Use Moldings to Make Your Home Attractive
Moldings are decorative strips of wood or polymer. Used where walls meet floors and ceilings and around doors and windows, moldings can transform a house. They add charm, elegance and decorative flair, giving the finishing touch to your vision of an inviting home. Once you determine the look you want, select the types of moldings that best suit your design. Use a single type or use several types together to create the overall effect desired.
Cornice Molding
Cornice molding makes a seamless join between walls and ceilings, adding drama with its decorative cap. Cornice molding comes in two types: crown molding, which has a convex design, and cove molding, which has a concave design. They are applied in the same way for different effects.
Frieze Molding
Frieze moldings are wide, decorative bands that frame elements such as doors and windows. A variety of available designs lets you make a statement from plain to elaborate.
Chair Rail Molding
Originally applied to protect walls from being marked by contact with chairs, chair rail molding is now primarily decorative. Place it on walls at the height of a chair back, about 32 inches above the floor.
Picture-frame Molding
This is delicate molding that looks like a series of empty picture frames on the wall. From one to three inches wide, it is positioned about a foot down from the ceiling and stops above chair-rail height. It gives a home an elegant, traditional look.
Finishing
From latex or oil-based paint to the many types of decorative finishes available, such as gold, silver and copper leaf, choose a paint that completes the overall design of your home.