Baseboards & casings
Why Baseboard Thickness Matters at Door Casings
The depth relationship at a doorway often matters more than matching the decorative curves.
Read the guideA closer look
The guide shelf
Browse by the detail you want to change, the material you have, or the problem you need to solve.
Wall paneling
Choosing Chair Rail Height From the Room, Not a Formula
Choose the horizontal division in relation to furniture, windows, and the full wall.
Read the guide
Materials & tools
Where poplar earns its place in painted trim
Poplar can be a useful paint-grade wood when you want a solid-wood edge and are willing to prepare its changing color beneath the finish.
Read the guide
Installation & repair
Dry-fit the whole corner before fastening either piece
A joint should be evaluated with both pieces in their installed positions. Pressing two loose ends together can hide the problem you need to see.
Read the guide
Paint & finish
Why white trim can look pink, blue or yellow
A white paint's undertone becomes visible beside other surfaces. Look for the relationship that causes the shift rather than chasing a universal neutral.
Read the guide
Room planning
Choose one main trim gesture for a living room
A room can hold several kinds of detail without asking every wall to become the main event.
Read the guide
Baseboards & casings
Shoe Molding and Quarter Round Are Not Quite Interchangeable
Compare the shape, projection, and intended endpoint before choosing the small molding at the floor.
Read the guide
Wall paneling
A Wainscot Cap Needs a Clean Place to End
The top edge of paneling needs both a convincing profile and a resolved termination.
Read the guide
Materials & tools
Choosing oak trim by grain rather than color alone
Two oak moldings can share a stain color and still look very different. Grain direction, board selection and the room's light explain why.
Read the guide
Installation & repair
Why two 45-degree cuts do not always close a corner
A room corner rarely owes the installer an exact right angle. Measure the actual surfaces and test the joint before blaming the saw.
Read the guide
Paint & finish
Painting walls and trim one color without losing detail
Using one color can quiet the edges of a room while leaving the molding visible through profile, light and finish.
Read the guide
Room planning
Bedroom trim that leaves the room feeling quiet
Consider what you see from the bed, where furniture covers the wall and how evening light catches a profile.
Read the guide