A short guide to Mouldings

No More Confusion

Mouldings come in many different materials, designs and finishes, so it can be quite confusing to work out what you need! Below is a short guide to the different types of mouldings available, plus some advice on the various styles you can choose from.

Architectural

Architectural mouldings are skirting boards, dado rails, picture rails, architraves and coving, and they can all be found in any room. A change of skirting can add real character to a room and help show off new flooring or carpets; a dado can help to highlight wall coverings; and a picture rail can add greater detail and function to a room.

Decorative

Decorative mouldings can be found and used in almost every room around the home or office. They are lengths of timber that have been shaped as scotias, quadrants, trims, angles and so on. They can be used to hide gaps, cover edges and joins, add decorative detail or to simply provide a professional finishing touch to a project. You can use decorative mouldings in kitchens to join work surfaces and walls, in bathrooms to create a paneling effect or with wooden floors to hide the gap between the wall and floor.

Ornamental

Want to decorate a fireplace? Make your own picture frame? Revitalise that dull table that’s sat in the corner for years? Ornamental mouldings are just what you’re looking for. Our range of carved and embossed profiles as well as ornaments and corbels let you add your own unique finishing touch to all sorts of things, not just a room.

Materials

Mouldings are available in a wide range of different materials, from traditional timber to plastic or aluminium. Pine is the most commonly used material and the most cost-effective, although hardwood mouldings offer a superior quality, durable finish with a slightly higher price tag. If you’re fitting mouldings in a hygiene-sensitive room like a kitchen or bathroom, it is worth considering low-maintenance mouldings in plastic or aluminium that can be wiped clean. Plus, plastic options also look good in rooms with PVC-U windows and doors.

Finishes

Whilst some of our mouldings come pre-finished, for a professional look on unfinished mouldings that will stand the test of time, it is worth treating them with a stain, paint, wax or varnish to protect and preserve the timber. Lightly sand the timber and then apply a treatment designed for use on interior wood.

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