Molding

Installing molding is the final finish for your home. Molding is a beautiful finish for any room. Crown molding and chair rail molding is easy to install as a DIY project.

Each room in your home should have some type of trim molding installed to create a finished appearance to the room. There are many different varieties of wood molding available to decorate a room with a sense of completeness and luxury. To obtain the desired effect a quick review of the types of molding available is necessary, as well as ways to ensure the correct molding is selected for your project. The common types of decorative moldings are; base molding, chair rail molding and crown molding. Most molding installation is an after construction project, usually left to the homeowner as a DIY home improvement project.

Base Molding:

Base molding or baseboard molding is installed along the lower portion or base of a wall and serves as a decorative transition from the floor to the wall. It is available in several widths and design styles. If you select baseboard molding that is too wide it will draw the eye downward. If you select a too narrow base molding it will be overwhelmed by other decorative accents and moldings in the room.

Chair Rail Molding:

Chair rail molding is a practical way to prevent chairs from damaging walls. Although it was first used for dinning rooms, chair rail is commonly used in hallways and other rooms. It also serves as a cap for wainscoting or to create a visual barrier for contrasting wall coverings.

Crown Molding:

Crown Molding is a ceiling molding installed between walls and ceiling, and serves a decorative finish. Often crown molding is layered molding, one on top of the other, it creates a plush finished affect. Architectural molding has a particularly robust profile and is designed to resemble the built-up appearance of stacked molding, without the hassle of a complicated installation. This type of molding is ideal for ceiling installation due to its lightweight and solid, stable construction.

Dentil molding is a very popular architectural crown molding. Architectural molding is constructed out of two or more types of material that will need to be considered before making a final selections.

Decorative hardwood molding is quite ornate and intricately patterned to enhance any room. For fine detailing and varied finishes places, this molding is at the top of the list in terms of quality and adding value to your home. Architectural molding is made of durable polyurethane that just like wood however it does not warp, rot or split, and tends to be the molding of choice for DIY homeowners.

In order to determine what style is best for the room in which you intend to install it, first browse through your favorite home decorating magazines for examples of molding used in a way you want to duplicate. Use the pictures as your shopping guide.

Obtain samples of the molding profiles that appeal to you and experiment until them to reach a desired balance. Casing molding and window molding installed around doors and windows can be installed to compliment the selected base, crown or chair rail molding to compliment the appearance.

See: Installing Crown Molding

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