails in to hold it while the glue sets.  (things like window frames can bounce like crazy when you hammer them manually, which is not condusive to good nailing). 
Expect to give it a re-sand and re-paint in about 3-5 years when the new piece of timber has (hopefully) reached equilibrium...if you are really fussy with how it looks, that is.

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## Rimfya

Thanks for all your help guys, I'll post back the results when it's done.

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