20/10/2026
Getting to understand about door frame🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪
1. 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙗 - The Structure
This is the actual frame inside the wall opening.
• What it is: Two vertical boards (side jambs) plus a horizontal board on top (head jamb). The sill or threshold at the bottom is sometimes called the bottom jamb. • What it does: It is structural. The hinges screw into it, the latch strikes into it, and it holds the door plumb. If you remove the decorative trim, the jamb is what you still see lining the inside of the opening. • Key detail: It has a small rabbet or a separate strip called the door stop that the door closes against.
You buy a door as a "pre-hung unit" = door + jambs already assembled.
2. 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 - The American Term for the Trim • 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨: The flat, molded boards that sit on the wall face, around the perimeter of the jamb. • What it does: Purely cosmetic and practical: 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙮 𝙜𝙖𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙖𝙢𝙗 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡/𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢 10-20mm 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘢𝘱. • Parts: Side casing (left and right) and head casing (top).
In US home centers, you'll ask for "door casing" or "case molding."
3. Architrave - The British / Architectural Term
This is where the confusion starts.
• In the 𝙐𝙆, 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖, 𝙆𝙚𝙣𝙮𝙖, and in 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 = exactly what Americans call 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜. It's the decorative moulding around a door or window. • In classical architecture proper, architrave has a more specific meaning: it's the lowest part of an entablature sitting directly on columns. That definition carried over to doors, but in modern carpentry, builders use architrave and casing interchangeably.
Simple rule: 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 = Architrave. Same piece, different region. If you say architrave in Texas, they'll know what you mean but will probably label it casing on the invoice. If you say casing in London, they'll call it architrave.
# # 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 - Inside Out
Wall stud > Jamb screwed to stud with shims > Gap stuffed with foam > Casing/Architrave nailed to both jamb edge and wall face to hide gap.
