Classic Molding Types

Moldings are decorative strips of wood, plaster, or polyurethane frequently used around doors and windows and at the structural intersections between walls and ceilings or between walls and floors.

Decorative molding, whether it be crown, baseboard, chair rails or door and window casings, add style and elegance to any room or home they are used in. They are visually appealing architectural details that can improve the saleability of your home.

Moldings can be used to decorate in any style that you wish. Perhaps you are looking for a more ornate or elaborate look, such as during the Victorian era. You can find more lavish and detailed molding to fit that style.

You can also find sleeker, cleaner lines for a more contemporary and modern style home. Whatever the mood or look you desire for your home, you can find a molding type to express your style.

Here a few examples of classic molding types:

Cavetto is a concave, semi-circular molding where the top edge juts out over the bottom. It is used for crown molding when transitioning from the ceiling planes to the wall. The word cavetto comes from the Latin cavare meaning "to hollow". It is quarter-round molding sometimes employed in place of the cymatium (see below) of a cornice. It forms the crowning feature of the Egyptian temples and took place of cymatium in many of the Greek Etruscan temples.

Cyma recta is a slightly rounded convex shape that bulges out more near the bottom. It has a concave curve over a convex curve. Essentially it is a cavetto (above) over an ovolo (see below) and it was traditionally used in classical architecture in the cornice and architrave (door frame).

Cyma is a molding of double curvature, combining the convex ovolo with the concave cavetto; when the concave part is uppermost, it is called cyma recta, but if the convex portion is at the top, it is called cyma reversa.

Cyma reversa, as discussed above, is a slightly rounded convex shape that bulges more near the top; it is also called an ogee and is the opposite of cyma recta. Cyma reversa has a convex curve over a concave curve. It too was frequently used in classical architecture in the cornice or architrave of a building.

Ovolo is molding with a quarter-elliptical profile. It is a classical molding that is often seen with a decorative motif such as the egg-and-dart pattern.

Scotia is a receding, concave molding where the bottom ridge juts in front of the upper and curves to a half-round creating a semi-circle or half an ellipse. Scotia is typically used in classical architecture at the base of a column.

Torus is a bulbous semi-circular, convex molding. You may have seen it used along the lower section of a cabinet. It was also commonly seen at the base of the classical columns. It may be enriched with leaves or plaiting.

Hood is a projection from a wall over an arch that is typically seen in Gothic architecture. It is used to protect the archway from rainwater, while serving as a decorative frame for the top of the arch.

These are just a few of the many possibilities you can explore for decorating your home. Combine and arrange these moldings for endless variations lending Gothic or Classical architectural appeal to any decorative endeavor.

For more home decorating ideas, visit GoCrownMolding and sign up for your FREE copy of Decorating on a Budget.

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