By Sarah Zimmerman
Whether a designer’s goal is to convey a traditional or contemporary look, today’s molding selections offer species that cover both color and texture requirements transitioning these floor-finishing products into desirable fashion-forward accents that add more personality and flair to a possibly otherwise plain room.

Kraig Coxon, executive vice president & director of marketing and sales for Pennwood Products, explained moldings tie a decorator’s vision together with the walls and the floors and are used to accent or downplay specific design elements within each room of the home. He also said moldings can be used to tie an underlying theme together throughout the home, while highlighting each room’s individuality. “For example, heavier moldings can create a bolder statement, while thinner moldings can help minimize a design aspect.”

A rep from Zamma agreed, saying moldings are transitional pieces in the sense that they actually transition the different floors from room to room. However, speaking stylistically, she said a different color molding can have an impact on the overall appearance of any room. “Simply changing from oak grain to a sleek white molding will give a very finished, clean and modern look, for example.”

Ken Freedman, director of sales for Faus, said moldings add the essence of completion to every floor that is installed. It is a feature of the sale and application of the flooring that is overlooked everyday, but anyone with multiple surfaces in their homes would notice unsightly transition gaps without moldings.

“If you skimp on the transition pieces and don’t purchase the matching molding, it detracts from the flooring you have just installed,” he said.” The minimum criteria for the customer should be beautiful flooring, and without the proper molding choice the retailer can never meet the customer’s needs.”

What’s hot?

As with any other product, molding styles depend on the home or business owner’s personal tastes, although trends do come into play. Coxon said antiquing and distress moldings remain two popular choices, though Pennwood is currently seeing a shift to more exotic moldings and transitions.

Pennwood offers approximately 800 colors of moldings to choose from including both basic and exotic color pallets. And, the company continues adding species and colors to meet the demands of homeowners and manufacturers. “As innovation and technology continue, it’s a rapid pace forward,” Coxon noted. “More species, more colors and more designs will become available to match the consumer’s individual tastes. This will allow greater individual expression of each owner’s vision and style.”

Zamma reported seeing a substantial increase in the thicker floors, like the 12mm to 15mm. It predicts the segment will continue moving closer and closer to more realistic looks, like hand-scraped or vintage, as well as very high-end floors and accessories.

The company follows the thought to include molding sales as part of the flooring. “This way you upsell the item, and your customer doesn’t have to make a second trip to the store just to finish her project.”

Freedman said Faus’ FasTrim technology is still the hottest trend on the market. This 4-in-1 application reduces decision-making efforts and inventory for the retailer and distributor. “Every retailer and distributor knows transitions increase the on-hand inventory significantly while decreasing turnover dollars,” Freedman noted. “FasTrim offers the ease of installation with the beautiful look the consumer wants.”