How to cover tapered gap with architrave?

gil.smith

I have a 2.5m section to architrave on top of a built-in melamine cupboard. There is a tapered gap to architrave over on top that tapers from 5cm to 2cm.

The architrave will show up when I fix the architrave on.

I also have to architrave down the side and to the back of the cupboard.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @gil.smith. It's a pleasure to have you join us and many thanks for your question on installing cabinetry.

Before deciding on how to approach this, it’s worth checking whether it’s the ceiling or the floor that’s out of square. That will help determine the best way to minimise the gap at the top. For example, if the floor is lower on the left side, you might be able to pack out under the cabinet there to raise it slightly. This can reduce the larger difference at the top and make the installation look more uniform.

Moving forward, there are really only a few options, and none will completely disguise the difference in the gap if that’s something that worries you. That said, covering the gaps with architrave or trim is generally straightforward, so it’s more about whether you want to adjust the architrave to match the slope or leave it as-is.

I’ve created two renderings to illustrate the possibilities:

1. First rendering: Here I’ve adjusted the architrave to match the ceiling angle. This involves cutting the top to follow the slope, so the bottom edge of the architrave is now parallel with the rest of the cabinetry, giving a cleaner visual alignment. It’s a bit more work, but results in a very tidy finish.
2. Second rendering: In this version, the architrave isn’t adjusted, it’s installed as a straight piece. This is easier and less work, but the slope of the ceiling is transferred down, so the bottom edge isn’t perfectly aligned with the rest of the cabinetry. In practice, the difference is subtle and probably not as noticeable as it might feel when planning.

Both options are valid, it just comes down to how much effort you want to put in versus how precise you want the final alignment to look. If the slope is minor, the second option usually looks fine and avoids extra cutting, whereas the first gives a more finished, custom look.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell