Hey Ken,

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all of the work you do on your blog and share with you something that I made.

I visit your site pretty regularly and I finally got up enough courage to attempt to recreate one of your masterpieces, DOOR TRIM-133. It’s not as nice as yours, but I don’t think it’s too bad for a first attempt.

Thank you for taking the time to do what you do and I look forward to reading your blog for years to come.

From Ken

You did a beautiful job with that window surround, Andrew. And now that you have this project under your belt you’ll hardly be able to stop until every room in your house has beautiful moldings!

Thanks for sharing your beautiful work with our readers.

Cheers,

Ken O’Brien

See how to share your molding projects with everyone who reads The Joy of Moldings here Creative Home Owners >>

I just wanted to share this beautiful picture of Karel Heinen surrounded by his architectural fragments.

The image is from Restoration Hardware’s website, a company who’s products and overall architectural aesthetic have been a great influence on my own work.

Have a great day!

Ken

Can you believe this is Ron’s first molding project?

Ken,

I just wanted to thank you for your excellent site.

It gave me the confidence to tackle these jobs. I did the front door first then took on the feature wall in our family room.

We scraped off the popcorn ceiling and built the wall shelves with bullnose corners. We made all the molding out of 3/4″ MDF sheets. A totally enjoyable project!

We couldn’t have done it without having all your great information and advice to turn to again and again.

All the best.

Gratefully Yours

Fluted plinth block and pilaster.

Ron used book shelves to help create a perfectly balanced focal point wall.

This is an exceptionally beautiful fireplace Ron. Keep up the great work because you’ve got talent!

Flaring the crown molding above the flat screen is an excellent touch.

From Ken

Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful work, Ron. You’re attention to scale and proportion is excellent. I especially love the fluted columns on the fireplace.

I can’t wait to see what else you create!

See how to share your molding projects with everyone who reads The Joy of Moldings here Creative Home Owners >>

You absolutely must take a look at these historic corner blocks (external link) photgraphed by architectural photographer Ron Blunt.

How I Would Make this Door Trim.

I think it would be pretty easy for you or your finish carpenter to make a similar style surround. And you could do it using common materials. It wouldn’t have to be exact, but you could get pretty close. Here are my suggestions:

• Plinth Blocks  You could make simple plinth blocks like I show here >>
• Scribers  You would want to make your scribers from moldings more detailed than what I show here, but the concept is the same — a molding that wraps around the inner-most part of the door opening.
• Corner Blocks  You could stack 3/8″ wide X 1/4″ thick mdf board on top of a 3/4″ thick block of mdf.  Then add the ornate applique of your choice.
• Casing Molding  Start with 1/2″ thick mdf board, then stack strips of 1/4″ thick mdf board on either side. Then add whatever panel molding you can find on the inside to mimic the pattern in the picture.
• Two-Tone Paint Scheme  Now give them a beautiful paint scheme and you’re all finished.

Good Luck!

I am a newbie DIYer and want to do a board and batten molding project in my dining room.

I’ve looked around a lot on the web and seen lots of great projects. I really appreciate your tutorials. You give great perspective on the projects and great instructions and details.

I was reading WAINSCOTING-100, and because you talk about the different flat stocks that you’ve used here and in other tutorials, I thought you might be able to help me. I am near the end of my rope!

The Problem

I am taking out baseboard and chair rail and starting from scratch. This is my quandary: I cannot find primed mdf boards (flat stock) that are 1/2 thick anywhere.

Apparently Lowes used to carry them but doesn’t anymore. I can easily find 11/16 thickness, but the problem with those are that the boards are a tiny bit thicker than the door frames/casings (not sure of the lingo).

I don’t want to buy the huge sheet of MDF and cut it to strips because I don’t have the right equipment. I’ve heard Lowes or HD will rip it for you, but I need a ton and don’t know if they will get the width exactly right and if it will be straight.

I can’t believe I’m the only one who has the problem with the door casings. I am so surprised that the 1/2 in thick primed boards are not available anywhere.

I guess I’m wondering:

(1) Does it matter if the horizontal boards (baseboard, and top rail and a lower one) are thicker than the door frame? Seems to me it will look odd.

(2) Do you know of anywhere that I can find primed mdf boards that are 1/2 thick?

(3) What are your thoughts on whether or not I should buy the big sheets and rely on the person and equipment at the store to cut the gazillion strips I’ll need for baseboard and two other boards that will go around the room?

I am so frustrated because I’ve researched this so much and can’t get past this stumbling block. I would be so grateful to hear your thoughts or any advice you may have.

Many thanks,
Shana

Ken’s Answer

Hi Shana,

1. Yes it does matter if the flat-stock of your wainscoting is thicker than your door frame. You don’t want your wainscoting to extend beyond the door trim.

2. I do not know of any company that sells pre-primed mdf in a thickness of 1/2″. That is why I cut my own from the large 4′X8′ boards.

3. Having Home Depot or Lowes do all of your cutting could get complicated. And yes, you do run the risk of them not cutting it as straight as you’d like. Read a bit more about having your MDF board cut at a home improvement store here.

You don’t need a lot of tools to create the moldings you see here on The Joy of Moldings, but you do need some. And a decent table saw is one of the most important tools you’ll need for installing moldings.

And finally, the problems you describe are the very reasons why I recommend replacing all of the moldings in the entire room — so you can control the entire design from start to finish. This post explains why in more detail, Decorate Your Home With Moldings, One Room at a Time.

Have you considered replacing the door trim?

Hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!

Cheers,
Ken O’Brien

I moved here to southeast Michigan, back to the familiar streets of my youth, from Tucson in late April.

The move was abrupt and the story behind it one that I’m sure many of you have experienced yourselves — a change in relationship status.

Consequently, two long-running and popular series will be discontinued: Our Molding Makeover and Jennifer’s Nest.

The “Motor City” is also the Molding City!

The good news is that there are far more moldings to write about from here.  So you can expect the same kind of molding posts as always. No, better!

Cheers,

Ken O’Brien

Here we have a beautiful painted door surround by one of our regular contributors, Matthew.

Keep up the great work, Matthew.  You are creating such a beautiful home.  And thanks for sharing!

Related Posts

Matthew’s Makes a Beautiful Baseboard Buildup For $0.76/lf

Matthew’s Four-Piece Crown Molding Buildup $2.03/lf

Our half bathroom molding makeover turned out beautiful!

Here’s the list of finishing touches to come:

• Shadow box moldings with appliques on the ceiling
• Build a new ornate heat/ac duct to replace the old one
• New color for the ceiling
• Full size mirror to fit the wall above the sink

Matthew created this 7″ tall baseboard buildup by removing his original baseboard and using it for the upper detail.

The lower molding profile is an ogee that he bought separately.  It looks like PM-008 would do the job nicely.

Once again, nice work Matthew.  And thanks so much for sending in your work for us to post.  I’ll post the picture of your door surround later this week!

Related Posts

Matthew’s Four-Piece Crown Molding $2.03/lf

DIY Baseboard Projects (Category)

The Wonderful World of Plinth Blocks

Reader’s Moldings (Category)

Share Your Joy!

We want to show off your moldings to our dedicated readers.

Send your diy projects, moldings installed by a professional finish carpenter or historic home moldings by contacting me here.

Architectural ornaments, like these rosettes on the facade of a historic building in Bisbee, do not always get a detailed coat of paint like the one on the left.

And the same holds true for the appliques you install on your door and window surrounds, or any other place you want to add ornament to.

This example should give you some idea which direction you want to go on your own moldings — to paint or not to paint!