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Hardwood & shopfront joinery
Shopfront Pilasters
The framing columns either side of the window, with plinth, shaft and capital.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
A pair of shopfront pilasters is a permanent part of the building, so it is worth setting out properly. We take the survey, agree the drawings, machine the parts in the workshop and fit in your home in one visit wherever the programme allows.
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
Finishing happens in the workshop wherever possible. Sprayed paint gives an even film that brushwork cannot match, and the only work left on site is the final touch-in around scribes and fixings.
| Typical guide price | from £890 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 6-8 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | Iroko, moulded and primed |
| 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 shopfront pilasters
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 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 detailConsole Brackets & Corbels
Carved and scrolled brackets at the head of each pilaster.
See detailStraight answers
Shopfront Pilasters — common questions
What is a pilaster?
The vertical framing column at each end of a shopfront. It carries the console bracket at the top and sits on a plinth at pavement level, and its proportions set how the whole frontage reads.
Can pilasters be replaced without rebuilding the shopfront?
Often yes. Pilasters take the worst of the splash and the trolley knocks, so they rot first. If the fascia and stallriser are sound we can replace pilasters alone and scribe the new work into the existing mouldings.
What size should a pilaster be?
It depends on the bay width and storey height rather than a standard. As a rule the pilaster reads too thin below about 200mm on a normal high-street bay. We set it off the elevation drawing so it looks deliberate.
Do pilasters have to match on both sides?
On a symmetrical frontage, yes, and any difference is very visible from across the street. Where a building has settled we keep the pilaster plumb and take the discrepancy in the scribe rather than tapering the column.
What stops a pilaster rotting at the base?
A hardwood plinth, an end-grain seal, and a gap so it is not standing in water. Most failures are end grain wicking moisture off wet pavement, which is a detailing problem, not a timber problem.
Can you reproduce a period pilaster profile?
Yes. We take a gauge off the surviving section and grind a cutter to match, so the moulding returns exactly rather than being approximated from a stock knife.
Are console brackets part of the pilaster?
They sit at the head of it and are usually quoted separately because the carving is a different operation. Fitted together they read as one element.
How are pilasters fixed?
Mechanically into the reveal with stainless fixings, packed off the masonry so there is a ventilation gap. Never bedded tight to damp brickwork.
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.