Interior Joinery in London Renovations: Doors, Skirtings, Architraves, and Specification

Interior joinery is the framework of a room. The proportions of a skirting board, the profile of a door architrave, the width of a door, and the detailing of built-in furniture all contribute to whether a room reads as considered and well-crafted or generic and assembled. In a high-quality London renovation, joinery is not an afterthought — it is specified with the same care as materials and finishes, coordinated with the plaster finish and lighting, and installed to tolerances that allow a genuinely clean outcome.

This guide covers the principal interior joinery elements in a London renovation, how to specify them correctly, and the common errors that reduce the quality of an otherwise well-executed project.

Internal doors

The door is the most frequently touched element in a building and one of the most visible. A door that is the wrong width, the wrong height, or of the wrong construction reads poorly regardless of the quality of the surrounding finishes.

Dimensions: standard door heights in London Victorian stock are 2,032mm (6'8") and 2,134mm (7'0"). In any renovation of a period property, retain the existing door heights wherever possible — cutting down a 7'0" door opening to fit a standard 6'8" door reduces the generosity of the room proportions. Where doors are being replaced, match the existing opening height.

Door widths: 762mm (2'6") for secondary rooms; 838mm (2'9") for primary rooms; 914mm (3'0") for principal rooms and where double-door sets are to be avoided. Double doors in a party wall opening (between reception rooms) are typically 2×762mm or 2×686mm, depending on the opening width.

Construction: solid timber doors (stile-and-rail construction with solid or veneered panels) are the correct specification for any quality renovation. Hollow-core doors (a cardboard honeycomb core faced with MDF or hardboard) are appropriate only in secondary utility spaces and should not be used in primary rooms — they sound hollow when knocked, provide minimal acoustic attenuation, and cannot be rehung or modified without difficulty.

Flush doors (flat face, no moulded panels) are appropriate in a contemporary interior where the joinery language is deliberately minimal. In a period property, panelled doors (four-panel Victorian, six-panel Georgian, two-panel Arts & Crafts) are the correct interpretation of the historical vocabulary.

Ironmongery: door handles, locks, hinges, and escutcheons should be specified as a suite from a single manufacturer to ensure visual consistency. Mixing finishes (chrome handles with brass hinges, for instance) reads poorly in a well-detailed interior. For a high-specification renovation, specify lever handles in a consistent finish throughout — polished nickel, satin brass, or matt black depending on the interior palette — from manufacturers such as Samuel Heath, Turnstyle Designs, or Armac Martin.

Hinge specification: a standard solid timber door requires three 76mm hinges. Under-specification (two hinges on a heavy door) causes door sag and bind over time.

Skirting boards

Skirtings in London Victorian properties are typically 150–225mm high in principal rooms, reducing to 100–150mm in secondary rooms. The profile is characteristically ogee or torus — a curved moulding that catches light and creates shadow. This profile defines much of the character of a Victorian interior and should be replicated in any sympathetic renovation.

Specification for period properties: match the existing profile wherever possible. A competent joiner can produce a template from an existing section and run matching profile on a spindle moulder. Off-the-shelf mouldings rarely match existing Victorian profiles exactly — the investment in bespoke matching is small relative to the visual improvement.

Height in new spaces: in a contemporary rear extension or basement conversion with 2,600–2,800mm ceiling heights, a skirting of 150–200mm is proportionally appropriate. In a space with 3,000mm+ ceilings, consider 225–250mm.

Material: MDF skirtings are standard in most renovations for their dimensional stability and paintability. Solid timber skirtings are the traditionally correct specification for period properties and are appropriate where the skirting will be in oak or another hardwood to match a timber floor or staircase.

Fixing: skirtings should be fixed with adhesive and discrete screws or nails to solid background — not glued only, which fails over time at corners and at floor-level moisture exposure. In a new-build or fully stripped renovation, a continuous timber ground (batten fixed to the wall at skirting height) provides a solid fixing substrate.

Architraves

Architraves frame door and window openings. Their profile should match or complement the skirting profile — in a Victorian interior, the same ogee or torus profile is used for both. The junction between architrave and skirting (the plinth block) is a detail that distinguishes careful joinery from generic specification: a small square block at the base of the architrave, proud of both architrave and skirting, creates a clean junction without the complexity of a mitre between two moulded profiles at different angles.

Width: Victorian architraves are typically 69–95mm wide. Contemporary interpretations in new spaces often reduce this to 50–65mm for a more minimal appearance.

Built-in furniture

Built-in wardrobes, bookcases, window seats, and storage units are among the highest-value joinery additions in a London renovation — they maximise usable space in rooms that are often constrained by Victorian geometry and provide a quality finish that freestanding furniture cannot replicate.

Design principles: built-in furniture should read as if it belongs to the room — proportioned to the ceiling height, aligned with other architectural elements, and detailed consistently with doors and skirtings. An alcove bookcase that starts below the cornice level without a cornice return of its own reads as unfinished; an alcove bookcase that runs floor-to-ceiling with a cornice detail matching the room cornice reads as architectural.

Material: MDF is the standard material for painted built-in furniture (smooth surface, dimensionally stable, holds paint well). Veneered MDF or plywood is used where a natural timber finish is specified. Solid timber is used for exposed edges, lipping, and structural members.

Integration with lighting: built-in furniture frequently accommodates lighting — LED strip in bookshelves, internal wardrobe lighting, under-unit kitchen lighting. These require electrical provision (a spur or outlet inside or behind the unit) at first fix stage. Retrofitting electrical supply to installed built-in furniture is disruptive; plan it in advance.

Common errors

Skirtings and architraves installed before plastering is complete: joinery should be installed after plastering and before decoration. Installing skirtings while wet plaster is present traps moisture and causes swelling and movement at junctions.

Doors hung too tight: a door should have 2mm clearance on the hinge side, 2mm on the lock side, and 3–4mm at the top. Doors hung tight to the frame bind in humid conditions (when the timber swells) and require adjustment — a failure of installation tolerance that is avoidable.

Mismatched ironmongery: specifying ironmongery from different manufacturers or in different finishes across a room or floor. Agree the ironmongery schedule before ordering and confirm it with a hardware sample board if the client has not seen the finish in person.

Hollow-core doors in acoustic-sensitive positions: a hollow-core door provides approximately 20dB sound reduction; a solid timber door provides 30–35dB. The difference is perceptible and significant in a bedroom, bathroom, or home office.