What is trim, and what purpose does it serve in the home?
Trim is a general term that refers to all types of molding (also spelled moulding) & millwork.
It's a subtle but highly effective tool for making a huge impact on the design of your home, giving rooms a “finished” look. Aesthetically, trim allows you to clean up a room’s ragged edges, outlining everything in a clean way.
Trim serves a functional purpose, as well. Some parts of a house are left intentionally uncovered, such as the spaces between floors and walls. You can cover these gaps using a type of trim called base molding.
Types of molding
Base molding: Commonly called baseboard, base molding is applied where walls meet the floor
Crown molding: Commonly just called crowns, crown molding is applied where walls meet the ceiling
Casing: Usually shorter and thicker than base molding, casing is typically used to trim the perimeters of windows & doors
Wall Panels: Large planks that cover a significant portion of a wall
Styles of molding
Plain molding has right-angled upper & lower edges.
Sprung molding has upper & lower edges that bevel towards the rear to allow mounting between two non-parallel planes, such as a wall & a ceiling, while leaving an open space behind.
