Moldings for an Arts and Crafts Home- Authentic details you need to understand.

Brent goes through some common moldings used in the early 1900s, what they look like, how they work, where they go. There are a bunch of subtle tricks you need to know to make your projects more authentic.
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[@AlAllerton]

Cool video, fits right in with a project I'm doing right now. Can I ask a small favor? Can the people doing video maybe get a good profile shot, a cutaway, of the samples you have so we can clearly see the preportions of how these pieces go together. I know it was in the video but almost impossible to pause the video on the fraction of a second it was shown. Seeing it at least 3 or 4 seconds would help better to understand.

[@BrentHull]

Noted, thanks for that comment. Yes, we'll work on that.

[@CilVine]

Am here in southern Africa. Building standards, over here, are so low; so, it helps a lot to watch videos like this. Especially, for people who wish to apply a little artistry (or artisanship) to their homes.

[@BrentHull]

Nice, I hope it is helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@WakandaBabe]

When I bought my house that was built in the 1920s, a friend who owned an historic house, said "You have an Arts & Craft house." I said "OK" but really didn't know how she knew. Well, now I know. All the trim and molding you are describing is in my little house (with the exception of the plate railing). Very interesting and exciting to know I own a nice piece of history. I love old houses!

[@BrentHull]

Yay! Me too!!

[@Floyd12ga]

I don't understand why this video doesn't have more views.. love this guy!!!

[@BrentHull]

Very kind! Thanks for watching.

[@RyanAllendorf]

Hell yeah. So hard to fit decades of accumulated knowledge into a short video, but you do it well !!! Thank you!!!

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@christophermcdonough1353]

Great details Brent, thanks for bringing it to the attention of detail oriented people!! Love how passionate you are, finally met my match!!

[@BrentHull]

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching!

[@myfixituplife]

I really like your sense of proportion. Tough to teach and explain, but you nail it. Great lines.

[@BrentHull]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@julietacervantes1313]

I am so impressed. I love the relevance of punctuation, how to communicate properly with each detail. Heads Off Mr. Hull!

[@BrentHull]

Thank you!!

[@chrismoody1342]

Mission and Craftsman furniture and homes are my favorite style. Just love the simple ascetics of it. Yeah I can get a bit dark but for a cigar and brandy shared with a gentleman friend it’s perfect 👌

[@BrentHull]

True! I love it too.

[@tc9148]

Love the real time explanation and install.

[@BrentHull]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@dangnify]

Great Info thanks for sharing

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching!

[@hortstu4734]

Love all your videos but this is one of my favorite kinds. Really helps me grasp the nuances of the styles you discuss in your other videos. Great explanation in 12 minutes but I'd watch these if they were a hour long... Just saying.

[@BrentHull]

Glad you like them! I hear that a lot. I may need to do some longer videos on the topics. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@timf5963]

Great information. I found you via Finish Carpentry TV. These are the kinds of videos I needed to watch when I first bought my house. I love these classic designs and if I'm going to do them in my home, it should be done authentically. Sadly, I went for the quick-and-easy 5 minute KZbin videos when I was looking for design inspiration. Definitely needed to watch more videos like this.

[@BrentHull]

Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching.

[@nated1971]

"Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors" by Robert Lang is a great book for styles and dimensions, taken from the original drawings and magazines.

[@BrentHull]

Sweet, thanks for the recommendation.

[@Ang.0910]

Love the arts and crafts houses. They’re so hard to find on acreage. You do great work. Wish I could afford your services 😅

[@BrentHull]

Thank you so much! I wish I could afford me. LOL

[@o.ggonzalez3470]

Thanks hull you the killer wood man

[@BrentHull]

Thanks!!

[@rogerhodges7656]

Thank you for yet another installment. Lots of knowledge and work goes into creating this twelve minute video.

[@BrentHull]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.

[@jadoctor]

thinking of lowering the picture rail a few inches and hiding LEDs on the rail to shine up to bounce the light on the curved plaster ceiling joint.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Let me know how it turns out.

[@inreallife21]

Thank you thank you thank you!!

[@BrentHull]

Any time!

[@mikechandler236]

That was a very educational video I just wish it would have been longer and showed the full window trim.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks, I have some long format video's coming this fall.

[@FrenchFarmhouseDiaries]

really enjoyed your videos and passion thank you

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate your insights.

[@user-xq3lg8fn6u]

Brent thank you for your content, I am 28 and building my house on our farm and I want to incorporate the 1920 look on the inside with a modern shell on the outside where can I find the catalog like you showed in the video to use as a guide. I am doing the work and have fell in love of the millwork carpentry that I find myself wanting to do more of it

[@BrentHull]

Nice, there is a reprint of the Universal design catalog available from Dover Publications. You also might be able to find an old one on Ebay. Good luck.

[@t.e.1189]

Another great video! Love the Arts and Crafts era. How would you terminate the large plate rail when it meets the casing? Do you return it back onto the casing so it overlaps it? return it so it just touched the outer edge of the casing using a filler block above the top panel rail to fill in the triangular hole created? make some kind of miter cut back and away from the casings edge? square cut it? If you could make a video on how to do those terminations when the molding is thicker than the casing that would be great! I would love to see any historical background on the different methods used and what you would not recommend.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks I'll do a video on that. I would return the plate rail back into the wall or lift it so it runs over top of the door.

[@lizzapaolia959]

Fantastic video 😁

[@BrentHull]

Thank you!

[@theofarmmanager267]

Another truly interesting video - from a real expert. A complaint again: too short: you’re rushing it: take an hour to explore the whys and how’s (Brent knows that we understand the time constraints of a YT video). The A&C look than be achieved fairly simply is outstanding. My wife and I go around a lot of A&C houses and museums over here in the UK and focus upon the furniture, doors and walls. As Brent has said, the stained wood look was the authentic A&C look originally; but when you see panelling, plate rail, picture rail, door and door framing all stained mid or dark oak in what are normally fairly small rooms (as most houses in the UK are compared to the US), it is very gloomy. Therefore, I would guess over-painting happened quite soon after. Some of the A&C crowd were very much into the chivalry ethos with inclusions of Renaissance , Knights of the Round Table, Shakespearean etc. plaques, motifs etc. so you might find panelling as Brent describes with a frieze (part way around or all around) of ceramic, wood or painted scenes. That adjunct of the simple(r) clean features of A&C with an ornate painting or plaque or carving can work - and cannot work. I don’t think that there is a formula for this - it seems to be in the quality of the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately, we don’t have Windsor One over here and so I make our “equivalent” out of the highest quality MDF. Our new house is a conversion of an old metal barn (100’ x 40’). Due to planning restrictions, we had to follow that size and thus the building is very…..stark. Therefore, we are introducing A&C elements, as well as more modern, to break it all up and bring in eye-catching features. The wall panels will be something like 48” high and each around 18” wide. Some will have a plate rail on top. Other areas will have the panels cut down to about 40” high with an 8” frieze of “ Tudor” carving (in the style of their formal garden patterns) and medallions of the Welsh dragon, the Tudor rose, Fleur-de-Lis and the Invicta Horse. Our ceilings are fairly low but we do want picture rails in some rooms. All of this is in the plans but we will be putting part panels up temporarily so that we can see how the relative sizes and details work in that room or that corridor.

[@BrentHull]

Hi Theo, thanks for watching and commenting. Always insightful. The English A&C is more Romantic than the American version. It happens sooner. I toured the Red House a number of years back. William Morris -1859 Much earlier than the US. Send pics when you're done. Sounds very interesting.

[@bobbymcdonald918]

So great. Where can we get the old catalogues for houses, trim, details, etc? I feel like that’s the key.

[@BrentHull]

Ebay. They're great.

[@kevintreon5099]

In a 7' room, do you put the picture rail even or below the top of the door header? I'd love to have more height, but it is what it is. Love your videos, plan on watching them all.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks. It was common for it to run across the top of the door casing and then around the room.

[@MEM2022]

Great video I have a double plate rail dining room which is cool I’m debating whether to remove it or not

[@BrentHull]

Yikes! Why would you? I see original plate rails in less than 1% of houses. Please keep it.

[@MEM2022]

@@BrentHull mainly because I don’t know how to decorate my dining room with those there

[@Haakonson55]

Brent, I have a small 1893 farmhouse in Minnesota that was built by a Norwegian immigrant. A 70’s remodel took every ounce of character away, and I want to add it back. I love arts and crafts paneling but I’m unsure if it’d be appropriate in our setting. Any suggestions to elevate a 200 sq ft living space with 8’ ceilings of that era?

[@BrentHull]

That is a challenge. The A&C can work but it will need to be artfully executed. Good luck.

[@Marvelman89]

@BrentHull 2 questions: 1. What height do you recommend for the boards and battens? You did not mention the exact height in your video. Based on the height it looks like 5 or 6 feet high. 2. What style baseboard did you use in your video? The Windsor style is a standard 1x8 with a 1/8th round over. Do you recommend this or the one in your video for an accurate craftsman style.

[@BrentHull]

Height will be driven by overall ceiling height. You want to leave roughly 1/3 to 1/4 of the room height above the paneling. Shape of base is optional. For true A&C i would go with a square 1x6.

[@o.ggonzalez3470]

Thanks

[@BrentHull]

Welcome

[@RandomJHK]

Would it be considered inauthentic if a trim board is install above chair rail tiles and wall tiles (44" high) in a bathroom? The reason for the trim board is to be able to also attach towel bars and robe hooks, rather than trying to find the wood studs behind the plaster walls.

[@BrentHull]

I think you are doing something functional that will sacrifice form. I wouldn't but your call.

[@matthewhicks6895]

Awesome video. Love the new craft room. Installed wainscoting in our dining room. Would it be okay to install a higher wainscoting as in your video on a different wall within the same room (open floor plan)? Your rules of 3 video also had me thinking about paneling one the same wall. House was built in 1983 and is your typical block Florida home. Trying to add some detail!!

[@BrentHull]

Yes, as long as it is an open room it should work fine. Good Luck!

[@jdrissel]

What do you think of leaving a small gap between the crown and the ceiling (and maybe the wall too) and putting led strip lighting in the gap? I know it would not look good done as an afterthought because the illumination will highlight any unevenness in the flatness of the surface when it comes at such an oblique angle. I like the moldings you use, and I really don't like most light fixtures or where they tend to be installed. Task lighting is one thing, but I really hate the light fixtures and where they tend to be in many houses...

[@BrentHull]

It is all in the execution. I like the lights on the ceiling when they provide ambient lighting and illuminate a room. I haven't seen it on the walls. Remember too that I lean toward historic authenticity. I hate can lights so fewer lights, more sconces and more natural light is what I like best. Give it a shot and send me pics if you get it worked out. Thanks!

[@ChicagoBob123]

The wall moulding example didnt show enough detail. Did you pull the floor moulding out 1/2 and inch and tuck the trim behind? How do you join corners then?

[@BrentHull]

Sorry, i'll revisit.

[@larrymunninghoff6746]

What is the title of the molding catalog book you are referencing to?

[@BrentHull]

The Hull Molding catalog. A catalog that chronicles moldings available in millwork books from 1870-1940. Good resource!

[@larrymunninghoff6746]

1905 -1908 catalog Brent Hull is referring to in the video? Not the reference book he published, unless he was alive and writing back then?? Lol

[@jeffpower6473]

Should the right and left edges of the frieze be even with the outside edges of the casing, or extend past slightly?

[@BrentHull]

That is a detail you can play with, i would ask you, if it follows historic precedent and if it looks good.

[@jeffpower6473]

@@BrentHull it’s one of those things that I’ve seen done both ways in my area. Even in the Windsor one catalog of craftsman style trim it shows it both ways. I was more curious if there’s a definitive right and wrong, but I guess there’s not 😀. I do extend mine past 1/4”. To my eye it looks better this way.

[@PeeedaPan]

is there a book you recommend to learn about all these small details about door frams and base boards and arts and crafts styles?

[@BrentHull]

Hmm, there are probably 5 of 10 as these details don't show up in one place. I would get Gustav Stickley's house plans book, and buy the Universal Design book 25, Radford building details. Start there and I'll think of more.

[@Print229]

How do you adhere a picture railing to plaster? I've got a 1920s arts and crafts and I want to add picture rail moldings but I don't want the pictures to pull it off the wall.

[@BrentHull]

Nail it but find the studs with a stud finder. It will hold up really well.

[@user-vc5wf2ox4m]

I would have thought that plates should be accessible by hand . Therefore, the plate board height should be maximum 2 yards, shouldn't it?🤔

[@BrentHull]

Not historically. It is traditionally taller.

[@sandygentry8455]

I have archways in my dining room. Would love to trim them out, any ideas?

[@BrentHull]

Sounds great! Send pics to [e-mail] Thanks.

[@mattmag3089]

How much do i have to pay you to come to michigan and talk about trim on my personal build?

[@BrentHull]

If you're serious email my team with details and we'll figure it out. [e-mail]

[@Topaz_Estrella]

Hello! I just bought an arts and crafts home a few months ago but it is...kind of special. Built in 1915 but has a flat roof and small porch among other discrepancies from the typical craftsman. My question is, there's molding that extends from the header of the doors and windows and wraps around all the common areas' walls, about a foot from the ceiling. Is this supposed to be picture rail? Thank you, just found your channel and excited to learn more!

[@BrentHull]

Yes, exactly. It was fairly common from the late 1890's into the 1920's. You can send a picture to my email ([e-mail]) to confirm but I'm 95% confident it is. Congrats on a great purchase!!

[@Topaz_Estrella]

@@BrentHull thank you so much for replying right away! We're trying desperately to maintain the original beauty of the house and it's an adventure.

[@coldshhh]

What is the design catalog in the video?

[@BrentHull]

An old Millwork catalog from 1927.

[@scottfortune9016]

Brent, I have a simple 1956 ranch home that I want to dress up a little, maybe with an accent wall, and was thinking of installing boards similar to this craftsmen style install in this video. But I was thinking they would be closer together to kind of represent mid century modern. Is this something that would be accurate for this era, or would this be mixing MCM with a simple ranch?

[@BrentHull]

It all depends on your execution. Typically the MCM style has a predominant horizontality. The houses are long and wide. Further, accent walls would have used stain grade wood, and likely sheets of plywood with few stiles and rails. If I was going to do an accent MCM wall, I would watch Mad Men and find a cool wall or one of those conference rooms. An A&C wall could work, but I wouldn't have the boards closer together. Sounds like a fun project. Send pics when you're done. Thanks for watching.

[@bighands69]

Try and take a wider study of the Arts and Craft movement from the UK. It may give you more tools to work with. I think people assume that it is one particular style that existed rather than a philosophy of design and crafts.

[@barbz6423]

What is the name of the old catalogue you refer to please?

[@BrentHull]

Universal Design Catalog 1927. Dover publications has done a reprint. FYI

[@barbz6423]

@@BrentHull Thanks so much! Love your videos.

[@beverlyboys73]

Brent, any significance why my original picture rail is 8" - 10" below the ceiling? Thanks for video.

[@BrentHull]

Yes, it is a proportional tool. It corresponds with the top of the architrave. Thus your room is displaying a full entablature and the picture mold dropped down that far is a simple way of conveying scale and proportion. My 2 cents. At least that is what is typical, historically.

[@beverlyboys73]

@@BrentHull thank you for the information.

[@brmcnallen]

Right?

[@BrentHull]

Right on!! Haha, thanks for watching.

[@allansheehan2033]

Dear Mr. Hull, your videos are incredibly informing and want to thank you for publishing them. The one thing I was wondering would be if your use of the word "right" could be limited by you or edited out when you put your video together ?? No disrespect but it is very distracting !! 43 times in a 12 minute video !!

[@BrentHull]

Great suggestion! Working on it. You're not the first.

[@timshrum4064]

Teach us how to make that molding with dentil you did for the famous person

[@BrentHull]

I'll put it on the list. Thanks.

[@timshrum4064]

@@BrentHull it will be a HIT!

[@timshrum4064]

@@BrentHull followers waiting for this video to drop like 👀👀👀

[@MikeAG333]

Just for the sake of clarity, it's worth saying the American Arts and Crafts is quite different from British Arts and Crafts. Almost all the details discussed in this video would be very different in the UK. A single panel door, for instance, is something you are extremely unlikely to ever see in the UK, and never in an A&C setting. Mouldings, panelling, wainscotes etc, were all subtly different too.

[@BrentHull]

Great point and agreed. I don't claim to be an expert on the UK A&C movement. I appreciate you sharing so we can learn more.

[@williamshelton9688]

Terrible music

[@BrentHull]

noted.

[@johnrock5715]

Dude Brent - youre too important to the world of architecture to not be wearing safety glasses man! We can't let you get an eye taken out and lose all your depth perception :(

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thx.

[@user-xq3lg8fn6u]

Brent thank you for your content, I am 28 and building my house on our farm and I want to incorporate the 1920 look on the inside with a modern shell on the outside where can I find the catalog like you showed in the video to use as a guide. I am doing the work and have fell in love of the millwork carpentry that I find myself wanting to do more of it

[@BrentHull]

Ibid.

[@user-xq3lg8fn6u]

Brent thank you for your content, I am 28 and building my house on our farm and I want to incorporate the 1920 look on the inside with a modern shell on the outside where can I find the catalog like you showed in the video to use as a guide. I am doing the work and have fell in love of the millwork carpentry that I find myself wanting to do more of it

[@BrentHull]

See above.

[@user-xq3lg8fn6u]

Brent thank you for your content, I am 28 and building my house on our farm and I want to incorporate the 1920 look on the inside with a modern shell on the outside where can I find the catalog like you showed in the video to use as a guide. I am doing the work and have fell in love of the millwork carpentry that I find myself wanting to do more of it

[@BrentHull]

ok.