Our 6 Popular Trim Styles
Baseboards
Working from the floor up, you’ll first encounter baseboards. These are long strips of wood adhered to the base of your walls that abut the floor. They help create a transition between walls and floors. Baseboards can be simple in shape, or have additional pieces, like shoe molding, that provide a decorative touch.
Crown Molding
Located at the seam between the ceiling and wall, crown molding sits atop your room like, well, a crown. There are many different styles of crown moldings that range from simple to ornate, so you’re sure to find the perfect look for your space. Various styles of trim can also be paired with other decorative pieces, such plinth blocks, which are transition moldings between door casings and baseboards. With moldings and trim, you can add as much or a little detail as you like, depending on the architectural style of your home.
Casing
Casing surrounds doors and windows and is often the same color as the trim in the rest of the house.
Chair Rail
A chair rail, also known as dado rail, rests partway up a wall, about where the back of your dining chair would hit the wall. In fact, that’s where the molding got its name. Often chair rails are only installed alongside wainscoting. However, that’s not always the case.
Wainscoting
Not a trim necessarily, wainscoting is paneling that exists between baseboards and picture rails that’s installed over the wall. However, you can also find pseudo wainscoting that features decorative trim installed right on the wall between the baseboard and chair rail. Some homeowners even do away with the trim and just paint the area that would have wainscoting a different color from the rest of the wall.
Picture or Plate Rail
Rather than hanging pictures straight on a wall, some homeowners display their art by attaching it to picture rail, which is a type of molding that runs horizontally around a room (usually at the same height as the top of a door). This molding can help prevent damage to your walls and creates an additional layer of decoration. Plus, it’s an easy way to ensure all of your art is hung at a uniform height. Many people set up plates on the rail as well, using dishware as a decorative element. Picture rails are less common than they used to be, but look great in traditionally styled rooms with other decorative moldings.
