Interior molding should suit the window or door that it is applied to.
Door and window molding has a large impact on the feel of a room. Although walls, floors and ceilings take up far more square feet, it is the trim and moldings that the eye is drawn to in a room, due to their central location and their visual interest.
Arts and Crafts Style
Arts and Crafts-style interior door and window moldings can give a house an inviting 1920s feel. Particularly when it is milled from quarter sawn oak, Arts and Crafts trim can transform a mundane household interior into a space that feels like a heritage home. Quarter sawn oak is milled with all the saw cuts running perpendicular to the outside of the log, a process that gives it its distinctive and appealing grain pattern, and also makes it more stable and resistant to warping. Arts and Crafts style features natural wood, simple wainscoting and sometimes chair rails, and an emphasis on straightforward design and materials.
Money-Saving MDF
If you are installing trim on a small budget, your most economical option is to out of MDF (medium density fiberboard), which you can then paint so that it can't be distinguished from wood. Most commercially built housing today is trimmed with MDF because it is cheaper. You can buy pre-formed trim made of MDF so that you only need to cut it to length, or you can buy MDF in 4-by-8 foot sheets and make the trim yourself. There are health questions regarding the offgassing of formaldehyde by MDF. This problem can be greatly reduced by sealing all MDF surfaces with paint before installing it.
Creative Carvings
If you have some extra time and are interested in a truly unique home interior, you can make one-of-a-kind carved molding for your windows and doors. The best woods to use for this are basswood, mahogany or pine, all of which have fairly straight grain and hold an edge well after being carved. Of the three, pine is the least expensive option. Carving pieces of molding before installing them allows you to do it more comfortably on a workbench, then install the finished piece onto the side of a door or window. Molding such as this will make your home unlike any other home in the world.
Elaborate Overlay
For formal dining rooms or sitting rooms in older houses, more elaborate trim and molding may be called for. Trim such as the Boston style features carved medallions, rosettes and multiple layers of molded trim, creating areas of visual complexity around windows and doors.
Tags: Arts Crafts, before installing, door window, make trim, style features, windows doors