MOLDINGS

    You will find that most lumberyards and building centers carry a wide selection of the moldings that are normally being used in any particular region. You should, however, be sure to check that you can obtain the moldings you want before getting too far into the design and planning process. Sometimes the material will have to be ordered or specially made, which will add Router bits can shape simple profiles or be combined to make an infinite number of custom moldings.
BUILT-UP MOLDING STACKED ON EDGE
to your project's time and cost. Moldings are priced by the lineal foot-the more complex and the larger in size the molding profile, the higher the cost per foot.

    While many suppliers typically stock moldings in a few different species of wood (most commonly hemlock and fir and finger jointed primed pine), they also will likely carry moldings in other materials besides wood. A large selection of typical molding profiles are now produced in MDF, urethane plastic, and other synthetic materials. Normally a supplier will only stock the millwork from one particular manufacturer and most likely will not have the complete line in stock but can often order what you need.

    If you need something out of the ordinary a custom mill shop is ideal. These shops will work with you to help you decide exactly what you want and can mill the stock in the species and the exact profile you need. This is obviously a more costly way to go, but it may be your only option if the profile you want is not standard or if you are intent on duplicating historical moldings. However, if you own a router and a router table you can often combine basic shapes to make 

more complex moldings. With ingenuity, you can even duplicate historical profiles.

    What if you want the molding to go around a curved wall? Bendable moldings made of a type of urethane plastic are now available that simplify installation over or around curved surfaces. They are available in almost any molding style