Gallery

Decorative Timber Finials Gallery

Photographs of decorative timber finials. A finial is the turned ornament that caps the apex of a gable, and it sits at the highest and most exposed point on the building — which is why so many of them have gone missing from Melbourne's period housing stock, and why replacing one is usually the last job on a restoration.

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18 photographs and drawings

Timber gable finial - turned finial on a gate pier in front of a weatherboard house

What you get

Australian made — every product, made in our Bayswater workshop since 1984
25 year guarantee — on external LOSP H3 treated pine, above ground
An answer within one business day — we reply to enquiries and quote requests
In stock, or made in 1 to 4 weeks — some of the range is in stock; the rest is made to order
Timber-profile matching — from a photograph, drawing or sample

Timber gable finial F2, photographed upright against a plain background

Timber gable finial F3, photographed upright against a plain background

Timber gable finial newly turned in clear pine, marked up against the paint-encrusted original

Timber gable finial - turned finial standing on a gable apex

Timber gable finial, installed on a roofline

Timber gable finials fresh off the lathe, standing next to the profile board they were turned to

The designs: F1 to F4

The Heritage & Decorative Timber Products gable finials run F1, F2, F3 and F4. The current shop lists 63 variants across 45 x 45mm, 70 x 70mm, 88 x 88mm and 112 x 112mm sections, with lengths from 500mm to 1800mm. Available lengths and sections depend on the design: use the current shop options rather than assuming every combination is available. Other sizes are catered for on request.

Where they go

The obvious place is the apex of a gable, but they are equally at home on an entry lychgate, on a cubby house, or capping the newel of a front fence.

Timber gable finial - decorated gable ends on a weatherboard house

Choosing a length

Proportion is the whole game. A finial that is right for a steep, narrow gable will look mean on a broad one. As a rule the finial should read clearly from the footpath without competing with the gable infill below it — so a taller finial in the lighter 45 x 45mm section for a modest gable, and the 70 x 70mm section where the barge boards are heavy. If you are unsure, photograph the gable end-on from across the street and send it through with the span across the base of the gable; we will suggest a length.

Timber and treatment

LOSP treated pine, H3 rated for outdoor use above ground. It holds turned detail crisply and takes paint well, which matters at a height nobody wants to revisit. As external LOSP H3 treated pine used above ground, our finials carry our 25 year guarantee. Prime and paint all six faces before they go up.

Timber gable finial, installed on a roofline - view 3

Replacing an original

Send the old finial, or photographs of it square-on with a tape measure alongside. Ask about our timber-profile matching service. Australian made, delivered Australia-wide. Call 03 9720 1996.

On the house