How to Identify a Window Casing
Window casings are one of the features of a house you can use to help identify the architectural style. Whether the home is traditional or modern is partly determined by the style of the window casings. Although you may not be able to accurately name each of the 300-plus types, you can learn how to tell the difference by taking a close look at how a window was crafted.
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Things You'll Need
- • Paper and pencil
- • Architectural field guide
- • Ruler or measuring tape
Instructions
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Determine the material from which the casing is made. Traditionally casings were made from wood, but currently some manufacturers use polyurethane, fiberglass, MDF (Medium-density fiberboard) or resin. You can tap the product to help determine whether it is composed of wood or a modern synthetic substance. Some MDF is covered with a paper printed to appear like wood.
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Check how the corners are put together to identify what construction style you have. Mitered casing uses angled joints at the corners, and can be mitered on all four sides. Mitered casing may have a stool and apron on the bottom instead of a mitered strip. A window stool is the flat part of the trim on the bottom inside of the window, typically called the window sill. Technically the window sill is the angled piece on the bottom outside of the window that guides water to fall outside the house. The apron is the flat piece of trim under the window stool. If your casing has trim that is cut at 45-degree angles only in the upper corners, you have mitered casing.
Butt casing does not have angled corners. At the corners, the side casing molding stops at the top of the window and connects with the top molding with flat, flush joints. The top molding is as long as the window plus each of the side casings. Depending on the complexity of the carpentry, the top molding may have a smaller piece of trim on top that extends out a little farther than the rest of the casing,
Combination butt casing is similar to butt casing in that there are no angles, but corners have square pieces of trim that are different from the longer lengths of casing. The top molding is only as long as the window. The corners use square blocks to connect to the top and side molding. The squares can be plain, but more often have a design like a rosette or a bull's-eye cut into them. -
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Trim comes in a huge assortment of patterns and mill styles. Basically there is plain and everything else. Use the measuring tape to note the width and thickness of the molding. Notice if the corners are sharp or rounded. Some plain trim is tapered, so it is narrower at the edge of the window than at its outside edge
More complicated milled trim may have a number of indentations and bulges, or a combination of tapered and flat areas. It also varies in width from about 2 inches to 9 1/2 inches. Some patterns are fluted or beaded. The third reference shows a small assortment of of the styles available in milled casing molding.
Finally, molding may be already primed or still raw wood. Some homes have lovely exotic wood molding with a finish that allows the wood grain to show through.
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