An Introduction to Decorative Molding in Your Home

Decorative molding includes all of the kinds of trim used in a home. It can serve a purely decorative function, or it can also be used to hide any unfinished edges of a wall. Moldings can be made of wood-most usually of pine or oak-or, as is used frequently today, polyurethane. Polyurethane is a lightweight, long-lasting, durable alternative to wood. Molding can also be painted or stained.

This article provides a brief description of the types of decorative trim available as well as information available to guide you in your use of decorative molding in your home.

5 types of molding There are five types of decorative molding commonly used. These include: baseboard, cornice, crown, wall moldings, and panel moldings. Let's take a look at each one separately.

Base. Base molding is the trim used to finish the wall along the floor. Also called a mopboard, the baseboard protects the wall. Ideally, your baseboard complements the casings around your doors and windows. A baseboard is commonly found throughout every room in most homes.

Cornice. The cornice is the decorative molding placed along the top of the wall. Cornice can be built up using many pieces of trim. Cornice is a more ornate version of crown molding. Ornamentation includes acanthus leaf, egg and dart, modillions, or dentil among many others.

Crown. Crown molding is also used along the top of the wall. Also called bed moldings, they are installed at an angle to adjunct surfaces. Crown molding is also used to finish cabinets, built-ins, and fireplaces. Cove molding, a rounded piece of trim at the juncture of the wall with the ceiling, provides yet another means of transition from the wall to the ceiling.

Both crown and cornice moldings have been around as long as the use of plastered ceilings has been. Cornice and crown moldings usually reflected the type or intended use of the room. For example, reception rooms were often decorated with more ornate cornice moldings, while plainer crown molding was often installed in the more functional areas of the home, such as the kitchen.

Wall moldings. This group includes the chair rails, and the less common picture rails and friezes. Chair rails are popular features and so can be found throughout many homes. It is the molding that sits approximately 30"-36" above the floor, right at about the height of a chairback. If you choose to panel the wall below, this trim is known as a dado cap.

Picture rails and friezes are often confused, while in actuality they are two separate entities, although the difference is slight. A picture rail has a rounded top edge protruding out from the wall, where hooks are often placed. Its main purpose is for hanging pictures. A frieze, on the other hand, is a flat molding, frequently decorated with relief carving or classical profile.

The picture rail or frieze and the chair rail form what is known in the Victorian architectural style as a tripartite. The wall is effectively broken up into three separate areas. This type of wall treatment extends your options for decorating considerably.

Panel molding. Panel molding is used to break large surfaces up into panels. Panel molding is normally found on doors, but can also be used to decorate walls and ceilings. Fairly easy to install for the average do-it-yourself homeowner, panel molding can be used to create a custom look. Panels can be used in creative ways utilizing such features as size, curves, and decorative corners. Little details may be slipped inside to create an even more elegant look.

Tips to Guide the Use of Decorative Moldings

Your use may be determined by a number of factors including the architectural style of your home, as well as your personal taste in design styles. Be sure that the size and scale of the trim is appropriate for the room to which you will be adding this type of ornamentation. If you choose to paint your moldings, keep in mind that contrasting colors can add a more "dynamic" element to your room. You may consider coordinating moldings with each other as well as with other design elements present in the room.

Synthetic polymer, or polyurethane, is a natural choice for molding today. As it is lightweight, it is easy to cut and install. Polymer is a more economically feasible choice if you opt for more elaborate decorative moldings. Moldings are also flexible, allowing the homeowner to trim curves and rounded areas of the home. When utilizing cornice and crown moldings, you can combine various types to create a more personal statement. However, this can be more challenging to install for the individual. Corner blocks are available as well in polymer. These can be useful in eliminating difficult corner cuts.

Now you are aware of many further options. Don't be intimidated. Installation instructions and informative articles like this one abound on the internet. Do your homework and investigate all of your available options. This is something that you will have to live with, so it should reflect your tastes. They will certainly set the decorative tone of any home. Good luck to you as you begin to use decorative moldings to create your wonderful space.

Visit GoCeilingMedallion for 100's of options to assist you in building the decorative home of your dreams

Water Damage Repairs - Prevent Harmful Mold From Forming

The harmful effects of mold span the immune system and respiratory system. Most molds grow on wood, fiber, or paper that has gotten wet for more than a few days. One of the main causes of household mold is water damage that is improperly repaired. Whenever these kinds of situations arise, it is essential not only to the vitality of the home, but to the health and well being of its occupants as well to repair the mold and damage from water whether you are in Houston or Hawaii. There are many methods that you can use to repair water damage in home depending on the location of the damage.

Knowing What to Repair

You can determine many of the repairs that need to be made by simply looking around the home for the places that water damaged. Sometimes basement water damage is easier to fix than water damage in other parts of the home because there is less furniture and other amenities in the basement. Once you have determined the places that need water damage, then you can start to make the repairs.

Completing the Repairs By Clearing The Air

When you have finished making the repairs, it might be difficult to know your indoor air quality has been affected because of the water damage. Sometimes there could be even the slightest amount of moisture in even the most remote locations of the home that can have a negative affect on the air. This is not desirable as it can lead to many health problems. At the very least, you need to get a good air purifier. Locating the right air purification equipment for you can be a challenge. You should also hire a professional to conduct an air quality lab report in order to determine if your air quality is safe for breathing. If the professional determines that pollutants are found at unsafe levels, then he or she will make recommendations as to what you can do to make sure the air is safe. For tips on selecting the air purifier that is right for you, click here >>.

Regardless of the location, water damage should be repaired so that mold does not grow inside the home and the air quality remains at a safe level.

By: Adam O'Connor, www.purehouseair.com

Advice Columnist

Toxic Molds - What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!

Mold is something we all know about, or do we? I thought I knew about mold. It smells musty, it looks gross, and it's found everywhere. Right? Well that is true, but it should not be in our homes, in the walls, and under the floors, or in the basement, or attic. Mold can make some people very, very ill, and in some cases it even kills! The story below is our story. Our hope is that by telling what we have been through and we continue to go through, that others will learn about the dangers of mold, how to deal with it and when to leave it altogether.

5 years ago we moved to what we thought was "Our dream home". We had a couple of acres of land to grow our gourds and a place for a veggie garden. A nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house. All nestled on a 194 acre farm.

In January of (2005) we all became very sick. High fevers, lungs full of gunk, head full of gunk. Our youngest daughter got a horrible infection in her ear that looked like white mold was growing all inside her ear. The doctor gave her antibiotics which did NOTHING for her! It took two weeks for the infection to be totally gone. After the antibiotic did not work for our daughter, we all started taking Olive Leaf Extract. Olive Leaf is a natural, (God's) antibiotic. It does not build up in the body as antibiotics do, and it will treat viral infections as well as, bacterial and fungal infections! After starting on the Olive Leaf we all started feeling better, but not 100%. We remained "almost well" for weeks and weeks. Then one day for some odd reason I don't even remember now, we moved our bed from where it was and when we did, we found black mold growing on the wall. The mold was growing on the corner walls where our bed was up against the wall. We immediately threw the mattress and box springs out, because the mold was all over them. With this discovery we began to understand WHY we had all been so sick for so long and WHY we were not getting entirely over it. We also began to understand why the outer east wall of our bedroom had always looked like something was eating the drywall under the paint. Moisture and mold was eating the drywall and had been since before we moved in. I also began to understand why our older daughters room had always smelled musty and moldy, and why she always seemed to get sicker than anyone else in the house. There was a serious mold problem with our home and it was making us all sick. We then started researching mold on the web. We learned more than we had been ready for.

Us like many people in this country thought of mold as a musty odor and gross black or green or some other color that is growing on a wall or other surface. What people do not know about molds and funguses is that high levels of the stuff can make a lot of people very ill, and in some cases can be deadly! Some of the symptoms of toxic mold exposure is, Nasal Congestion, Irritation of the eyes, nasal passages, Inflammation of the sinuses, Irritation of the skin, Breathlessness, Headache, Runny nose, Fatigue, Cough, Sore throat, Hoarseness, Inflammation of the ear, Bleeding Lungs, Nose Bleeds, Memory Loss, Arthralgia ( Pain in the joints without swelling ) and the list goes on.

I have always had a sensitivity to just about everything, certain plants, pollens, dust, chemicals, medications, etc. We moved to the house mentioned 6 years ago. The second Spring we were there I noticed that my allergy to tomato plants, had gotten much worse, and I could no longer mow the grass without breaking out in a red rash all over my face and arms that itched and burned something horrible. Over the past 5 years it has gotten almost unbearable. Not that it is excruciatingly painful. It's just aggravating to burn and itch just because you picked a few tomatoes, or mowed the grass. It's even more frustrating though, when the same thing starts to happen when you dust or sweep, when it never was a problem before.

My allergies have grown and are now magnified to the point that I'm almost constantly itching, sneezing, coughing, have a runny nose, headaches all the time, swelling and extreme pain in my legs, ankles, feet and knees as well as my wrist and hands and especially throughout my entire spine. My whole body hurts. I have horrible pains in my chest, ribs, and back. It hurts so bad in my chest at times, that in the beginning, I questioned if I wasn't having a heart attack!

My hope and Prayer in writing our story and publishing it on the web, is to help others to see the dangers of mold exposures. Mold is very dangerous, and anyone who tells you otherwise is flat out LYING! Sorry but it urks me to no end when doctors try to tell patients there is no danger. Yes folks doctors all over the country are trying to say mold is safe. Oh please! Tell my family and the other thousands of family's deathly ill from mold that it is safe. Think about it folks, mold is dangerous. Do you think the mold remediation teams would wear space suits to clean it up if it were safe? Not a chance.

You can read more on molds and their dangers on my web site. http://www.carmellasplace.com

My name is Carmella Dunkin, I am a mother of 8, grandmother of 4 and wife to the most wonderful man in the world. I enjoy listening to and singing Christian music, reading my Bible and Praying, and designing and creating jewelry, and crafts of all sorts. I also enjoy writing now and then.

My dream is to hit the road in an RV with my hubby and three youngest children and travel the entire US and see all there is to see in God's beautiful country.

Don?t Get Ripped Off By Mold Remediators

Don?t get ripped off by mold remediators

Last Fall I had my chimney cleaned so I could use the fireplace during the winter.

The guy we had used for years shows up wearing a T-shirt stating ?We are now you mold prevention experts?

He knows how to clean chimneys so therefore he is automatically an expert on a very complicated organism?

I asked him how he kills mold.

?I spray this stuff I bought at the home mega store down the road.?

I asked him what he did for the cause of the mold.

He looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

?Well?, I said. ?Mold is caused by something. If you don?t address that the mold will come back.?

Again with the blank stare.

Then he said ?I use this stuff I bought. It?s EPA approved.?

The EPA doesn?t approve things. It ?controls dangerous chemicals.? The EPA doesn?t just approve some things and disapprove others. It tries to keep vendors from killing their customers.

The best mold reducing agent is made from Grapefruit Seed Extract. The EPA won?t even look at it because it?s TOO SAFE. They aren?t allowed to examine ?safe stuff.? You can even drink this stuff and won?t be harmed. Try to get your pest control people to drink their stuff in front of you. Won?t happen more than once.

In addition, most remediators insist on destroying your home and rebuilding it to kill the mold.

Why, is there something wrong with the house?

The cause of the mold is generally a water source like yard drainage, or a leaking roof. That?s what you need to repair. If the walls are okay leave them alone.

Everyone who has ever used a hammer is now a mold expert. Getting rid of the mold isn?t their goal, doing expensive repairs is their goal.

?If it ain?t broke don?t fix it.?

Getting rid of mold should cost you around $2000 plus stopping the water.

Anything beyond that, please, get a second or third opinion.

I have seen people spend tens of thousands of dollars and the mold returns in 3 months and you can?t find your expert anywhere. They won?t return your calls and have probably moved to another community.

I saw one guy promise a ?satisfaction guarantee?.

He said. ?I didn?t say you would be satisfied forever.?

Guidelines:

Safe stuff
Don?t replace it if it?s not broken
Find the cause and fix that and only that
Guarantees are worthless
All tests are flawed in some way, use the cheapest testing method.
The goal of mold removal is to be healthy.

If you don?t get better, they failed.
by Dr GW Graham. For 30 years, Dr Graham has been helping people treat and prevent disease by showing them how to live in a clean environment. Download our ebooks at: http://tennesseemold.com/ebooks.shtml DrGraham@themoldlab.com

Plastic Molding Stacked In Your Favor

When the pressure is on for manufacturers to meet the challenges of today's market, creative thinking offers solutions that may work better than immediately resorting to cheap labor in lower cost countries. Stack mold capability is one such answer to the challenge of high quality, fast production, and lower costs.

Imagine the potential of molding a multi-part product all at the same time, and in the same machine! This not only helps to minimize up front tooling expenses, but it also helps to meet the needs of lean manufacturing, just-in-time delivery, minimal inventories, and fast, high quality output.

Advantages to using the stack mold process include faster machine changeover times and the ability to run multiple parts in smaller tonnage molding presses. This allows for lower hourly machine rates. With only a slight change in cycle times over single injection mold tooled parts, and roughly the same amount of locking pressure, the stack mold process is a cost effective means of increasing productivity.

Because of faster machine changeover times, coupled with lean manufacturing techniques, plastic injection molded products made with the stack mold process are ideally suited for both large and small runs. This not only reduces production costs, any retooling or mold changeovers needed are more flexible. It also allows scalability if quantities required are subject to changes.

Stack mold capability offers increased plastics production flexibility, reduced production costs, and shorter delivery times. You may want to explore the possibility that stack mold capability might be the ideal solution for your plastic production project.

Steve Chittenden is the webmaster for H&L Advantage, a lean manufacturer of plastic products. Services include plastic injection molding, stack mold capabilities, design, tooling, and product development. Please visit www.hladvantage.com for more information.

I Was Asked if I Had Any Stepping Stone Molds

I had to say no. Nothing like losing a sale!

I don't sell them because of postal costs. Molds don't weigh much but are big when you get to step stone size. The Post Office and everyone else use a system called "volumetric pricing".

This means if you send a big light box, it will be charged as if it weighed X lbs. X is an average for what a box that size would hold. So your 13 oz. or so mold is charged as if it weighed 5 pounds.

I can't ask anyone to pay that much so I just don't sell large molds. It is enough that the box for the molds I do sell is much heavier than the contents. I send hundreds of pounds of cardboard all over the country. And a few pounds of plastic!

Now for your free stepping stone. Get yourself a plastic garbage can. The bottom of the can should be the size you want your stepping stone to be. I guess you have figured it out now! Anyway cut the can off about 5 inches up from the bottom, and there is your mold.

Google this - Beware the Dreaded Theet O Vac!

Don't cheap out here. Use a new garbage can, old ones seem to be a little "sticky". Release agent helps but you will lose a few castings. Get a new can, they are not that expensive!

You can play around with maybe putting a couple of leaves in the mold before you pour your concrete. They will wash out with your garden hose and you will have an attractive pattern left behind.

You could also try a couple of kid's plastic lizards or worms. They will pull out easily when your stone is cured. There are a lot of kids' toys that are plastic and can be used here, look around. When you see something, think of molds.

Be sure you use a release agent before pouring. (10w engine oil works for me) Try pouring two colors of concrete. Mix your plain, uncolored concrete and set it aside. Then mix some colored concrete. Pour the color then the plain. Maybe a small stir with a stick after both are in the mold. Don't get carried away. You just want to create a couple of swirls, not blend the colors into one unrecognizable blob of mush.

Take a look around, you will see all kinds of things you could try in your mold. You will also start to see lots of things that could be molds.

Happy pouring!

Try - www.freenewarticles.com for more.

Try - www.delsmolds.com for more free molds

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