Window Casing Definition
Window casings are the decorative touch that frame your windows to the outdoors. Windows without window casings can make a room look like a construction project in-progress. Window casing, or case molding, is trim cut to the width and length measurements of the outline of a window and is affixed around the window with finishing nails to frame it and give it a completed appearance.
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Purpose
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Besides accenting a room with decorative touches, window casings serve as a barrier in several ways. They hide imperfections in the drywall cuts made along the edges around the window. Window casings act as an insulation barrier to drafts around the window unit, especially when insulation is used to fill in the gaps around the window that the casing will cover. Window casings are also used to complement the room's existing décor, including its base, door and crown moldings, seamlessly blending in and creating a unified look around the room.
Types
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Window casings are available in several types of materials besides the traditional wood trim, including plastic, wood veneer, MDF, plaster and bamboo. Unconventional materials can also be used as window casings, such as decorative tin or other materials that can be cut into 3- to 4-inch strips.
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Styles
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Standard window casings are made of the same wood trim used to trim door frames and the bases of the walls in a room. For more sophisticated room designs, any molding style and design can be used as a window casing as long as its width is between 3 and 6 inches.
Standard window casings are mitered to a 45-degree angle at each end to form a rectangle frame around the window. Window casings are also installed with straight cuts that meet wood blocks at the four corners or as in the board-and-batten method, where straight boards flank the two sides of the window and two more boards cross over the top and bottom of the window and its side casings.
Finishes
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Natural wood or bamboo casings can be left natural, stained and/or varnished. Several types of window casing materials, such as wood, wood veneers and plastic, can be painted to coordinate with the décor of the room.
Considerations
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Installing window casings require precise measurements to make an exact frame around the window. Before selecting the style and design of your window casing, coordinate your choice with the room's existing décor--match traditional window casings with traditional elements in the room, or likewise contemporary, art deco, rustic or any other design style.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit white window image by Michael Korecki from Fotolia.com
