Different architrave/skirting.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

While decorating the living room, I've noticed that the architrave and skirting are different profiles. It seems that the architrave is the torus profile, and the skirting board is ogee. Oddly, it's taken about ten years for me to notice this, but now that I have, I can't help wondering if someone's messed up. It's all hard wood in very good condition, but if one is to be replaced, I guess now is the time to do it. Is it normal to have them different? I'd have thought you'd normally have them the same, but I know nothing about skirting board conventions.

[charles]

At one point you could buy skirting boards which was dual profiled. I wonder if one bit got installed upside down.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

The architrave can't AFAIK be dual profiled, but of course the skirting might. I haven't told the missus yet. Probably best not to mention it :-) OTOH, there's every chance I'm the only person in the world that would ever care.

[Mike Clarke]

Why bother to replace it? You haven't noticed the difference for 10 years so it hasn't been annoying you. Ignore the conventions - if it looks OK then it is OK.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

Unfortunately, I'm something of a conformist :-) But chances are, I'll have forgotten all about it in a few years' time anyway.

[Muddymike]

My home is 80 years old, none of the original Skirting and Architrave match. Replacements are different again, even in the same room! Its called Character:-)

Mike

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's entirely down to taste. If it looks good to you and yours, don't worry. Unless it's a listed building. ;-)

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I like that attitude!

[Dan S. MacAbre]

They would care about such detail in a listed building? I'm almost glad I'll never be able to afford one :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not sure I could cope with that in the same room. When I bought this Victorian pile, I had some skirting made up to match the original prefectly. As it is such a feature in the public rooms. The same would apply to the cornice.

[Graeme]

Same here. We lived in this house before decorating one particular main downstairs room, and it was only when rubbing down the skirting board that I realised it was not the same all around the room. Same height, but different profiles. It didn't particularly worry me, and I only think about it when skirting board is mentioned here :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yehbut once you've seen it you'll see it always. ;-)

[DJC]

If it was a listed building, and you took all the rules seriously, they might insist you keep it as-is even if half of it was a modern replacement.