The main types of wall trim and molding are baseboard, door and window casing, crown molding, chair rail, picture rail, wainscoting with beadboard or raised panels, and picture frame molding. Each one has a job: some cover the joint where two surfaces meet, some protect the wall, and some are there to give a plain wall shape and shadow. This guide explains each type, where it goes and how we handle trim when we remodel a home in the Greater Seattle area.
The main types of wall molding at a glance
- Baseboard: the board along the bottom of the wall, where the wall meets the floor.
- Casing: the trim that frames a door or window opening.
- Crown molding: the trim along the top of the wall, where the wall meets the ceiling.
- Chair rail: a horizontal strip around the room at about the height of a chair back.
- Picture rail: a horizontal strip near the ceiling, originally used to hang pictures from hooks.
- Wainscoting: paneling on the lower part of the wall, made from beadboard, flat panels or raised panels.
- Picture frame molding: thin molding applied to a flat wall in rectangles, so the wall looks paneled.
Baseboard covers the joint between wall and floor
Every finished room has baseboard. It hides the gap left at the bottom of the drywall, takes the knocks from vacuums and shoes, and gives the floor a clean edge. Baseboards range from a simple flat board to a tall profile with a cap on top and a small shoe molding at the floor.
When we lay a new floor, the baseboard is part of the job. In a Finished Basement Remodel in Seattle, WA, one light oak-look plank floor runs through the whole level and is finished with new white baseboards, so the floor and the walls meet the same way in every room.
Door and window casing frames every opening
Casing is the molding around a door or window. It covers the gap between the jamb and the wall and sets the style of the room more than any other trim, because the eye goes to the openings first. Flat casing with square edges reads as craftsman or modern. A molded casing with a curved profile reads as traditional. Some older homes have a head piece over the door that is wider than the sides.
Casing often survives a remodel. In a Bedroom Remodel with Brick Accent Wall in Edmonds, WA, the textured walls were skim coated smooth and painted white, while the arched wood doors, the stained window trim and the coffered ceiling were all kept. The room looks brighter and still has its original character.
Crown molding finishes the top of the wall
Crown molding runs along the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. It is usually a sprung profile, which means it sits at an angle and leaves a hollow behind it. Crown hides an uneven ceiling line and draws the eye up, which is why it shows up most in living rooms, dining rooms and primary bedrooms. In a room with a low ceiling, a small crown or none at all usually looks better than a large one.
Chair rail and picture rail divide the wall
A chair rail is a horizontal strip that runs around the room at about the height of a chair back. It was first used to stop chairs from marking the plaster, and today it is mostly used to split a wall into two colors or to cap wainscoting. A picture rail sits higher, a short distance below the ceiling. Older homes used it to hang frames on hooks so the plaster did not need nails, and it can still be used that way.
Wainscoting, beadboard and panels cover the lower wall
Wainscoting is any paneling on the lower part of a wall, usually capped by a chair rail. The common styles are:
- Beadboard: narrow vertical boards with a small groove, or bead, between them. It suits cottage, farmhouse and coastal rooms.
- Flat panel: square or rectangular flat panels framed by stiles and rails, a style that fits shaker and craftsman homes.
- Raised panel: panels with a beveled edge that stands out from the frame, the most formal look.
Wainscoting does not have to be replaced to change a room. In a Home Office Cabinet Refinish in Sammamish, WA, the dark panels on the lower walls were finished white along with the stained built-ins, and the room now feels larger and lighter without a single cabinet or panel being replaced. In bathrooms, a tile wainscot does the same job in a material that handles water: a Patterned Floor Walk-In Shower Remodel in Renton, WA has a marble-look tile wainscot around the room.
Picture frame molding adds pattern to a plain wall
Picture frame molding, also called box molding or applied molding, is a thin profile nailed to a flat wall in rectangles. Painted the same color as the wall, it gives the look of paneling at a fraction of the work. It is common in dining rooms, entries and stair halls, and it works best when the boxes are spaced evenly and lined up with the windows, doors and outlets in the room.
Columns, beams and trimmed openings
Trim is not only flat strips on a wall. A wide opening between two rooms can be framed with columns and a beam so it looks built in rather than like a missing wall. In a Painted Brick Fireplace and Column Opening in Sammamish, WA, the opening between the living room and the hall is now framed by two square columns under a trimmed beam, and the brick fireplace beside it was painted white.
Exterior trim: fascia, corner boards and window trim
Outside, trim covers the corners of the siding, frames the windows and doors, and runs along the roof edge as fascia. It also takes the most weather, so it is usually the first place paint fails. On a Brown to Blue Exterior House Painting in Marysville, WA, our crew washed the walls and dealt with worn spots on the trim, including fascia where the old paint had lifted away from the wood, before the new blue siding and white trim went on.
Wood, MDF or PVC: choosing a trim material
Interior trim is most often made from solid wood or MDF. Solid wood can be stained and holds a crisp edge, and it is the right choice where you want to see the grain. MDF is smooth and stable, takes paint well and costs less, but it does not like standing water, so we keep it away from wet floors and showers. PVC and other synthetic trim boards are made for places that get wet, such as bathrooms and exterior trim. On older homes, we often keep the original wood trim and refinish it, because matching an old profile can be harder than saving it.
Do you need a permit to change trim in Seattle?
Usually not, as long as the work stays on the surface. The 2021 Seattle Residential Code, Section R105.2, lists work that does not need a building permit, and item 2 includes "Minor work including the following, provided no changes are made to the building envelope: patio and concrete slabs on grade; painting or cleaning a building; repointing a chimney; installing kitchen cabinets, paneling or other surface finishes over existing wall and ceiling systems". The same section adds that "Exemption from the permit requirements of this code does not authorize any work to be done in any manner in violation of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the City." Trim that is part of a bigger remodel, such as a new wall opening with a beam, goes on that project's permit.
How we plan trim in a remodel
We decide on trim early, because it touches the floor, the doors, the paint and the cabinets. At the walkthrough we look at what you have: trim worth keeping and refinishing, trim that is damaged or out of style, and rooms where new trim would finish the space. Our designer then shows the rooms in 3D, so you can see the profiles and colors before anything is ordered. The trim is listed in your written estimate with the rest of the work.
For painting and refinishing existing trim, built-ins and wainscoting, see House Painters Across the Greater Seattle Area. When trim is one part of a larger job, it is planned with the rest of the house on Whole Home Remodeling Across the Greater Seattle Area. You can see more of the rooms we have finished in the Exterior & Interior Remodeling Portfolio Across the Greater Seattle Area.
Want help choosing trim for your home? Book a Consultation and we will walk the rooms with you.
