Remarkable
Home, Remarkable Moulding
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| Casing
and Base |
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| Chair
Rail |
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| Plate
Rail |
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| Crown
and Picture Rail |
By Jon Eaton
Scan the real
estate listings in the Sunday paper, and the importance of moulding
is clear. Terms such as boxed beams, wainscot, plate rail, built-ins,
crown moulding, or elegant mantel are evocative of a home brimming
with character, whether it’s new construction or a vintage house.
Real estate agents recognize that millwork — which defines the
style and personality of a home — sells.
For centuries,
moulding was of great architectural significance. Around 1900 the
complicated patterns of the Victorian era were gradually supplanted
by more classically inspired colonial revival mouldings and the solid,
geometrically based profiles of the Arts and Craft Movement. In the
late thirties, the influence of Modernism shifted emphasis away from
heavy millwork in favor of thin, clean lines; by the sixties and seventies
moulding had been reduced to the nearly universal 1 1/2" sanitary
casing. In the 1990s, however, lust for moulding resurged as homeowners
— tired of sheet rock boxes loaded with space but lacking character
— craved substance, detail, and charm.
A lack of moulding
in your home is no reason to despair. With the hundreds of moulding
profiles available through specialty millwork stores once again, and
some careful planning and research, you can install in your home the
beauty and character you desire. Below are four moulding projects
that the typical homeowner with basic carpentry skills can tackle
over a few weekends.
Casing and
Base
Whether you are restoring an older home or enhancing a blasé
ranch or newer spec house lacking in character, there is no more important
moulding decision than your casing (around doors and windows) and
baseboard — the key to a successful and harmonious interior.
Ideally, casing and base should complement the architectural style
of your home, not conflict with or detract from it (e.g., fluted casing
with corner rosettes designed for tall narrow windows and high ceilings
of Victorian era houses looks incongruous in a low-slung ranch house
with sliding patio doors and picture windows).
If you have an
older house, in which the interior trim has been modified over time,
the safest choice is to return to what was or could have been there
originally. Each period style has a unique moulding vocabulary corresponding
to such things as ceiling height, window and door shapes, etc. Moulding
in a sturdy bungalow, for example, is characteristically stout, while
trim in a vertically oriented Victorian is accordingly tall and soaring.
Although there
is nothing inherently wrong with the narrow sanitary moulding so popular
in the last half of the twentieth century, which suited the flowing
horizontal lines and broad expanses of windows characteristic of modernist
homes, many homeowners have a craving for something more substantial.
Stepping up from a 1 1/2” to 3 1/2” or greater casing and
base produces a dramatic transformation, without comprising your home’s
integrity. Wider moulding with clean lines and a correspondingly simple
base will create an Arts and Crafts or contemporary look, while a
detailed casing will give a more formal, traditional ambience. For
a more architectonic quality, typical of bungalows or colonial revival
houses, combine a backband (a thick notched moulding) with a flat
or profiled casing together with a flat baseboard and cap moulding.
When dealing with
casing and base, be prepared to tackle the whole house. Unlike other
mouldings (chair rail, crown, or wainscot), which may vary from room
to room, casing and base should be relatively consistent throughout.
Given the potential magnitude of this project, you may wish to undertake
one room at a time. Remember, it’s not just cutting and installing
the moulding that takes time, but the sanding, puttying, priming,
and painting required to finish it: a big job, but one well worth
it.
Chair Rail
Perhaps the simplest moulding addition one can make is a chair rail,
which typically involves only straight cuts abutting directly into
the casing. Chair rails are most frequently found in dining rooms,
though they can enhance virtually any room or hallway. Traditionally
positioned about one third of the way up the wall, it makes the ceiling
seem higher, and provides the opportunity to explore more color and
design options (to avoid the chair rail looking like a racing stripe,
paint the lower portion of the wall the same color as the moulding).
Chair rails need
not be formal, but should correspond to the style, thickness, and
width of your door and window casing. Ideally, look for pieces that
are slightly thinner (leaving a reveal), comparable in width and with
compatible shapes (coves, ogee curves, beads, etc.). Many single piece
chair rails are available, but for rooms with casing wider than three
or four inches, it may be more appropriate to build up a chair rail
out of two or three mouldings, to achieve the desired width. A simple
combination for a classic, larger chair rail is a flat board (1X2—1X4)
with a panel mould running above and below. Another easy combination
is to surface apply a panel moulding to a larger casing or base moulding.
The chair rail is typically beveled back slightly where it intersects
with the door and window casing. When using an asymmetrical chair
rail, whether a single piece or one comprised of several mouldings,
always position the thicker portion at the top, tapering towards the
floor.
For added interest
and a more formal look you can surface apply panel mouldings directly
to the lower portion of the wall (if relatively smooth), creating
the effect of a paneled wainscot.
Plate Rail
Frequently found in homes before ca. 1930, plate rail is a perfect
addition to a dining room, kitchen or child’s room, providing
architectural interest, as well as a place to display dishes, pictures,
keepsakes, or toys. Plate rail is usually positioned about two-thirds
of the way up the wall, allowing for furniture placement below and
better viewing of the items on display. It may stand alone, or serve
as the cap to a paneled wainscot, a more complicated project not to
be further outlined here.
A plate rail is
built up out of a minimum of two pieces, and may be quite involved,
depending on your home’s style and the desired effect. A simple
combination, one ideal for bathrooms or kitchens, where only a small
ledge is needed, is a lintel moulding mounted to a broad casing or
to a piece of dimensional lumber with a panel mould below. Add a plate
shelf above the lintel and this simple combination is now suitable
for a dining room or area where larger items will be displayed. Typically,
the lintel mould or top shelf is notched to overlap the casing slightly,
while the crown moulding beneath is given a mitered return.
For a heavier
look in homes with substantial moulding, position corbels (small wooden
brackets) beneath the plate rail with straight pieces of complementary
crown moulding running between. Use dimensional lumber or a tall flat
base board for a backer, and embellish with additional panel mouldings,
as desired. For a child’s room, kitchen or coat room, add shaker
pegs to the backer board for hanging coats, hats, or cups.
Crown and Picture
Rail
A crown moulding is one of the most traditional and elegant ways to
enhance a room. In selecting a crown moulding, however, most people
are too timid. A rule of thumb is that the crown equals or exceeds
the base moulding in size, regardless of the ceiling height (e.g.,
a 5 1/2” crown is appropriate for a room with 8’ ceilings,
provided the base is at least 4 1/2”). For small rooms, such
as bedrooms or baths, a one-piece application may suffice. For a more
substantial effect a crown moulding may be combined with a picture
hanger moulding, placed immediately below. For rooms with a heavily
textured ceiling, where crown moulding is impractical (or for those
daunted by the challenge of angled miters) a single picture rail,
set about 1/2” below the ceiling provides a significant and practical
accent.
Large rooms with
a broad expanse of flat ceiling space, generally require a more substantial
treatment. In living rooms, dining rooms, and other formal spaces
ceiling mouldings are often built-up of three or more pieces for greater
richness of effect. A classic combination is to position a large crown
or cove moulding between two pieces of baseboard or casing mounted
to the wall and ceiling. A picture rail may be added to the wall below
for greater height, and a panel moulding applied to the ceiling for
greater breadth. The possibilities are practically endless, dependent
only upon your personal taste.
Conclusion
Before running out to your local millwork shop, your first step is
to ask: “What type of moulding project makes sense for my house?”
Get to know the style of your house, and choose projects that will
remain in keeping with the original character, or which may enhance
upon it.
Jon Eaton is
creative director at McCoy Millwork, he can be contacted at 503-236-0995
or emailed at jeaton@mccoymillwork.com.
| For
ideas on the appropriate design consult reference books (e.g.,
The Victorian Design Book, Robert’s Illustrated Millwork
catalog, a guide to ca. 1900 interiors, and Homes and Interiors
of the 1920s) and magazines, or visit realtors’ open houses
and neighboring houses of the same style. Remember that within
any given era more than one casing style was available. A specialty
moulding store will typically have at least some of the mouldings
comprising these period looks. |
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Tips
on Working with Moulding
If possible allow wood to acclimatize for at least 24 hours to
the humidity and heat within your home before cutting and installing,
letting it lay flat (never standing up as it may bow). This will
help prevent the joints from pulling apart as the wood adjusts
to the hot dry conditions within your home. Even in new construction,
nothing is ever perfectly square/ceilings and floors not perfectly
flat or parallel. Always buy extra to make practice cuts to verify
correct angles. Measure twice, Cut once. My mantra is that no
matter how simple it looks it will take twice as long to complete
as anticipated. Caulk is your friend. Remember, despite any frustration,
molding adds enjoyment to your home now, and resale value later. |
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