Molding

Chances are good that you’ve spent many hours lovingly creating the perfect environment inside your home. It’s completely understandable, as this is where you spend most of your time. But don’t forget to give some thought and attention to your home’s exterior, since your guests will see your home’s exterior before the interior, and you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

In days past, decorative trim pieces like exterior molding, pediments, and other gingerbread-like embellishments helped to define the style of the home and to establish the individuality of the occupants. In today’s fast-paced world of tract homes, these beautiful and defining details often are left by the wayside, and the result is that most homes look pretty much the same on the outside. But it doesn’t have to be this way; your home’s exterior can say much about you and your sense of style with the easy addition of elegant exterior molding.

Whether defining a doorway or window or accentuating the lines of your home under the eaves, exterior molding accomplish the difficult task of adding visual interest and appeal without becoming “too much.” Depending on your home’s architectural style and your personal taste, you might decide to add a simple and streamlined exterior molding for just a touch of definition. Or you may prefer the distinct look of dentil exterior molding, so named because the repetitive design consisting of small blocks resembles the look of teeth. In fact, the use of dentil molding as a decorative device dates back to around 500 BC, when it was used in ancient Greece and Persia.

Don’t feel as if you need to enhance your home’s exterior all at once. It’s fine to add a little bit, live with it for a while, and then add a bit more. In this way, you’ll hopefully avoid the risk of overdoing it, since you want your exterior molding and other trim to enhance the look of your home’s exterior, but not to steal the show by calling too much attention to the trim itself. You might want to start by defining your doorway, and then move on to adding molding just under the eaves when you are ready to continue your home exterior project.

You can also choose the level of impact that your new exterior molding will have through the use of color. If you paint the molding the same color as the walls, the result is a subtle look, and for additional emphasis, you can paint the molding in a neutral contrasting color like white or gray. For maximum impact, consider a strong color for the new molding; this move is a bold way to draw the eye to your elegant decorative trim pieces