Carpentry and Woodworking - Adding to moulding around existing doors and windows

Hello,

I want to upgrade the look of the moulding on the doors and windows in my home. The builder put in the most basic moulding and it just looks too plain for the type of house (colonial) that I live in.

I would like to add to the existing moulding. I checked at Home Depot and they have the same moulding I do in my house and I think they call it Colonial Casing. Anyway, I spent about an hour looking at the different styles that they have and what I came up with is -- I would like to add a piece to the outside (around the edges) of my existing trim. This may sound crazy but the look I like best is the rounded edge of a window stool/sill. Of course it would stand out too far -- but I like having the rounded over edge -- it was maybe 3/4 ". But the interesting thing for me, was that it was not completely round. On the bottom of the stool it slopes just a little and that was the part that I had touching the outside edge of the existing trim work. (I hope this all is making sense!!)

Anyway, buying stools/sills from HD to cut down seems like a silly option. They want $2.55/lf for the stool. And I would be wasting so much wood. I would like to make the trim myself. I looked in the Grizzly catalog and did not see a shaper knife (right term??) for making a stool. I did not see a moulding knife for one either. As I think about it -- it would be two passes on the router -- but it is not completely symmetrical.

I would like to buy something that is "stock" and not have to custom order a knife. DH has a shaper and a planer/moulder -- so I think we have the right tools for the job. :)

The second thing I would like to do is add a little small strip of moulding about 3/4" to 1" above the baseboard and paint it all white. To make the base board look a little bigger. I am not sure if there is a rule of thumb -- but with 2 story family room and foyer. The base looks a little too small. I am wondering if someone has done this before and what they used. I don't want to do anything too big.

Well thanks for reading...to bad I didn't have any photos..it would have made it a little clearer.

Thanks for your input too.

I think I know what you are talking about on your casings. It was real popular many years ago to dress up the edge of casing. I've also painted a number of new houses that replicated it. All the ones I've been around just used flat [square edge] stock - often about a 1/2" wide ripped off of 3/4" stock. it normally sticks out about a 1/4" past the face of the casing.

To install it on your present trim you would need to either remove enough base so you could run it all the way to the bottom or cope out the base profile so it will go to the floor.

If you add wood to make the base taller you will need to find something that will dress up the top to make it appear as one piece once painted. Caulking can take care of any discrepencies between the old base and whatever you cap it with. Capping thick base is pretty easy but adding onto the normal builders base may take a bit of thought for it to look good.

If you have basic WM366 case molding around your windows and doors, there is very little you can do to enhance it, since the profile is only 11/16" thick. Many moldings can be stacked for a deeper profile, but generally you will have to start with a thicker molding or base to stack on. You may consider removing your existing molding and installing a colonial style molding (ATL1) which is 1 1/16" x 4 1/2" wide, which may achieve what you want. If you change the width of your case molding you will have to alter your base molding as well so it will fit.
I am not sure what the top of your base molding looks like, but it is probably not more than 1/4" thick at that point, and stacking won't be eye appealing.
Basically, if you are looking for a wider molding, removing what you have and installing what you want is the best way to go, especially since you will be coveirng up the boo boos as you go with the wider molding.

Thanks for both of the replies. I had been pondering what to do at the bottom of the door moulding when I get there. What I was thinking I would do is take of the shoe moulding or pull it back a little to cut it off with the Fein tool (I think). I will have to do a little test to see how that looks. I was planning on notching out the bottom over the base and hoping that caulking will make it look good.

I have been think about this for awhile. I saw a This Old House and in some of the old mansions they had sort of what I describe. The outer part of the moulding was higher/taller/stood out more. It almost looked like a picture frame. And then I saw a 2 different TV designers (Candice Olsen --my fav and Sarah Richardson) both do it and I decided I had to try. But $$ matter....so I am trying to do all of my research.

I appreciate you comments about the appearance of the base molding. You are right -- it is very thin on the top and adding to it did not look good. But leaving a space of .75" to 1" and then adding a very small moulding -- I have seen done on TV and at a Model Home. I just can't find any moulding in stock small enough to make it look good. Then the base, small part of wall and the small moulding are all painted the same.

I googled the wm366 and that is not my molding -- it looks more like wm371 but I don't know if the dimensions are right. I think mine is 3.5 in wide. But if you look at 371 and see the little rounded over part on the right. I want to add a bigger (stool size -- and rounded in my area -- east coast) rounded over part on the left and have it be taller by just starting with a thick/taller peice of wood. Hope that makes sense!

But back to my other question....How do I make the front edge of a window stool/sill? If I know if it is usually done on a shaper or planer it will narrow my search. Maybe everyone just buys it stock. But I am thinking that someone must need to do it . And I am hoping to get pointed in the right direction. Thanks so much. :)

Go to the Princeton Forest Products website. Either the torus or revival back bands in their classic collections should be what you want.

Thanks. The revival is very similar to the look I was discribing and exactly what I want. Except I want to keep cost down by making the moulding myself. DH is never going to agree to this project if the cost is too high. But he is always up for a new knife or shaper cutter. I will look around and see if I can find I checked Grizzly and Woodline. Maybe Woodcraft or Rockler will have a cutter/knife for me.

Thanks for you help. I can know show DH the picture and not have to drive to Home Depot.