General Guidelines:  Decorative Trim

Retain historic  trim wherever possible. Where replacement is necessary, it should be with detail similar to the original in materials, size, and overall design.

Original trim

Replacement, if exact duplication not available

Decorative trim -- whether wood, metal, stone, clay  tile, or terra cotta Ðis found most often at the porch and around windows, but also at the cornice line, windows, and even at the roofline. Wood trim can be treated with preservatives and paint. Loose trim should be refastened. Partially rotted wooden details, such as brackets, can sometimes be filled in with expoxies and other synthetic resins.

At right: Trim SimplificationIf it is not possible to replicate missing or deteriorated trim, new trim should match the original as closely as the budget will allow.

Dentils are often found along the cornice of porches and roofs.  They are small blocks of wood placed in regularly spaced rows like teeth. In this illustration, the dentil course is flanked by rows of decorative molding.

Save any trim that must be removed and use it as a guide in duplication.  Where trim details cannot be matched exactly, they can be approximated in size and bulk.  Many catalogs are available for ordering replacement trim.