Any trim carpenters out there… I am rehabbing a 150 yr old two-story farmhouse. We are currently gutting the upstairs, and as part of the project, I will need to replace all the trim.
I am well versed in modern trim styles, but, although I want large, nice trim, most of what I’m familiar with would look out of place in an old farmhouse. The house currently has 5″ plain trim (beat to hell), nothing more than 1×5 stock or so. Does anybody have suggestions or a good source to look at appropriate trim styles? I want wide trim (but not too wide since the rooms are small), very nice but appropriate for the house.
Thanks, Bob
Replies
We have a farmhouse... also has flat trim. I want to stay historically accurate so that's what I'm putting back as I remodel. There's a little bit of 'molding' on this place but not much.
Flat trim, about 7/8 x 5 is what I recall most. If you get really fancy it might have a bead detail along the top edge. Corners may be mitered or handled with blocks, and not necessarily consistently one or the other in the same room.
(Actually, often corners will just be butted, even when the trim has a bead detail.)
Edited 9/20/2004 9:58 am ET by DanH
I have seen the styles you guys have referred to. Just the plain 1x5 is what's there now.
I have also used 1x5 stock with a bead detail down the center with the header piece wider than the sides, which just butt up to the header piece. That looks ok.
I have also used the 1x5 stock with Ls on the corners (popular in the Craftsmen houses here), which also looks ok.
Any other ideas? Anybody have any pics if you know of others? I was hoping for something new. How about base to match? What kind of profile? I will probably use blocks to transition to the base, regardless of trim style.
Thanks again, Bob
And then put quarter-round in front of the baseboard. I realize you're probably knee-deep in projects, but you might keep eye out for another old house that you could salvage trim from.
We pulled trim out of a house last summer. It cost $30 for the trim and a weekend's worth of labor. With the price of new lumber/trim, it can quickly be cost effective to salvage.
jt8
Ripped out some in Tennessee that had the plain 1x5 with a piece of trim of roughly quarter-round "bulk" sitting on top. The trim strip had kind of a Russian church steeple profile, if you follow me.
Onion dome.
jt8
Yeah, that's the one.
I like some of the heavy beaded millwork from Outwater for farm houses.
http://www.outwater.com/
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Top cap to head pc, 1-5/8's crown. Bottom of head pc a 1/2 x 1-1/4 added and run long. For the doors, bottom plinth block. Sorry for the no detail shot, maybe you can get an idea from it.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
http://www.windsorone.com
I got to look over their product at JLC live and it's top notch. They are definatly worth a look into. Their web site will do a better job of explaining then I can. Check it out.
Who Dares Wins.
Edited 9/20/2004 9:29 pm ET by Gunner
I focus on historic properties, got a couple Qs: what is the period of the house, when was it built, frame/stone/brick and where are you? Farmhouse is not a style, there are countless styles of farmhouses. Was the trim original to the house or was it replaced at some time in the buildings life?
The photo posted up in the thread, I don't recall who posted it, would be appropriate in a 1920s-50s house, at least in the NE, I'm in central PA. 'round here, a house of your vintage would either have a beveled trim mitered at the corners or a flat board with a single bead on the inside edge. I just added a room and installed that sort of material I made fom 3/4" wp. I cut the side pieces to the height of the opening plus the width of the bead, miter cut the bead off. The head piece is cut to the opening dimension plus the side pieces and the bead is cut off back to the miter. It was a lot of hand work to cut the bead off the head piece, but it was done that way way back when and it looks right now that I'm (finally) finished.