A closer look

Baseboards & casings

Understand the edges around floors, doors and windows.

How tall should a baseboard be? Start with the door casing.

A strip of trim has to work with more than the ceiling height. Look at the adjoining woodwork before choosing a taller profile.

Baseboards & casings

A flat board and a shaped profile can have the same height yet give a room very different edges.

Baseboards & casings

The depth relationship at a doorway often matters more than matching the decorative curves.

Baseboards & casings

Compare the shape, projection, and intended endpoint before choosing the small molding at the floor.

Baseboards & casings

A clean floor-to-baseboard junction is planned early, not achieved by leaving off the final strip.

Baseboards & casings

Test casing width against nearby switches, corners, and other openings before judging it on the door alone.

Baseboards & casings

A consistent strip of exposed jamb helps a doorway read as a carefully assembled set of parts.

Baseboards & casings

A few plain boards can frame a doorway well when their overhangs and depth are kept in proportion.

Baseboards & casings

The joint should support the molding's shape, not force a favorite detail onto the wrong profile.