When you’re in the middle of remodeling or renovating your home, the last thing you might think about is whether you want to include floor trim mouldings. But your choice of floor trim can make or break the look of a room, so it’s important to choose wisely. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect molding for your home.
Common Floor Trim Styles
Baseboards are used to designate where the wall ends and the floor begins, cleaning up the design. It also protects your walls from being damaged by people living in the home as well as from vacuums and mops.
Baseboard trim style options for your home are virtually limitless, but all of the choices can be divided into several main types including profiled baseboards, two-piece, and mop boards. Keep reading if you’d like to know more about the different types of floor trim and which one may be the right choice for your home.
Mop Board Base Trim
Mop boards are also known as one-piece bases. These types of baseboards are defined by their flat appearance that can occasionally have some details on the edge. Many modern homes are now outfitted with mop boards because of the clean lines and its simple design.
Because the mop board has straight edges, it’s very easy to paint, cut and place together with other pieces of trim. Of all the types of floor trim, mop board is by far the easiest to install in your home.
Two-Piece Base Trim
This type of floor trim combines two pieces of trim including one that has a flat bottom and then is topped off with a profiled style of molding.
You will find this type of trim in all sorts of homes, regardless of style and design. Simple caps are more modern while complex caps are more traditional-looking.
Profiled Base Trim
If you’re looking for more traditional styles of baseboards, then profile base trim is the right choice for you. Also known as a patterned base board, this trim is offered in less variety of sizes and styles just because few stores have the capacity to store them all.
Consider going for a coped joint over a mitered joint because this will allow for more flexibility when it comes to changing temperatures and seasons, it’s also easier to fit in homes that don’t have square corners to work with.
Keep This in Mind When Selecting Floor Trim
It’s not just about looks when it comes to types of baseboards. Here are a few more considerations to make when you’re picking out the perfect trim for your home.
Ceiling height: How high your ceiling is will justify the height of your baseboard choice. Some of the more popular measurements include 10 inches for 12 foot ceilings, 5 inches for 9 foot ceilings, and 3.5 inches for 8 foot ceilings.
Options for Material
You have three main choices for material type when it comes to floor trim including medium density fibreboard (MDF), solid wood, and finger joint—which are smaller pieces joined together.
Solid wood moldings: This is the most expensive type of trim you can get, but if you want that stained wood look it’s your only option. Many homeowners prefer using poplar wood for trim because it holds paint easily, but you can use any type of wood that you like.
Finger Joint: This is a more cost-effective option when it comes to trim. Typically, builders will use poplar or pine joined together which makes just as sturdy as traditional woods. With finger joints, you get really long lengths without wasting extra materials. If you pay a little more, you can get finger joint trim that is premium-made and primed for painting.
MDF: This is the most popular type of floor trim because it’s easily the most affordable. It’s usually primed with white and holds paint in a quality manner. The downside is that this material isn’t as durable as wood and can be chipped or damaged more easily over time. But as long as you paint the MDF and keep it away from excessive moisture, it should last for many years to come.
Contact Us
VIP Classic Molding is the Greater Toronto Area’s number one preferred installer of all types of trim to doors, windows, floors and so much more. Contact us today to get your estimate and consultation.
