What are the different types of moulding?

2nd March 2020


What are the different types of moulding?


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		Four of the main types of moulding will be covered in this guide: skirting boards, dado rails, wainscoting and crown moulding.

		Each of these can be removed using a moulding bar; instructions on how to remove them can be found in our hoof-by-hoof guides: How to remove skirting boards using a moulding bar, How to remove a dado rail using a moulding bar, and How to remove crown moulding using a moulding bar.

		What are skirting boards?
		Skirting boards are wooden boards which are fixed to the base of a wall to cover the join between wall and floor. They are the most commonly used kind of moulding today, and are referred to by a number of different names, including; baseboards, base rails, base moulding, skirt moulding, and mopboards.

		Aside from covering the join between the base of the wall and the edge of the floor, skirting boards protect the bases of walls from furniture damage, scuffing and other wear.

		While most skirting consists of a simple board, highly decorative skirting can be fitted to make a statement or to mimic the look of ‘period’ properties.

		What is a dado rail?
		A dado rail, sometimes called a chair rail, is an interior moulding fixed to the wall, usually about a third of the way up from the floor. Running parallel to skirting boards and crown moulding, a dado rail may encircle an entire room.

		A dado rail may provide the ‘top piece’ for a more complex display of moulding or panelling, such as at the top of a section of wainscoting.

		Though dado rails are now used primarily as a decorative feature, mimicking the look of ‘period’ home interiors, they were originally conceived to prevent the backs of heavy chairs from damaging expensive wall coverings; hence the name ‘chair rail’.

		The term ‘dado’ (pronounced: day-doh) comes from the Italian word meaning ‘die’, the base of a supporting structure such as a pedestal.

		What is wainscoting?
		Wainscoting is a form of lower-interior wall covering or panelling which is designed to contrast with the wall above. A wainscot is usually topped by a dado rail, and normally reaches three or four feet from the base of the wall.

		The original purpose of wainscoting was to hide damp and mould from view in the interiors of affluent homes. As it was nearly impossible to damp-proof buildings prior to the 20th century, the solution was to hide the problem behind decorative wood panelling. Oddly enough, the identical spelling of mould as in fungus, and mould as in moulding, is purely coincidental!

		The term ‘wainscot’ originally referred to a superior quality of oak, which was the only type of wood deemed suitable to panel walls. The term ‘wainscoting’ as a type of wooden panelling is first recorded in 1570, though the first recorded use of a ‘wainscot’ as a wooden panel is in 1540.

		In the present day, wainscoting is primarily used as a decorative feature, often mimicking the look of ‘period’ homes.

		Types of wainscoting vary from simple wooden panels …

		… to statement designs like this one (which incorporates upper-interior wall panels in addition to the lower wainscot).

		What is crown moulding?
		Crown moulding is often used to conceal the joint between wall and ceiling, creating a ‘gentler’ transition between the two surfaces.

		Historically, it would also keep insects and other pests from entering through the tiny gaps left between the walls and ceiling.


		Ancient Greeks were the first to use elements of crown moulding, which were later passed on to the Romans. Profiles found in ancient examples of crown moulding can be found in historic buildings all over Europe, and are still used today.

		Traditionally, crown mouldings would have been highly decorative, and were usually sculpted in stone.

		When European settlers arrived in America, the desire to replicate home comforts and the ready availability of American timber led to a rapid increase in the popularity and use of wooden crown mouldings of the kind which we are most accustomed to seeing today.

		Crown mouldings may be cut from wood or, less commonly, moulded in plaster. Our guide assumes that you will be removing wood moulding, but can be applied to both.