Old Russian architecture is invariably associated with carved window frames. This form of house design is distinguished by its diversity of species. Just a few decades ago, in each region there lived craftsmen with their own style of creation. decorative elements. Today's return to origins is accompanied by a revival of interest in window decoration using carved frames.
The word “platband” itself speaks of its location - “on the face”, that is, one of its functions is to decorate the facade of the building. Therefore, people tried to express their individuality through it and decorate their windows with carved frames. In addition to their decorative role, window casings, first of all, perform a constructive function, closing the gap between the frame and the opening. This prevents dust from entering the house, protects against precipitation, drafts and extraneous sounds.
In the old days, carved platbands were also attributed magical properties. It was believed that framing a window with a certain shape of a strip protects against the evil eye and serves as a kind of amulet. Therefore, in the bizarre patterns one could see various figures and plants carrying a specific meaning.
In modern architecture functional purpose platbands for windows are as follows:
Note! Sometimes platbands are the only option for framing a window. This mainly applies to wooden log houses, when the use of other materials is unacceptable due to the loss of a harmonious appearance.
Carved finishes, especially those made of wood, have a number of features that should be taken into account during operation:
The desire to conform to ancient traditions requires knowledge of the meaning various elements carved platbands:
Natural and artificial materials are used to produce window frames. Traditionally, carved elements were made from weather-resistant wood. Characteristics of the properties of individual rocks will help determine the most suitable type:
Advice ! Regularly updating the coating of wooden frames with waterproof paint or varnish will ensure their long service life.
What other materials are used in the production of window trims and what their features are, we will consider below:
There are two main ways to install platbands:
The carved shapes of the platbands give the window individuality, but to make them, you will definitely need templates. Having wood carving skills allows you to choose a complex ornament. If the ability to work with wood is not enough, it is better to find a light pattern for window trim. We suggest studying:
You can copy them completely or add your own details to the pattern. The carved frame design you like or a fragment of it needs to be enlarged to a scale taking into account the size of your window. For the manufacture of carved templates Fibreboard, thick cardboard or paper are used. It is advisable to decorate windows with platbands with the same carvings. Please note that making small carved elements is much more difficult, and they deteriorate faster than others. In this case you will need partial replacement framing.
Warning ! Be sure to take into account the slope at the top of the carved platband. This will prevent snow accumulation and ensure timely drainage of water.
The upper part of the window casing is called a kokoshnik, the lower part is called a towel. The most widespread ornaments of carved frames are the contours of plants, images of animals and geometric shapes.
The key details of the drawing for any window casing are:
The pattern can also contain all kinds of hangers, flowerpots or a tiara. Detailed description The names of carved decorative elements are presented in the diagram below:
If your windows have different size, experts advise making a drawing with an intermediate repeat repeated the required number of times. For rapport, you can choose one or two elements that are repeated alternately. An example of such a scheme is shown in the photo below:
There are several ways to make carved wooden frames for windows:
Sometimes both types of carving are combined.
Having decided on the pattern, material, type of carving and method of fastening the trim, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of carved frames for the windows.
Important ! The drawing on the workpiece needs to be placed correctly. The placement of elements along the fibers of wooden blanks will prevent cracking of the thread.
It is better to mark the places in the pattern where slits need to be made with color. The work on manufacturing platbands consists of the following stages:
Overhead thread involves fastening finished elements to a wide casing using nails with their heads removed. The strength of the connection will be strengthened by applying glue to the underside of the casing. It is not recommended to use self-tapping screws due to the risk of damaging the carved section of the connection.
Carved platbands are installed on wooden windows using blind or through tenons. The first option is distinguished by a reliable connection and a complex installation process. The second method is simpler, but less reliable. Installation of carved elements on a plastic window is carried out using liquid nails.
Preliminary protective treatment carved frames and regular preventative care will provide long-term preservation attractive appearance of the window.
Platbands are not only a beautiful decorative element, as many are accustomed to believe. Often their functionality is much greater than just a pleasant appearance and aesthetics. And they don’t always have a bright appearance that immediately catches the eye.
Trims are needed primarily to protect the window from adverse influences and improve insulation in the house. Therefore, in fact, they are often necessary.
Nowadays, platbands, for the most part, are also a beautiful component in themselves that makes the house more beautiful and lively. But defense is still their main purpose. The window frame is subject to various damages, and installation work when inserted into the wall of the house, they leave behind an unpleasant-looking gap.
Platbands hide all defects. They are also able to provide heat in the house, since their presence greatly prevents its loss.
Perhaps a structure made of brick or concrete is not so susceptible to this, but wood tends to deform over time. Cracks may appear for precisely this reason. Platbands are extremely helpful in this regard: the process slows down.
Platbands today are very diverse in appearance. They can be distinguished based on the material from which they were created. But basically there are two types.
This option is older, but should not be neglected now. The method of installing it is quite simple: it is done on top of the frame.
Little effort is required, but this type of platband helps enough: it prevents penetration as sun rays, and precipitation. The joints are reliably protected thanks to this.
This modern type, which Lately used quite often. You won't need additional materials in the form of screws or the same nails. Such platbands are placed just in the cracks. This ensures a secure fit as a whole.
Priority should still be given to the second type. But to install it you need to remove the windows. Doing this is not always convenient, if not even impossible, so they often resort to the first option. But we have to admit telescopic frame much more convenient to use.
The first thing that comes to mind is wood. Wood is practical in itself, and it always looks natural and beautiful. This platband is universal and can be designed in different ways.
Plus, in private homes, wood usually looks most welcome. Any photo of window frames in a wooden house will confirm this fact. Moreover, if the structure itself is made of wood, then the same material can be used for the platbands. This will help to combine one with the other well. You can change the color a little if you wish.
And indeed, this option is often used. Others require additional costs in the form of special processing. And they rarely decorate. But in fact, platbands can be made of both plastic and MDF.
Let us still remember the disadvantages of wood. Moisture won’t make it any better, and it doesn’t have much frost resistance. But plastic is much more reliable in this regard. Now you can do anything you want: including giving it the appearance of wood to make it look more natural.
Such material will not deform and will last for a long time. more wood. And it’s much more pleasant to attach it: the platbands won’t need to be rammed with screws. But still plastic - artificial material no matter what it looks like. Not every owner will want to use it, as this will reduce the environmental friendliness of his home.
And here you can turn to the third option, MDF. Essentially, this is the same wood, only treated with a certain composition. Such platbands are distinguished by their naturalness, but at the same time they are also reliable. Accordingly, they can last much longer than wood.
However, there is also a minus here - they are not durable. Both plastic and wood have much higher strength in comparison. You need to decide what material to use based on your own wishes.
First you need to accurately measure the window. The size is very important here and it must be measured with extreme precision so that the frame is hidden from view. Only then, when you have taken the necessary measurements, can you begin to prepare the materials.
If you have chosen wood, you should first cut out the blanks. Here you can arrange them according to your wishes. The other two types do not require additional treatment, but the wood must be soaked in a protective solution.
Use only dry lumber. You can seriously damage your own work if it is not dried.
Next, you will need to make notes on the platbands, with the help of which you will need to indicate where the joints and fasteners will be placed. The holes must be drilled in advance. And then immediately sand the platband.
The place of work should also be given attention Special attention. Remember that you won't be able to reach the joints later. If there are any plans that will require them, be sure to do everything necessary before installation begins.
Overlay trims can be attached in several ways. It is possible to do this with nails, or perhaps with the help of various spikes.
Nails are easy to use, but can cause harm big picture, so preference is usually given to spikes. There is a blind tenon and a through one. The technology for their use is similar, only the holes when using the second option in the platband are end-to-end.
Now you can begin the actual installation. First you need to assemble the platband, fastening all its parts together. You can use either spikes, nails, or regular glue. The latter, however, is recommended to be used only in addition to the other two.
If you have chosen spikes, you will first need to take care of measuring their location and making the necessary holes in advance.
Initially, you will need to mark the perimeter. It is necessary to know exactly the placement of all fastening elements, as well as evenly arrange them throughout the entire structure. Remember that the load should not be uneven.
The installation itself is simple: the platband is placed so that the holes for the tenons coincide with them. The work simply requires precision. A lot depends on the placement of the fasteners, which needs to be taken care of long before. Accordingly, preparation for installation will greatly influence the overall result.
You may need glue when working. When using it, the risk that the entire structure will simply fall is significantly reduced. Plus, the insulation of all holes made is improved.
After the installation is completely completed, all that remains is to use a certain composition for the holes. This is necessary to prevent moisture from being absorbed.
It is important to remember that you need to monitor the design after. If she demands it, then even devote time to additional care for her. Only in this case will you get a decent result.
The tradition of decorating windows with carved frames comes from old times. It was believed that decorating windows with fancy patterns not only protected the room from drafts and cold, but also served as a kind of protective amulet against evil spirits or the evil eye.
A selection of templates for carved window frames
A stencil is a device for applying identical patterns and symbols to the desired surface. Before you start making the trim, you will need to get stencils and templates. Finding a sketch for a carved frame is not difficult - they can be downloaded for free and in a wide variety on the Internet, purchased in specialized stores or found in magazines.
Finished stencils and templates can be made on paper, cardboard or wood fiber. They just need to be applied to the surface of the future casing and circled. You can make a stencil yourself in several ways:
Stencils and templates are the main assistants in creating carved platbands. In the drawing you need to take into account which pattern will be chosen for the various components of the casing.
Carved platbands include the following main details:
These are only the basic elements; carved frames can include many more decorative details: a tiara, hangers, flowerpots, etc.
After the sketch has been created, you need to make a stencil directly onto which all the elements of the design for the carved frames are transferred. You can transfer the contour to the workpiece in the following ways:
Cutting the platband according to the template The stencils should be placed on the workpiece along the grain of the wood: in the future, the thread of such a casing will not crack. For convenience, the places where the cuts will be made can be colored.
ABOUT old tradition making and installing carved frames on windows in a wooden house was remembered relatively recently, when the first boom in the construction of log houses from rounded logs and timber passed. Having lived in a new wooden house for several years, the owners almost always begin to treat it as a living being, so it is not surprising that on the windows and entrance doors Amazingly beautiful carved patterns began to appear from wood, serving as both decoration and protection.
Most experts involved in the culture and history of wooden architectural monuments note that carved window frames, photo, are almost a status item. A house without carved patterns looks like a wooden hut, even if it is very large and beautifully decorated, with platbands - it turns into a tower.
Traditionally, carved window frames are installed for two purposes:
For a wooden house, builders traditionally offer wooden or metal-plastic window frames complete with double-glazed windows. window profiles. Regular plastic trims made of PVC can also be ordered in a carved version. It’s just that you most likely won’t be able to choose a design or pattern; carved plastic window frames are made according to traditional templates by stamping and only give the appearance of handmade work.
Advice! Today, many restoration workshops and firms have three-coordinate milling machines, capable of automatically cutting out a pattern of any complexity from polycarbonate, foam and epoxy plastics.
Such work will not be cheap, but the quality of the carved platbands for plastic windows will be even higher than manual cutting. All that remains is to choose the design and pattern.
Rarely any home owner can talk more or less clearly and reliably about the third task of window casing. It's about about protective functions that protect wooden house from the “evil eye”, diseases and uninvited guests. You can have different attitudes towards beliefs and traditions, but it will obviously not be amiss to take into account the specifics of choosing a pattern for the trim in your home.
It is clear that any self-respecting owner will not hang the first available frames on the windows of a wooden house; the process of selecting a theme and design can take a long time, so you should not overuse the use of symbols whose meaning is unclear or unknown. If the mystical and cultural part of the carved frames creates psychological discomfort, you can treat carving as a way decorative design window openings wooden house.
It was no coincidence that they were invented to decorate carved frames, and were carefully stored and passed on practically unchanged. Most wood carvers cut simply as copyers, so you will have to plan and decipher the design on your own.
Advice! In any case, before using carved wooden frames on windows with patterns and pictures of incomprehensible content, it makes sense to try to understand the meanings of the carving elements, patterns and figures.
For example, figurines and images of animals have always symbolized positive wishes for prosperity and prosperity to the home:
It was not customary to depict domestic animals and human figures, especially in the same canvas as climbing plants and flowers.
More modern designs on carved wooden frames usually have a traditional regular pattern.
These can be intertwined flowers, leaves grapevine, arranged in a regular pattern. In the carved compositions of the 18th-19th centuries, more modern images of columns, porticos and chapels used in the wooden architecture of that era have already appeared.
Most of the carved frames are ordered from master carvers. If desired, it is easy to make carved window frames with your own hands using templates or ready-made schemes. The simplest lines and drawings can be transferred to a workpiece and cut out with an engraving nozzle, with more complex circuits you'll have to tinker and remember your drawing lessons at school.
The upper part of the frames was called the ochele, this is the most complex and beautiful part of the decor. On the one hand, the ochele set the general tone of the carved composition, on the other, it served as a canopy over the window opening. At the top of the composition there was a diadem, symbolizing the rising sun, and in the center there was always a medallion or crown of plants. The lower part of the window was covered with a carved apron, usually in the form of an open fan.
If the mystical and cultural part of the carved frames creates psychological discomfort, you can treat the carving simply as a way of decorating the window openings of a wooden house.
An ordinary interwoven pattern of vines or flowers will be far from any mystical content, while the beauty of the trim and carvings of the window frame of a wooden house will only intensify. Carved frames with a regular pattern have a serious advantage over a complex multi-tiered composition:
Therefore, before making carved window frames, choose a simple pattern for yourself, with a minimum number of individual details. Even the most uncomplicated pattern on the facing strips can transform it beyond recognition appearance windows of a wooden house.
Wood carving has always been and remains a fairly expensive undertaking, so instead of buying ready-made trims, cut or stamped on furniture equipment, you can try to make decorative strips with simple patterns with your own hands. At home or in a carpentry workshop, you can use one of three methods:
Before you try your hand at making carved platbands, you need to select suitable material. For carving and engraving, you will need hard types of wood; beech or oak are good, pine or spruce are a little worse, poplar and aspen are not suitable. To cut out the overlay pattern, you can use a regular floorboard, but the material must not have knots, defects or complex interweaving of fibers.
To make the simplest patterns, you can use the simplest drawings of intertwining plants, flowers, and grapes. Essentially, this is a flat tracing paper from more complex carved reliefs. This pattern can be used to decorate the vertical side strips of the platband.
To decorate a window frame, you need to look not for regular, but for single patterns, for example, a composition of symmetrically located figures or interlacing plant stems.
The same pattern can be translated into a contour line and turned into a flat ornament, which is quite simply cut out of plywood, boards or even MDF boards.
The most complex relief or three-dimensional patterns are made using the typesetting method. Initially, ordinary wooden frames are made from planks, individual elements The cladding is carefully adjusted to the size of the window and assembled into a finished frame.
All other decorative elements are sequentially cut from wood, cast from casting polymer or sawn from MDF boards, after which they are sanded, primed and glued to the prepared frame.
Most often, patterns for window decoration are cut out of waterproof OSB boards in the form of overhead decorative elements. Initially, on tracing paper, a piece of graph paper and using a program, the necessary template for the drawing is developed.
Next, you need to make a working template, with which you can transfer the pattern onto a wooden substrate an unlimited number of times, photo. To do this, the printed design is glued onto a sheet of fiberboard and cut out using a perforated attachment for a drill or ordinary metal scissors.
After marking wooden blank You can start cutting out the platband. The easiest way to make cuts is with a jigsaw on a carpentry bench.
Along the line of the completed cuts, you need to carefully sandpaper remove the chamfer so that during further processing front surface the carved pattern did not chip off. If a sufficiently thin strip was chosen as a blank, then the cut out carved part of the decor can be glued onto a fabric base.
In the same way, small overhead elements in the form of rhombuses, squares, rings, and braids are cut out. After sanding, the cut out elements are ground on an electric grinder with a wood polishing stone. With the help of a circle you can simply create a rhombus or any other geometric figure the required shape, forming edges or transitional curved planes.
After gluing the decor, the carved trims are primed hydrophobic impregnations and subjected to aging. This is done in order to remove the whiteness of freshly sanded wood. For this purpose, solutions of iron, copper, and chromium salts are used. As a result, it is possible to choose the color and shade of the carved frame to match the wooden window frame. All that remains is to open the wood with varnish or oil impregnation and install carved decor on the window.
Very often the owners wooden houses Instead of making new decorative elements, they prefer to buy old carved frames that have been preserved in villages, abandoned houses and buildings. Often the cost of a set of carved frames for three windows on the facade of a building is cheaper than hand carving one casing by a modern master. In some cases, among the old decor, you can find real works of art made by hand by craftsmen of the last century. Such carved frames are usually subjected to deep restoration and are installed not on the outer parts of the windows, but indoors.
