How to properly trim door trim

Installation of door trims. complete installation instructions, expert tips

What are casings and what are they for? You can say that it is a necessary element of the decor. It performs an aesthetic function, but without it the door will look just sloppy, it is a way to hide some construction defects, to close the gap between the wall and the door opening. Nothing complicated directly in the technology of installing the trim on the door with their own hands is not, but because it is the finishing touch of the whole work, you need to concentrate and do everything carefully. In addition, it is important to take into account some of the nuances in sawing and fastening. Let’s talk more about how to fix the platband on interior doors in this article.

The platband for interior doors itself is a decorative part of the completion of the opening, closing the installation joint and protecting the insulating materials from contact with ultraviolet. It is made of different materials, which are selected in accordance with the overall design of the door and room.

Installation of this node is very similar to the installation of baseboards and cornices. it sums up the final line in the work done.

Proper installation is very important and varies somewhat depending on the material used. The modern industry produces these types of platbands for interior doors:

  • Wooden platbands are made either from a single piece of wood, or from its gluing. Such architraves can be attached to the door frame with regular nails without nails plugs, or with “liquid nails”. This type of adhesive is best used in the presence of an ideal wall.
  • It is better to fix plastic architraves with glue. The cost of such platbands is quite small, which allows them to dismantle, if necessary, without regret. Plastic trim is very flexible and convenient to fix it, it is one of the pliable materials to work with their own hands.
  • Planks of wood-fiber board for interior doors are very similar to their wooden brethren. But you need to fix them by sticking to certain strict rules. To prevent the casing from splitting, you need to drill a 1-1,5 mm hole for a nail in it.

Angle of nailing of the architrave

Choosing the angle of cut of the architrave it is necessary to look at the presence of relief on its surface. If it has a capital pattern or it is perfectly flat, then such a platband is correct to join at a right angle (either vertically or horizontally). The relief skirting board, as well as the skirting board with an oval shape of the outer surface is best to nail at 45 degrees.

This option of joining the trim is used most often, but it requires strict adherence to certain rules and great accuracy.

If you make a mistake in cutting the architraves at a 45 degree angle, you will get small gaps after installation, which will need to be puttied with putty for wood. To saw the parts correctly it is necessary to use a wire saw and a saw with sufficiently fine teeth.

The variants of fixing and cutting of the architraves

Each option has its advantages. For example, self-tapping screws are easier to hide than nails. Nails are the most secure attachment option.

Glue is good only in that it is not visible. The rest of the solid minuses: the glue composition requires a flat surface, which should preferably be primed. Increased demands on the cleanliness of the surface and at all discourage all desire to work only with adhesive composition. But it is convenient to use a combined method of attachment with glue and nails.

The tools you need for work

There is a basic set of tools, it includes:

But with these tools, installation can be time-consuming. Instead of a saw and a jig saw, you can use a coping saw. This will facilitate the sawing of the trim, reducing the time required to 1-2 minutes

Installing Platbandings

Instead of a hammer, you can use a pneumatic gun with studs. Under air pressure, the stud is driven in a second. The tool does not require special skills, everything is very simple.

Instead of a screwdriver, a screwdriver and a drill are suitable. The listed analogues will save a lot of time, but the whole set is rare for the average user, it is not worth buying all the tools for the sake of just one casing. It is quite possible to get by with a basic set.

How to install the upholstery on the metal entrance door

The installation of the door architraves can be carried out at an angle of 45º (cutting of separate elements is carried out) or at an angle of 90º. Precise measurements and marks are made in advance. Remember to start the installation of the architraves at the hinge side of the door.

The architrave on the entrance door at 45 degrees

Important! The door leaf must not touch the architrave when it is opened. That’s why you need to leave a small gap when installing the architrave with your own hands.

How to install the architraves on the entrance door: the basic stages of installation:

  • Trimming the side trim. Firstly measure the distance from the ground to the upper transom of the door construction. Add 1 cm to this measurement. You make the appropriate marks on the flashing, and then saw off its edges at an angle of 45º. You use a diagonal cutter for this purpose. To prevent mismatching strips in the junction point for each billet measured measured individually. This can be explained by possible warping of the door opening.
  • Fixing of architraves. Fixing of the side trims firstly from below and in the center. In the upper part, they are fixed after installing the lintel over the door structure (this stage of installing the trim is controversial. some prefer to fix the top plank first, and then the side).
  • Trimming the upper lintel. This element of a construction is brought under the allotted side trims, aligned, marked, and sawed off unnecessary parts. Only after that are all the laths fastened.

Dissolution (sawing) of trim strips

Sometimes there are door openings with difficulties in installation of architraves, because of some design features of an opening or a door block one or more architraves do not fit in one piece, so you have to reduce them in width to the required size. this is called platbanding. Most often it can not be avoided because of deficiencies in the layout of the room. If we talk about the typical development, in apartment “Khrushchev” are often found these disadvantages, although you can meet and in modern rooms with a tight layout. After all, platbands are not due to errors in the design of the room, but as a result of optimization of planning for the rational use of limited space.

Among Methods of excluding the dissolutions The most widespread methods of avoiding the use of duckboards are modification of the door opening (widening, narrowing or displacement) and reduction of the size of the door. With both methods are nuances and complexities, so sometimes it’s easier to put up with sawn casing. If we talk about budget interior doors, their manufacturers are often limited to the standard dimensions of their products, and to install the door as much as 10 centimeters smaller in width is not always appropriate, and sometimes impossible, when it comes to the door leaf of 60 centimeters. Among the nuances, related to the door openings can be high costs, inconvenience or impossibility to implement due to the load-bearing walls.

Telescopic trimmers for interior doors

A special category of casings is telescopic outlining, and it is necessary to take into account its feature, before putting casings on interior doors. Externally, they are slats with the characteristic curved L-shaped parts on their length. Thanks to these elements you can install on the interior doors, inserting it into the groove of the door frame. The peculiarity of the design makes it possible to adjust the thickness of parts in the range of a few centimeters. Usually they are used when the wall thickness is a little bit thicker than the box thickness.

Telescopic architraves for interior doors

Installing with your own hands on the interior doors of this type is simple and does not require much time, since it is done using liquid nails. This feature is the main advantage of telescopic trim. As there are no nails used, the external surface of details looks more attractive, because it is smooth.

The standard width of a telescopic ledge varies from 6 to 8 cm, and the size of the shelf inserted into the groove is approximately 4 cm on the outer side. Telescopic roof trim can be flat as well as semi-circular or curved. For the production of such models use different materials: wood, fiberboard, particle board and aluminum.

Important! It is better to use telescopic trim, made of wood. Because models made of aluminum can fall out over time when inserted into the wooden groove. This is due to the fact that the wood groove is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, so the door frame after some time can simply dry out.

Door trim: tips on choosing the right model

To design doors looked natural, was attractive and at the same time, do not throw the eye, it is necessary to pay special attention not only to the choice of leaf, but also the trim, taking into account a number of factors.

The archtop is able to become a highlight of the interior

Before you attach the strips to the interior doors, you should take into consideration that the overall appearance of the doorway affects not only the width of the outline, but also the material from which they were made, as well as the tone and texture of all the elements and their combination with each other. It is especially important for the platbands to be in harmony with the door leaf. For example, the bar of great width will look massive, overloading the visual perception of the design, and the opening with an excessively narrow trim will look like incomplete.

Given these features, you need to follow the following recommendations when choosing trimmers. For a room in the style of minimalism, you should take straight door architraves of flat shape in the tone of the leaf. Their width should be 6 to 8 cm. The ideal size in this case would be 6.4 cm. The semi-circular strips with a width of 7 cm are considered universal. These models are suitable for decorating doors in any style, just do not use them to frame narrow doors.

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In the design of the room in the baroque, country or provincial style it is better to use curly slats with patina or with a texture like aged wood. It is better to refuse narrow strips, as the pattern is poorly visible on them. The ideal width in this case is 10-12 cm. As a material, it is best to use natural wood.

The way of installation of architraves and architraves for interior doors is also of great importance. It can be with a cut, both at a right angle and at an acute angle. The length of the lining must match the height of the opening and the width of the floor plinth.

Trim on the sliding interior door

Installing the Platbands

To make the process of installing the architraves understandable to everyone, let’s divide it into several steps.

Preparatory stage It is necessary to check the evenness and flatness of the walls, adjacent to the door opening. In case of a large wall curvature it must be leveled. And it is necessary to do it necessarily.

Attention! When straightening the walls, check their alignment. The walls must not only be aligned, but also placed in the same plane on both sides of the opening.

Not following this recommendation leads to small gaps between the trim and the wall.

Trims can hide irregularities and cracks up to 3 mm. But it is impossible to cover the unevenness differences over 3 mm with the help of architraves. Knowing how to attach the trim properly, you can hide all the irregularities and gaps.

Using the architraves not only makes the room aesthetic appearance, but also creates a finishing touch. Installing the trim can be compared in importance to the installation of baseboards or nailing cornices.

The right tool A few words about the tool used. When installing the trim the main problem is to match the mating parts at the right angle. Trims are installed either at a right angle, but most often at an angle of 45°. It is best to use a wire.

A crosscut saw is used for sawing the material. It provides an even cut of the trim of any material.

But cheap models of machines have a backlash and inaccuracy therefore all the same preferred platband for installation of trims with their own hands From the auxiliary tools you will need a pencil, a ruler, an angle, a level, plumb.

Choosing the right material for the architraves While choosing the architraves pay attention to the material’s structure. The appearance of the architraves must match the picture on the door. As different materials are widely used for trim production: wood, plastic, wood-fiber plates, so it is not difficult to choose proper trim strips for doors. Installed architraves can be coated with laminated film, painted, lacquered or veneered from the outside. The architraves are available in various shapes that allow solving various design tasks.

When buying it is very important to check the upholstery for curvature and camber.

Rules of installation of architraves

Here are the rules for those who want to know how to install properly installed architraves on interior doors. When installing the trim strips, make sure that the parts fit together without gaps. The easiest option, performing the installation of platbands of a simple rectangular shape. In the end all you need to do is to angle the mating parts together.

Most trim strips are made in more complicated shapes and 45º to match. Attention! It is recommended to use a special device called a plank to make the required angle.

Step by step installation of the architraves Here are the step by step instructions on how to install the flashing on the interior doors.

First place the panelling on the side that the door opens toward you.

Attention! Do not forget to mark right and left side notches properly.

      3. Make a 45º angle to the trim.
      4. Install the trim on the doorframe. Always check the distance between the trim pieces. The best way to control this size is to use a bar that has been cut to this length. The distance at the top and bottom of the nailed-down panelling must be equal.
      5. Nails with bitten-off hats or special hardened nails are used for fixing the architraves. Before fixing the architraves, mark the places for fixing on them with 0.5 m distance.

Note! Nailing on the architraves at 5 mm distance from the edge of the frame is recommended.

      6. To provide the best adhesion of the architraves to the door frame, you should apply glue on the inner surface of the architrave. Transparent silicone sealant is perfect for this purpose.
      7. Now you can proceed to installing the top flashing.

Having cut a standard billet of the architrave into two equal parts, cut one billet from one edge. Put the blank to the nailed-down casing and check coincidence of the sawn-down corner. Mark the second edge of the blank, file the corner and insert the architrave between the vertical architraves.

Wax the nail holes to match the color of the door.

You have studied the material, how to install the strips on the interior doors, you understand the principles and the installation sequence will be explained in more detail in the video.

But a few useful tips will not hurt you:

    1. There are telescopic architraves, which are mounted by means of special rabbet. The tongue is inserted into the rebate or doorframe groove.
    2. There are cases when it is impossible to use the same size of trim, because the lining cannot be installed in width. In this case it is not recommended to cut the architraves more than ¾ of their width.
    3. The top platband is installed after fixing the two vertical platbands.
    4. The construction market offers various shapes of architraves: shaped, semi-circular, carved or drop-shaped.
    5. Standard sizes of architraves are available in cm:

W×T×H; where W-width, T-thickness, H-height. 7×1×210.

A few words about the mullion The mullion is a special door trim, the main function of which is to decorate the door. Such architraves are made of fiberboard or wood sheet. The installation of the capitals makes the doors look rich and have a finished look.

Installing Platbands

To make the installation process of the trimmers understandable to everybody, we will divide it into several steps.

The preparatory stage You must check the evenness and flatness of the walls, adjacent to the door opening. If the large curvature of the wall must align. And it must be done by all means.

Attention! Aligning the walls, carefully monitor their mutual position. The walls must not only be level, but also aligned on both sides of the opening.

Failure to follow this recommendation leads to small gaps between the trim and the wall.

Trimmers can hide irregularities and cracks up to 3 mm. But to close the unevenness differences of more than 3 mm with the help of trim strips you will not succeed. Knowing how to fix the trim properly, you can hide all the irregularities and gaps.

The use of architraves not only makes the room aesthetically pleasing, but also creates a finishing touch to the room. Installing the architraves can be compared to putting up the skirting boards or nailing up the cornices.

The right tool A few words about the tool. When installing the platbandings the main problem is to match the mating parts at the right angle. The architraves are installed either at right angles, but most often at an angle of 45°. The best way is to use a wire gouge.

A crosscut saw is used for sawing the material. It ensures even cutting of architraves of any material.

But the cheap models of machines have a backlash and inaccuracy so it is still preferable to install the platband with your own hands From the auxiliary tools you will need a pencil, ruler, angle, level, plumb.

Choosing the right material for the architraves While choosing architraves pay attention to the material’s structure. The appearance of the architraves must coincide with the picture on the door. Since a variety of materials are widely used for the manufacture of trim: wood, plastic, fiberboard, then it is not difficult to pick up platbands for doors. Installed trim may be coated with laminated film, painted, lacquered or glued with veneer from outside. Various shapes of architraves are produced that allow you to solve various design tasks.

When buying it is very important to check on the curvature and camber of the architraves.

Rules for installing the trimmers

Here are the rules for those who want to know how to install the right trim on the interior doors. When installing the architraves, you should make sure the parts match without gaps. The easiest variant, the installation of simple rectangular shape trimmers. In the end it is only necessary to ensure that the mating parts are joined at a right angle.

Most of the architraves are of a more complicated shape and joined at an angle of 45°. Attention! To ensure the required angle, it is recommended to use a special device called a jig.

Step by step installation of architraves Below is a step by step instruction on how to mount the trim on interior doors.

Firstly fix the strips on the side that the door opens towards you.

Warning! Do not forget to mark the left and right gaps correctly.

      3. Saw a 45º angle on the edge of the door trim.
      4. Install the architraves on the frame. Check the distance between the panelling all the time. The best way to control this size is to use a special strip cut to this length. The distance between the top and the bottom of the nailed down panelling must be equal.
      5. Fix the architraves with nails with beveled heads or special nails. Before fixing the trim, mark the places of attachment at intervals of 0.5 m.

Attention! The architraves are nailed at a distance of 5 mm from the edge of the frame.

      6. To ensure better grip of the architraves and the frame, you can apply glue on the inner surface of the architrave. For this purpose a transparent silicone sealant will do very well.
      7. Now you can install the top flashing.

Having cut a standard type of architrave into two equal parts, saw down one edge of the architrave. Put the blank to the nailed on edge of the architrave and check the angle you cut it to match. Mark the second edge of the blank, cut a corner and insert the panel between the vertical trimmers.

Wax the nail holes to match the color of the door.

You have read the material, how to install the trim on interior doors, you understand the principles and sequence of installation in more detail will tell the video.

But a few helpful tips won’t hurt you:

    1. There are telescopic type architraves, which are installed with special slots. The slot is inserted into the groove of the floorboard or door frame.
    2. There are cases when it is impossible to use the same size of trim, because the lining can not be set to the width of the. In this case it is not recommended to saw up to ¾ of the width of the platband.
    3. The upper platband is installed after fixing the two vertical platbands.
    4. There are various types of architraves on the market: curly, semi-circular, carved or teardrop-shaped.
    5. The standard sizes of architraves are available in cm:

W×T×H, where W-width, T-thickness, H-height. 7×1×210.

A few words about the mullion The mullion is a special door trim, the main function of which is to decorate the doors. Such casings are made of sheets Fiberboard or wood. Capitals make doors look rich and have a finished look.

Installation of wooden architraves: installation with trimming at 90 °

This way of deciding the question how to install the architraves on the doors is not suitable for all types of the product. If we are talking about moldings with a clear rectangular section or with small rounded edges, there is nothing better than this. This method of installation consists in the fact that the connection slats are made at an angle of 90 ° with respect to each other. Thus the upper flashing is as if inserted between the two side trims. It is this point that makes trimming and fitting joints easier.

But it’s not that simple. without accurate measurements and smooth, clean, without chips, sawing can’t be done here as well. Only plates with a rectangular shape without any rounded edges fit together perfectly. in this case you only have to calculate to the millimeters the height of the side trims and the length of the top trim.

The situation is a little bit more complicated with architraves that have rounded edges. in this case you can not do without making a straight cut. Thanks to the rounding during straight cutting the sides of the upper casing can be seen. There is only one way to hide them. to make an oblique cut. The slope must be turned from the right to the left side of the strip. in general the jointing stays under 90°.

! If we are talking about installing the trim by hand, having a completely rounded or carved configuration, this method of installation is not suitable. this type of product must be installed with a trim of 45 °.

How to install the right trim: installation technology

So, with the methods of trimming corners of trim strips we decided, now it remains to deal directly with the process of installation from “A” to “Z”. Let’s represent it in the form of a small instruction.

  • Take the measurements from the door frame. first measure the height of the strut from the floor to the place of its intersection with the top bar of the door. Let’s write down the size.
  • We take one of the long slats and put down the written result from the straight end of the architrave. If such are not available, then as close as possible to the edge with the help of an angle we outline an even line for the trimmer and end it, and then we postpone this size. There is one nuance. if trimming will be performed at 45 ° to our size to add 3mm (they are explained by the door awnings, which move the architrave from the edge of the box at this distance). If you are going to connect the casing at 90°, you will need to add the width of the installed casing in addition to this 3mm.
  • Now, depending on the chosen method of installation, we trim the upper edge of the platband according to the marking.
  • Install the first slat. it is desirable to start on the side with the overhangs. Fasten the strip with small copper-plated nails, the head of which is bitten off with pliers. Subsequently, the copper will darken, and the small dots will not be conspicuous.
  • The second side trim is trimmed in exactly the same way, and then it is installed in place in a similar way. The only thing you have to pay extra attention to here is its length. it can differ in millimeters, and it depends on the evenness of the floor and correct installation of the door. In general, for him it is better to take measurements separately, rather than use the previous.
  • Now the upper edge of the architrave. The difficulty of this trimming is that it needs to cut two ends. First, you trim one edge of the trim and try it on beforehand. If everything is normal, then the place of the second cut is measured and a cut is made. a mistake at this stage of work is fraught with the purchase of a new platband.

For beginners who will not be able to calculate the dimensions of the upper flashing for sure at the first attempt, I will tell you how to get rid of gaps. If you have unsightly gaps at the joints, there is only one way to hide them. This gap should be distributed on both sides of the door panel and then covered with wax paste designed for elimination of chips on furniture. It is sold in all markets and is available in different colors. But for the rest the installation of the door trim should not cause any problems, the most important thing here is the accuracy and precision.