Easy upscale upgrade

When we want to create an upscale look for the interior of a modest home, it's tempting to look for magical solutions, the remodeling equivalent of a too-good-to-be-true diet pill or a can't-miss investment opportunity.

Painting can have a huge impact, but "rich" colors don't have literal financial connotations. Flooring is another possibility, but even pricey inlaid-marble tile or exotic hardwood planking can't compensate for a room that's otherwise lackluster. Worse still, a lone high-end feature like that can call the wrong kind of attention to the rest of the space.

Given that a house is a complete environment with many different elements, it's unrealistic to think that a single change will transform the entire look. Still, there's one upgrade that can do more aesthetic heavy lifting than any other:

Molding.

Part of the power of molding comes from its variety and versatility. From the baseboard skirting the lower walls to the crown molding that hugs the ceiling, moldings can add definition and design quality to any wall area or architectural feature - doorways, windows, built-in cabinetry, and more.

Molding and other trim creates contrasts, contours and bold lines that can direct the eye around a space, accent large expanses of wall, or highlight the outline of an entire room.

Even though elaborate wood trim has been a hallmark of expensive homes for centuries, the visual message it conveys needn't be one of wealth or opulence. Millwork adds depth, definition and character. Structurally, it's superfluous, but it says that somebody cared enough to do the details right.

Unfortunately, in all too many newer homes, quality molding is an endangered species. High-volume home builders tend to look for any opportunity to cut costs, so interior designs that feature undersized or few molding elements have become all too common.

Buyers would notice if the roof weren't shingled or the kitchen cabinets were missing, but the lack of subtler elements such as good millwork is easy to overlook when the builder dangles a fireplace, vaulted ceiling, or granite countertops in front of a potential homeowner. If your home's interior got shortchanged, a molding retrofit is a relatively simple way to give it more character and stature.

It's simple, but not necessarily cheap. Quality wood moldings can run several dollars per linear foot, and that's for stock offerings in common woods such as oak, pine or maple. Insist on custom goods in cherry, mahogany or walnut, and with installation costs you can drop thousands of dollars outfitting an entire home.

You can cover an entire room in drywall and paint for less money than it takes to treat just 5 percent of that surface area with good moldings. But this is one material that provides a lot of bang for the buck, so if you can get used to the idea of the concentrated cost (think jewelry, not clothing), the decision to upgrade isn't as difficult.

Equally important is the commitment to doing this right. Labor costs for finishing and installation won't differ radically from one molding variety to another, and if you can splurge for the really impressive sizes (tall baseboards, wide crown molding, and so on), the outcome will be much more noticeable and impressive.

If you skimp too much on materials, you can sabotage your efforts. A three- or four-inch-tall baseboard molding is average and easily overlooked. Upgrade to a six- or eight-inch baseboard and it has a visual presence that can't be ignored.

The same goes for crown moldings, which if narrow can disappear into a corner but in wide versions will elicit a jaw-dropping "Wow!" from visitors and guests. Even if you don't care about impressing anyone, it's just great to look at. (There are some tricks to using smaller moldings to equal effect; more on this later.)

Fortunately, there are affordable routes to take with this kind of project. First, consider paint-grade moldings, which are often less than half the cost of the premium stain-grade stock and also allow more forgiving installation techniques. (In other words, you can caulk your mistakes.)

These options include finger-jointed moldings (pieced together from multiple short lengths and primed for painting) and engineered substitutes made from medium-density fiberboard and similar composites. Natural-finish moldings seem to have more cachet nowadays, but that's a fashion that changes.

In Colonial America, where trees and lumber were plentiful and paint was scarce and expensive, painted millwork reigned as the status symbol. But if having the natural wood-grain patterns is important to you, there are medium-density fiberboard moldings that have a surface of real-wood veneer.

Actually, molding doesn't have to be made from wood at all. Urethane composites with a smooth, paintable surface are virtually indistinguishable from their organic counterparts and are often less expensive, especially in larger sizes or more unusual "carved" pieces such as corbels or ceiling medallions.

Sometimes, design or installation techniques can make millwork costs more manageable. Layering small crown and decorative moldings onto a flat board makes for an impressive alternative to a single, wide crown molding, often at a far lower cost.

If your goal is more texture, depth and accents for your walls, using multiple smaller moldings, can actually be the better route - if they're combined well. Also, don't limit yourself to baseboard and crown. There's plenty of area elsewhere for picture rail, chair rail, wainscoting, and door and window casings to complete the ensemble.

Whatever materials you opt for, experiment with positioning and spacing before anything gets nailed up. And if possible, prefinish the materials before installing; it makes for a much cleaner process and result.

Then you can sit back, take a good look at your newly transformed space, and be thankful that you didn't settle for new paint.