Door Moulding
Architrave: Moulding installed high above a window to add grandeur; also helps disguise miter lines.
Astragal: An interior moulding attached to a pair of doors or sash in order to prevent swing-through. Astragal ensures a tight fit where the doors meet; a flat astragal is one applied to the face of the meeting stile of the door and a T astragal is rabbeted (notched) to the approximate thickness of the swinging door.
Brick Moulding: A thick moulding used on an exterior door and/or window as a casing that joins the exterior facing and provides a surface for brick or other siding to butt against. It may be used to form a rabbet for screens, a storm sash or a combination door.
Casing: Trim used around door and window openings. Exterior casing trims the exterior of windows and doors. Interior casing trims the interior perimeters of windows and doors. Check out some our Door Casing Kits.
Door Jamb: The part of a door frame that surrounds and contacts the edges of the stiles and top rail of a door.
Frame: All parts that enclose the window sash or door; vertical members are called side jambs; the top horizontal piece is called the head jamb and the bottom horizontal piece is called the sill.
Plinth Block: A decorative block of wood that is thicker and wider than a door casing and used as part of the door trim at the base to enhance the appearance. Plinth block is also called a base block, foot block or pilaster block.
Window Moulding
Apron: A piece of horizontal sash, window trim or casing applied to the wall immediately below the window stool; the apron serves to conceal the joint made by the sash or window frame sill and the interior wall surface.
Corner Blocks: Square blocks used in place of mitering the side and head casings.
Stool Moulding: A molded interior trim member serving as a sash or window frame sill cap — these are generally rabbeted.
Stop Moulding: In window trim, a moulding that holds the bottom sash of a double-hung window in place and can also be used as an apron under window stools. In door trim, a stop is nailed to the faces of the doorframe to prevent the door from swinging through the frame.
Wall Moulding
Band Moulding: A flat, decorative or protective strip that’s flush or raised above the surface; this moulding is similar to a panel moulding as well as an apron profile, and it’s often used to trim mantels or cabinets.
Base Cap: A moulding applied atop a piece of base moulding flush with the wall to create a decorative look. It’s sometimes used with baseboard. Base cap may also be used as a panel moulding or multipurpose profile.
Base Shoe: Also called shoe or floor moulding, this narrow moulding provides a transition between finished floors and walls or cabinets; it protects the base from damage and conceals uneven lines or cracks where the base meets the floor. Shoe moulding may be used in place of quarter round.
Baseboard: Also called wall base, this moulding is applied around the lower perimeter of the room along a finished floor.
Bead Moulding: Plain or sprung moulding that’s applied where two surfaces come together at an angle; the profile usually consists of a bead and a cove; it’s often used in place of crown where the walls and the ceiling meet.
Chair Rail: Interior moulding applied on the wall about a third of the way up from the floor, paralleling any base or crown moulding, and encircling the room. Originally used to prevent chairs from damaging the walls, it’s now used more for decorative purposes. It can be made from more than one piece of moulding to build up the effect, especially when used in conjunction with wainscoting.
Corner Guards: Use corner guards to protect the outside edges of a wall from damage.
Crown Moulding: Also called cornice moulding, it's used to cover the intersection where the walls and the ceiling meet, usually over a large angle. Crown moulding is always installed sprung (angled).
Dentil Crown: Crown moulding made up of dentil moulding and other moulding types, such as crown and base or base cap, to make up a crown moulding system.
Panel Moulding: A decorative moulding used to trim out raised-panel wall construction.
Picture Frame Moulding: A narrow moulding along the perimeter of the walls near the ceiling line to support hooks for picture hanging. It can be used to make decorative, formal squares on the wall. Picture moulding is also called picture rail moulding or picture frame moulding.
Quarter Round: Moulding that’s one-fourth of a full circle rod and may be used as a base shoe or inside-corner moulding.
Wainscot: A lower-interior wall surface that contrasts with the wall surface above it and is generally 3 to 4 feet in height, often with a chair rail added to its top perimeter and a base around its bottom perimeter.
Multi-Use Moulding
Back Band: A narrow, rabbeted (notched) moulding used in conjunction with baseboard moulding and applied to the outside corner and edge of interior window and door casing or along the floor to create a heavy trim look; this increases both the ornamentation as well as the width of the trim.
Cove: A moulding with a concave profile used to soften the transition between two planes at right angles to each other. It may be used as a crown around the ceiling or on the inside of a vertical corner as a corner guard.
Lattice: Thin strips of woven wood, or PVC, surfaced on four sides.
Mullion: Also called the mull. A mullion is the vertical member of a sash, window or doorframe between openings in a multiple opening frame.
Rosette: A decorative wood plaque used at the intersection of two materials, secured to a wall and abutted by the end of a stair rail. It may also be used as ornamental decoration at the bottom of windows or doorjambs.
More Moulding Terms You Should Know
Finger Joint: A piece of wood that has a series of fingers machined on the ends of the two pieces to be joined, which can be meshed; these are held firmly in position by a water-resistant adhesive; these joints are made in a mill and are used to join short lengths together to make longer lengths.
Full Rounds: Rod-shaped millwork used as closet poles, curtain rods and/or towel bars.
Primed Moulding: Moulding with a layer of paint or primer applied to it.
PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride: a plastic material used to make molded or extruded parts.
Screen Moulding: Traditionally used to hold mesh screening into a wood frame. Also good for edge trim on shelving or as wood trim for wallpaper.
Moulding Project Resources
Get your moulding project done right with help from these resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some commonly asked questions related to moulding and wall trim.
What is moulding?
Moulding is a type of decorative wall trim found at the top of a wall. Moulding can be made from wood, plastic or stone.
What is the difference between moulding and trim?
Simply put, moulding is a specific type of wall trim, although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
What is the difference between baseboards and moulding?
Baseboards are a type of decorative trim found at the bottom of a wall, while moulding is located at the top of a wall.
Does crown moulding add value to a home?
Experts seem to have differing opinions when it comes to this question. Some say that adding crown moulding can slightly elevate a home’s appraisal amount while others say it will not.