How to Shop for Interior Trim

Stock interior trim is available in a wide range of styles from most lumberyards and home centers. We chose a relatively wide (3-1/4 inches) beaded wood casing trim to go around our doors and windows. It’s 11/16 inches thick. We used three components to create the base: a 1/2-inch x 3-1/4 inch. “hook strip,” a 9/16-inch x 1-3/8 inch base cap, and a 7/16-inch x 3/4-inch base shoe (see “Interior Trim Terms,” above). Combine other standard trim types to create wider and more detailed shapes.

If you don’t find an interior trim molding style you like or you’re trying to match a molding in an older house, search“millwork” online. Millwork shops can custom-produce almost any type of interior trim from most species of wood. Custom work, however, comes at a price; be prepared to pay as much as three times the cost of stock moldings, plus setup charges. In addition, you may have to wait four to eight weeks.

Most interior door molding is made of solid wood or medium-density fiberboard with a wood veneer. Oak, pine, birch, maple and poplar are the most common types available. We chose maple for our project.

Sometimes you can find trim made of various types of plastic, most often prefinished in white, brown or simulated wood. This trim is far more stable than wood but cuts much the same, if not easier. What it lacks, however, is the warmth and varied grain pattern you can only find in real wood. While you’re at it, learn about car trim molding.