What is joinery (schrijnwerk)?
Joinery (Dutch: schrijnwerk) is fine woodwork. The Dutch term is used mainly in Belgium, where it is common in specifications, quotations and regulations. A schrijnwerker is the craftsman who makes it, comparable to a joiner or cabinetmaker who specialises in the finer work.
A distinction is made between:
- External joinery (buitenschrijnwerk): all non-structural work in the facade, such as windows, window frames, external doors, shutters, cornices and facade cladding.
- Internal joinery (binnenschrijnwerk): internal doors, stairs, wall panelling, built-in cupboards and other fine work indoors.
Although joinery originally means woodwork, in Belgium people also speak of PVC and aluminium schrijnwerk. External joinery then effectively becomes a collective term for windows and doors, regardless of material. The term is also used for furniture.
Application
Maintaining timber external joinery:
- Inspect every year: check the bottom rail, the transom, the weatherboard and the joints of the window; that is where water stands longest.
- Putty and glazing beads: cracking putty or loose glazing beads let water run behind the glass. Repair them before winter.
- Keep the drip groove clear: the groove under the bottom rail (the drip groove) must be open, so that water drips off and does not run under the frame.
- Keep up the paintwork: repair bare patches and small cracks promptly; wood rot almost always starts at damaged paint on a joint.
- Wood rot: local rot can often be repaired with a wood repair filler or a spliced-in piece of timber; extensive rot in load-bearing parts requires replacement.
For listed buildings: Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen has published a brochure on maintaining historic external joinery. Repairing historic windows is often preferable to replacing them.
Related Terms
- Various doors
- Roller shutter
- Threshold
- Glazing bead
- Drip groove
- Wood rot
Discover our DIY plans at fredsdiyplans.com