What Is Interior Door and Window Trim? A Remodeling 101 Guide
We recently released a submit all about crown molding—you know, the trim put in alongside the prime of partitions to insert decoration and, not incidentally, disguise the often messy line where by walls meet up with ceiling (see Reworking 101: What Is Crown Molding? Additionally, What You Require to Know). We however had tons additional inquiries about moldings, so we went again to architect James Dixon, a self-professed “moldings fan” who specializes in restoring Manhattan apartments and developing and renovating place properties (he’s also a member of the Remodelista Architect & Designer Directory). This time we’re tackling door and window casings, the trim close to interior doorways and home windows. Read on for a brief guide, whether or not you are reworking or constructing new.
1st, a refresher at the other types of molding out there:
In addition to crown molding, what other kinds of interior molding are there?
A dwelling can have a lot of unique moldings, Dixon points out. 1 form is the trim, or casings, about doorways and windows. Baseboards are also molding, and occasionally molding is put in on walls as chair rails and photograph rails—or just to delineate a area. (Much more on all those in future posts.)
In most instances these various forms of molding are significantly less elaborate than crown molding, which can be extraordinarily detailed. And they’re usually designed of wood, and often of a composite like MDF (medium density fiberboard).
Doorway and Window Casings
What are door and window casings?
This trim serves the exact function as crown molding, claims Dixon: “It begun as a way to include the gaps when you have a hole in the wall for a window or door, and later acquired a additional attractive character.” The trim also protects the plaster partitions, primarily close to an interior doorway. When nowadays most doorway and window casings are created of wood, historically the product was stone or marble.
Should these casings glance like other molding in the home?
There’s a entire principle driving choosing and positioning molding, with quite certain guidelines to stick to. (You could not have to check with the “bible,” C. Howard Walker’s 1926 Concept of Mouldings, but it is however in print if you will need it.) “In order not to have molding glance odd, you have to look at things like area size and ceiling height,” claims Dixon. “All the trim in a place must be component of the very same loved ones, with comparable element and proportions. If you have elaborate crown molding and extremely straightforward door casings, for instance, it’s not likely to come to feel appropriate.” But at the time you know the regulations, he adds, you can get inventive.
What colour should really I paint my door and window casings?
That is up to the homeowner, Dixon says. “The traditional process is to use white for ceiling and trim (baseboards and window and doorway casings), and then paint the wall a shade or insert wallpaper. That is a awesome way to tie all the components with each other. But I like to see all the unique trim painted the very same shade as the walls—especially if the place has a great deal of ornament, or very thorough casings. Then almost everything reads a little bit extra straightforward.”
What are some tricks for utilizing doorway and window casings?
“The Italian architect Andrea Palladio was a grasp at placing false windows on a building’s facade to develop symmetry,” claims Dixon. “You can do the exact detail inside of with moldings—say, adding shut shutters to make the illusion of a window wherever none exists.” Or, if you have a doorway on only 1 facet of a home, you can put molding on the struggling with wall to make the place glimpse like a second doorway.
Is there everything else I should know about doorway and window casing?
And there are nonetheless extra kinds and variations of molding. If you are curious, examine out Dykes Lumber Co., launched in Manhattan in 1909. “The Dykes catalog has every sort of molding in just about every category,” suggests Dixon. “For men and women who are living and breathe this subject, it is considered the field bible.” Alongside with Concept of Mouldings, that is.
For more on painting trim, see Expert Information: A few No-Fail Colour Palettes for Partitions, Ceiling, and Trim.
And for a lot more Transforming 101, see: