Thread: What is a reveal?

Originally Posted by Charleville

This is probably the dumbest question of the day but I have often seen the word "reveal" referred to in brochures for aluminium window frames and never understood what it meant.

Can anyone enlighten me, please? What is a "reveal", please?

Not a dumb question at all. When aluminium windows are installed in the house frame ther need a timber (or MDF) surround around them, this is called the reveal. It is the frame you see around the window on the inside, against which the architraves are installed.

Thanks very much, Big Shed. Much appreciated.

As with BS.

Know anyone with a steel clad shed/garage with an ali window frame in it? Have a look at one if you do. The window frame would be a basic ali window frame, normally installed by cutting an opening in the cladding slightly larger than the window frame, inserting the frame into the opening from inside, and rivetting the frame in place from the outside.

Doesn't work real well in a brick, timber, or fibro house, so they make a tight fitting surround from timber or MDF (normally customer choice), install from inside face of window against the flange around the frame, and staple in place from the ouside face of the flange. The surround is the "reveal". To fit into the house, the structural framing has an opening slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the reveal, the window is passed into the opening from inside the house, levelled with packings to fill the gap, aligned to suit the cladding being used, and fixed though the reveal, packing and frame timbers to retain in place.

Reveal can be made in different depths to suit requirements. Examples of variations include framing timber (reno on older house may have 100mm or thicker hardwood frame, newer house 90mm softwood), cladding, (weatherboard, fibro sheet etc fitted against outer face of frame, brickwork 15 to 30mm outside outer face).

Timber windows don't normally have a reveal, as the materials for the frame are sized to suit the application taking the above into considereration.

Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks malb.

Very useful.