By: Thomas M. Ciesla
Originally published in Houston House & Home Magazine; June, 2002. Article has been reformatted for online publishing

T The origins of decorative moulding date back to the structural elements of ancient buildings in Europe and Asia, where moulding was used to support and secure surfaces, or prevent weather from entering between cracks in walls and ceilings. In Medieval Europe, the art of plaster and stone moulding was raised to an unprecedented level of craftsmanship. Though European settlers brought their architectural traditions with them when they colonized North America, shelter was the primary concern, leaving little time for ornamentation. After the austerity of early colonial life, the colonists craved more decorative elements in their homes, creating a demand for skilled artisans to provide decorative moulding. But handcrafted moulding was expensive. As the 19th century drew to a close, handcrafted moulding gave way to a new machine created aesthetic bringing decorative moulding to the masses and prompting the design excess of the Victorian Age gingerbread (1837-1901).

This explosive -- some say brutish -- use of interior and exterior decorative moulding created a backlash that called for a return to the simplicity and honesty of the early designs. Enter the modern house. Architects such as Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright used a minimalist approach to redefine the home. Architect Mies Van der Rohe captured the essence of this movement when he issued his oft-cited quote, “Less is more”. During the 1980's and early 1990's, subdivisions across America were filled with houses almost completely void of decorative moulding. Ceilings blended into walls penetrated with openings finished in gypsum board rather than cased openings, creating the 'sheetrock box'. Within a short amount of time, however, homeowners grew tired of this spartan look and hungered for the decorative grace of past eras.

Types Of Moulding
A wonderful variety of moulding profiles are available today, allowing homeowners the freedom to create magnificent interiors with relative ease. At the simplest level, a single moulding profile can be used as an interesting accent, such as crown moulding at the ceiling/wall junction or base moulding at the wall/floor junction. More ornate applications combine anywhere from two-to-six moulding profiles to achieve a desired look. Doorways can also be dressed up by replacing flat casing with fluted casing, and adding rosette blocks to the upper corners and plinth blocks at the bottom for a classic look.

Large expanses of wall can be made interesting by using a chair rail to create a visual horizontal break, or for a vertical break, panel moulding can be used to create a series of framed panels to make the wall look taller or shorter depending on the width and height of the frame. The interior of the framed area can also be painted a contrasting color from the rest of the wall to provide a bold accent. For added drama, moulding can be combined with raised wood paneling to create a warm look that is perfect for a library or den.

Types Of Materials
Plaster, the traditional moulding material in Europe for generations, is still used today, but technology has expanded the range of cost effective materials for moulding profiles. Decorative moulding is now available in wood, hardwoods, plastic, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and polyurethane.

How do you choose one material over another? Simple, just consider the price, durability, appearance and weight to determine the best moulding material for your project. Some environments need the tough resiliency of plastic moulding to deal with a harsh environment. Projects requiring a simple paint finish would be perfect for MDF moulding, since the lack of a grain pattern is not an issue. If a stained look is preferred, wood is your best choice. Both soft and hardwood moulding come in two varieties: smooth and patterned. Patterned moulding is either 'embossed', where wood is removed to create a pattern, or 'overlay', where a wood-like putty is added to create intricate patterns. The softer woods such as pine can be stained to resemble other woods, but by nature, will be more sensitive to damage. Hardwood moulding, such as oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany or maple, are more expensive than softer woods, but posses an undeniable, intrinsic beauty that is impossible to duplicate. As Chris Gibbs of Hardwood Products Inc., a hardwood distributor in Houston for 20 years, explained, “Even when you stain hardwood, the beauty of the grain comes through and you can see the quality of the wood.” Why use hardwood versus pine? Gibbs cited examples where a client may want a kitchen outfitted with cherry cabinetry, or someone wants to add moulding to existing mahogany paneling. It each case it would be natural to use the same wood moulding to complete the design.

Polyurethane moulding is often used where weight is a major concern. Made from liquid polymers poured into molds and formed at high pressures, polyurethane moulding offers low weight, high strength and will not rot, crack or be attacked by insects. Almost any existing profile can be duplicated with polyurethane moulding, often with two or three individual moulding profiles combined into one light piece, making installation much easier. This product is often used for crown moulding, ceiling medallions around light fixtures, or as a lightweight alternative to ceiling domes; a five foot diameter plaster dome weights around 300 pounds! Ease of installation, durability and the ability to accept all latex and oil-based finishes makes polyurethane moulding a popular choice in Houston.

Types of Finishes
Here is where things get interesting. Typically, decorative moulding is either stained or painted; yet the range of finish treatment is practically unlimited. Reohn Zeleznik of Definitive School of Decorative Art, the largest in America, points visitors to his showroom where dozens of moulding samples are on display. The finish samples offer a multi-color spectrum that includes metallic, stone, peeled paint, aged, distressed, pickled and even one that appeared to be eaten by insects. An artisan himself, Zeleznik was once asked by a client to match the existing moulding in a French Chateau-style house requiring him to develop a distressed, worm-eaten look. His recreation matched so perfectly that the client couldn't tell his work from the original. “That,” he proudly said, “is when you know you were successful.”

Bottom Line
Decorative moulding is priced to match any budget. The least expensive profile starts around thirty cents a foot for pine quarter-round, then prices slowly climb to one dollar per foot for large baseboard or crown moulding, ending with prices exceeding three dollars a foot for embossed hardwood or dentil crown moulding. If you choose to have a contractor install your molding, be sure to ask for references and get a written quote that specifies exactly what will be done. For the do-it-yourselfer, installation of most profiles is straightforward, requiring a good miter box, or miter saw for corners. Some folks get around mitering by using corner blocks at the floor and ceiling, and rosette blocks for the top corners of doorway casing. Crown moulding, perhaps one of the most popular do-it-yourself moulding projects, can be tricky, requiring you to flip pieces around and backwards to get the proper cut. Read up on exactly what to do before tackling this moulding; you will save yourself the frustration of scrapping multiple pieces of wood

When selecting moulding, choose a profile to fit the size of the room. If a room has an eight- foot ceiling, oversized crown moulding and baseboard will create that 'Alice-In-Wonderland' look. Conversely, a 3 ˝-inch crown moulding in a room with an 18-foot ceiling will barely be visible. Higher ceilings offer the perfect opportunity to try a compound moulding combining several profiles to create a larger-than-life moulding. When selecting a finish for your moulding, try to compliment the existing colors in a room, or strive for a modest contrast. For example, if a room already has stained baseboard, the moulding at the ceiling should be stained the same tone. If you are repainting a room using off-white on the walls and a slightly darker color on the ceiling, perhaps the dentil crown moulding you add should be finished in a low luster white to create just enough of a contrast. The more exotic finishes discussed earlier might require the experienced eye of an artisan to match your interior architecture.

Regardless of the architectural style of your home, there is a decorative moulding profile that will complement your environment to create that rich, cozy feel of past eras. Decorative moulding is all about grace, elegance and subtle classic lines. It is jewelry for the home that, when applied properly, will create the look you desire. Keep in mind, however, that excessive amounts of moulding, like too much jewelry, will only distract from your homes appearance. Focus on simple elegance without overwhelming the environment.

Sidebar: Text for moulding guide graphic (see attached email file)

1. Base Shoe – a moulding used next to the floor on interior baseboard.
2. Base Board – a flat projection from an interior wall at the floor, covering the joint between the floor and the wall.
3. Corner Block – thin decorative square block for inside and outside corners, usually the same height as the baseboard.
4. Casing – moulding around a door or window; may be smooth or molded.
5. Chair Rail – a horizontal moulding which may be smooth or molded attached 32 inches above the floor, parallel to the baseboard.
6. Crown moulding – any moulding forming the crowning or finishing member of a structure.
7. Jamb – the inner top and two sides of a door or window opening
8. Plinth Block – block of wood placed at the door moldings to separate the baseboard from the casing.
9. Panel Moulding – a decorative, flat-backed moulding used to frame-out a rectangle or square on a wall.
10. Rosette – decorative square block used at the upper two corners of door trim to eliminate the need for mitered casing corners.