By Danny Lipford
Looking for an easy, quick way to freshen up a room? Adding or replacing decorative moulding is a simple, DIY project that’s even easier today thanks to prefinished plastic mouldings. Before you strap on your tool belt, here are some tips on how to choose the right moldings for your home.
Moulding Style
Choose moulding that reflects the style of your home. Contemporary homes should stick with simple mouldings with little detail while elaborately detailed Victorian homes look great dressed in detailed decorative mouldings. Experienced designers can mix and match décor, but it’s harder to integrate different styles in the same space.
One of the great things about plastic moulding is that it can be made to resemble almost any material, including the look of wood grain. Since plastic mouldings are created in a mould rather than milled, they can be made into virtually any pattern or design. That gives a lot of flexibility in choosing the look that works best for your home.
Moulding Size
Moulding should enrich the look of a room, not overpower it. Select the width of crown and other mouldings based on the height of the ceiling in the room. The higher the ceiling, the wider the moulding should be. Test the size by holding up samples of moulding or cut a piece of cardboard to size to see how the moulding will look when installed.
Since many plastics are more flexible than wood, plastic mouldings can be more forgiving when installed on uneven ceilings or crooked walls. Some plastic mouldings can even be applied to curved surfaces, which would be difficult—if not impossible—to do with wood mouldings.
High Moisture Conditions
For high-moisture rooms—such as bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and utility rooms—plastic mouldings are the best choice since they’re impervious to moisture and resist warping, rotting, and mould.
Buy Extra
Buy more moulding than you think you will need, since having some extra material on hand will give you some wiggle room if you make a mistake. Plastic mouldings can be cut and installed with the same tools used for traditional wood. Since plastic mouldings won’t crack, splinter or split, you’ll have less waste than with wood mouldings.
Finishing
If the moulding will require painting or staining, do it before installation. Plastic mouldings are available in a wide range of prefinished colors that may not require painting or staining, making installation much less labor intensive.
Recycled Materials
You can even find plastic mouldings that are made from recycled plastic. One manufacturer, Timbron (available at The Home Depot), uses recycled plastic foam packaging to make their products. The company has already recycled enough plastic to fill the Empire State building twice!