Mouldings and Trim

Moulding: The 4 Big Questions

If you’re considering updating the moulding and trim in your home, you’re going to have questions. With our years of experience, these are the questions most people ask. But if you have any more questions, we’re ready to help.

Why should I update the mouldings in my house?

Whether it’s casing trim around doors and windows, crown mouldings, baseboard, or other elements, these details set the style of your home. So changing them is the easiest way to refresh your look – without the expense of a major renovation. The right trim allows you to create a unique character for each room, and the added detail makes a room more visually appealing. And no matter the style, properly executed finishing details make any room look better. As a result, they can also increase the value of your home – by around 10%. The right moulding is a good investment and a good value.

Where Do I Start?

Moulding can be overwhelming. We carry over 200 shapes on hand, and can source or custom-make thousands more on demand. Here a few simple tips: Moulding isn’t hard to update, but it’s harder to change than an area rug or coffee table. So you have to find something you like, but you should also stay away from fads that may look dated in a few years. Another important thing: you can only really judge the look of moulding and trim when you see it as it will be installed. Looking at crown moulding standing upright in a storage rack is no way to tell what it will look like at the top of your wall. In our stores, we have assembled vignettes of different families of finish trim to help you see how they work together.

How Much Should I Add? 

As with any visual design, proportion matters. The moulding must be scaled to the size of the room and the height of the ceiling: a 5 inch crown that perfectly suits an 8 ft. ceiling height will tend to look like an afterthought in a room 12 feet high. And an 8 inch baseboard can add a feeling of solidity to a wall that you won’t get from 3 inches. Our simplest rule of thumb? Don’t overdo it. A creative yet restrained moulding treatment will have a much longer lifespan.

Should I Install It Myself?

The one advantage a do-it-yourselfer has over a professional is time. When doing finish work, you’ll want to take the time to carefully measure, remeasure, mark, cut and check each piece. But if you’re reasonably handy and patient, you can get a very good looking result. One tip: for paint grade work, proper finishing of the job is critical. So even if the joints are perfect, you’ll need to set, fill and sand every nail hole. And you’ll need to caulk any gaps properly.

If that doesn’t appeal to you, we’re happy to offer installation services for all our products. Our advice: rather than hire a pro for one small job, why not think of a few jobs they could do at the same time? Since they’ll be at your house anyway, this can save you money on the cost of each.