Window trimming on a home’s exterior can be done in multiple ways. Some trims are flush with the walls, some extend out a little bit, and some are embedded deep inside the wall. Among all these trim designs which one is the best for an exterior window? Let’s see.
Generally speaking, having window trims extend out from the exterior wall is a good practice as it provides extra protection from water and dust to the window frame. Lookswise, a window trim that is slightly extended outwards adds a lot to the architecture of the house.
When to make window trims flush with exterior wall
Flush window trims provide a modern look. In modern villas where large size windows are used, the trims of windows should be flush. That’s because a large window needs large trims and modern villas exterior is designed to highlight its design and lighting.
In such villas, a window trim extending out from the exterior can look outdated and mismatched with the overall architecture and design of the villa. This is where flush window trims become useful as they maintain the modern design of the house.
When to embed window trims inside the wall
Whether modern or normal house if the exterior walls have stones in them or are made completely out of stones then the window trims should be embedded deep inside the wall.
The reason is there are already some design elements in the stone wall that are protruding outwards i.e the stones themselves and in such a wall if the trims are also made to extend out of the wall then the wall becomes too overwhelming to look at.
To balance the design of rock walls, the window trims on it are made or installed in the space that is left for the window.
When to have trim extended out of the wall.
When the exterior wall has vertical wooden planks or panels the window trim should always extend out a bit from the wall.
Horizontal parts on window trim on vertical panels of wall enhances the overall look of the wall. Also if the roof of house of small and wall is prone to rainfall the window trims in that case should be thick and extend out of the wall to prevent water entry in the inner parts of window.
How much should the window trim extend out from wall
About 2 cm if the windows don’t have dormers and if windows have dormers then extend to trim 3- 4 cm out from wall.
When there are no dormers over the windows, there is only the roof of the house that can be taken as a reference for getting an idea of how much the window trim should be extended out.
How much ahead the roof of house extends from the window is used as a reference to get the proper measurement trim extension. if the end part of the roof is <1 feet ahead of the window then the window trim should be extended to 2 cm. If the roof is more ahead from the window, the trim on it is also more popped out.
When there are dormers present over windows, there is no need to take the roof of house as a reference instead the dormers are taken as reference, and as per the size of dormer, the size of window trim is also calculated which is usually 3 to 4 cm.
Should exterior window trims have a stool & apron?
Yes, exterior window trims can definitely have both a stool & apron at the bottom.
To simplify, if the exterior of the house has a lot of design elements like porch columns, stairs, light fixtures then keep the stool of the windows subtle. Prefer to have a clean and flush look for window trims. If however, the exterior of the house is mostly plain and boring then a stool and apron should be incorporated into the window trim.
The purpose of apron is just to enhance the complete look of the window. Whereas window stool while being an aesthetic element is also used by some designers keep pots with plants on them and also to cover the uneven gaps that the trim and wall might have.
It should be noted that if the windows are high then there is absolutely no need for them to have a stool. Only the windows at the ground floor can have stool. Reason being the flow of air is more strong on the top most windows and if those windows have stool with flowers or other decorative items on top, the wind would simply make them to fall down.
It makes more sense for windows on the ground floor to have stool. Without stool, the apron cannot be installed with the window trim.
Should all the windows outside have exact same trim?
No, the windows on different floors can have slightly different trims.
In many houses the windows on the exterior are of different sizes. Trim of a particular type only looks good on a window of particular size ans shape.
Whether to keep the trim on window same or different depends over the size and shape of windows. In many houses the windows on the exterior are of different sizes and shapes. Trim of a particular type only looks good on a window of a particular size and shape.
For example, on a small squarish window, the trim is also of smaller size i.e almost flush with wall whereas on bigger size rectangular windows, trim with stool and apron looks good. This makes the trim pop out and complements the big size of the window.
Should exterior window trim match the roof color or wall color?
The color of window trim does not need to be exactly same as the color of wall but should coordinate with other colors present in exterior
Generally, the colors of window trim is kept white as white color can coordinate with just about any color on the exterior. However other colors can also be used.
To get a stylish and elegant look try monochromatic colors. It helps to get a right balance of colors on the exterior of house. You can see the use of monochromatic colors in almost every modern villa in which the color of the trim is a color that is lighter or darker in shade to the color on walls.
While choosing the color for window trim the first priority should be given to coordinate the color with the color of wall and then after to the roof color.
