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Hardwood & shopfront joinery
Hardwood Arches
Segmental, semicircular and elliptical heads cut from laminated stock.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
We build hardwood arches as cabinetmakers rather than fitters: machined joints, real carcass construction, and a finish applied under workshop conditions before anything reaches your your home address.
How we build it
Moisture matters more than most people expect. Timber is conditioned before machining, and anything going into a kitchen, utility or bathroom is specified in materials that will not swell at the bottom edge. That is why the base of a well-made unit still closes cleanly after five winters.
Finish and materials
Every finished job gets a short handover: what the surface is, how to clean it, and how to adjust a hinge if a door drops after the heating has been on for a season. Adjustment is normal in timber and takes about two minutes once you know which screw to turn.
| Typical guide price | from £1,150 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 6-9 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | Laminated oak or sapele |
| Guarantee | 10 years on workmanship |
Guide prices are indicative. Real cost depends on the run length, ceiling height, finish and what goes inside. The indicative price tool gives you a range in about a minute, and a free survey turns it into a fixed written quote.
Where we fit hardwood arches
We survey and fit across 76 counties. Pick your area for local detail:
Often specified alongside
Hardwood Shopfronts
Traditional timber shopfronts built to the elevation, not to a standard module.
See detailShopfront Pilasters
The framing columns either side of the window, with plinth, shaft and capital.
See detailFascias & Signboards
Signboard, cornice and blocking, sized to carry the signwriting properly.
See detailStallrisers
The panelled base below the display glass, where the knocks actually land.
See detailStraight answers
Hardwood Arches — common questions
How is a curved head made?
Laminated. Thin leaves of hardwood are glued around a former so the grain follows the curve. Cutting an arch from solid leaves short grain at the springing, which is where it will eventually break.
What curves can you make?
Semicircular, segmental, elliptical, gothic and flat-arched. An ellipse needs a purpose-made former, so we set that out from the survey rather than approximating with a compound radius.
Can you match an existing arch in a run?
Yes. We template the original opening rather than working from a stated radius — openings in old buildings are rarely the true circles they were drawn as.
Does an arched frame cost much more than a square one?
Yes, because of the former and the laminating time. The former is the fixed cost, so a pair of matching arches is proportionally cheaper than one.
Can arched glazing be double glazed?
Yes. Curved units are made to template and need longer lead times than square units, which is usually what sets the programme.
What timber laminates best?
Oak and sapele both bend well in thin leaves. For exterior work accoya laminates well and is very stable once formed.
Can you form an arch over an existing opening?
Yes, provided the structural opening is already arched or can be. We are making the joinery, not the lintel, so the structural head needs to be right first.
How is the springing detailed?
The curve meets the jamb at a proper springing line with the joint cut on the radius. A curve that dies into a straight without a defined springing looks unresolved.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space — we’ll tell you what it costs
Every quote starts with a free measured survey, so the price you get is the price you pay. No deposit is taken until you have drawings you are happy with.