How to fill a gap between wall and architrave

Leif

I have a short corridor and at the end there is a door with an architrave. Between the corridor wall and the architrave (which are at right angles to each other) is a gap which goes from about 2mm at the top and about 1cm at the bottom, and it is deep. How can I fill this? The wall is bare plaster, and the architrave is sanded down for painting.

leveller2911

Use decorators caulking ,used with a silicone gun.Even though at worse its 10mm you can use your finger to run the caulking into the gap, you don't need to fill any deeper than about 8mm

Clean off excess with a wet sponge and leave to try.Then Paint but make sure you don't use silicone as the paint won't stick it will just pool up ..

GlynD

That's the fellow - also known as "decorator's filler". I always keep a tube handy for my trusty gun.

keystone

10cm too big for caulk on its own especially if its deep. It'll just slump.

Reduce depth out first using scrunched up newspaper.

Overfill widest parts with flexible filler.

Caulk the architrave/plaster edge only.

Cheers

leveller2911

keystone wrote: »

10cm too big for caulk on its own especially if its deep. It'll just slump.

Reduce depth out first using scrunched up newspaper.

Overfill widest parts with flexible filler.

Caulk the architrave/plaster edge only.

Cheers

Ive never had that happen.I suppose different makes of caulking act differently.

I tend to use dow corning and haven't come across that problem before. The Op could try applying caulking once ,allow to dry and caulk a 2nd time and job done.

keystone

It would if he tries to apply it in one hit. I think several layers actually - he's said its deep but not by how much. I nearly posted a "several layers over several hours over a couple of days" suggestion but what I finally suggested gets the job done in one fell swoop.

Cheers

Leif

Thanks for the suggestions. It is perhaps 2" deep. My concern with caulk is that it can take weeks for a thick layer (1cm) to set. The scrunched newspapers for filler is a good idea. I think I do need to fill the bulk of the hole with something like paper or polystyrene foam. I am not convinced about caulk as it is rather goopy, and difficult to shape. Has anyone here used it for this purpose?

I had the window boards replaced, but under one of them was a thick layer of a white rubber filler, about 1cm high by 3cm deep, and a meter long. That would be ideal, but I have no idea what it was.

olias

Just by a length of quarter round/flat trim or other similar wood trim thats at least 1cm wide and use it to cover the gap. When painted, you'll hardly notice it.

Olias

Paul_the_Painter

Goopy and difficult to shape? I think that you are confusing decorators filler and silicone sealer, very different products. Decorators filler is perfect for this sort of job, if I was doing it I would bung some in now, do everything else, then go back just before final painting and see if more were needed.

keystone

Paul_the_Painter wrote: »

if I was doing it I would bung some in now, do everything else, then go back just before final painting and see if more were needed.

For a 5cm x 1cm hole? Are you serious?

Cheers

Leif

Paul_the_Painter wrote: »

Goopy and difficult to shape? I think that you are confusing decorators filler and silicone sealer, very different products. Decorators filler is perfect for this sort of job, if I was doing it I would bung some in now, do everything else, then go back just before final painting and see if more were needed.

I have 4 or 5 brands of decorators caulk, all are rather goopy. A fill that size would take weeks if not months to dry. I know because I created a 1cm thick layer and left it for weeks while it dried.