About Wood Trim

To dress up woodwork or other areas nicely, the wise consumer uses wood trim. Before rushing down to the local lumberyard to purchase wood trim, it is important to identify the wood that the wood trim will dress up or have an idea of how to dress up a room by adding wood trim. Once this is done, you are better able to determine the type and design that is available for your project. This is important, even if the wood is painted because different wood grains leave different patterns after finishing.

Types

The types of wood trim available depend on the type of wood needed. Common types of wood trim are screen mold, flat mold, crown mold, baseboard, casing, and inside and outside corner mold. The types of wood that are commonly carried are poplar, oak, pine, spruce and fir. Be cautious about trim that looks like wood, but is not. These types of trim are made from polystyrene and are easy to break.

Features

The features of wood trim are readily seen in a picture of the profile. While each manufacturer endeavors to create a unique profile, the truth is they all use the same process to make the trim. Radii and concaves coupled with bevels on the back edges are among some of the features that are available on wood trim. If you can draw your own design, and can afford to have the knives made for your trim, then you can customize the features of your trim.

Effects

The effect that wood trim gives a room or ceiling is wide and varied. For nine or ten foot walls there are more options available as different trim can be applied to leave a colonial effect. Adding flat trim and coved trim together, you can design the right combination that fits your needs. Create the effect you want by shopping carefully and comparing all available trim. Remember that poplar leaves a smooth finish when painted and is the most popular to combine with different trim profiles.

Function

Wood trim can have many functions, but the most common is to trim a house room by room. Places where it functions as a cover for gaps is wall corners, where the ceiling and wall meet, windows, doors and floors. Less common functions is wood trim used as wainscoting, and cabinet doors to create a picture frame around the wood from which the door was made. It also functions in creating faux columns inside and outside of the house.

Considerations

When considering wood trim for your project, it behooves the consumer to research the market and know what is available. Also, considerations for finishing the wood trim needs to be thought out. To consider painting the trim means to understand how the wood trim will look after it is prepared properly and painted. The same consideration should go into a choice for wood trim that will be stained. To minimize the time consumed by research, only research the type of trim that can be used for your project.

Resources

• Crown Molding Available in Seven Different Species
• Vintage Woodworks