Compare Your Interior Wood Trim Options

While interior wood trim is an important design element in Craftsman and Victorian-style homes, other styles of homes can benefit from quality trim work. Many design programs feature adding trim and crown molding to jazz up a home's interior spaces. Chair rails are sometimes added to break up the plain appearance of large walls and define specific areas. Baseboards add a finished touch to any room and conceal imperfections in the wall, floor or the intersection of wall and floor.

Hardwood varieties of moldings will resist denting and damage better than softwood varieties. Use hardwood in high-traffic areas or where chairs and toys will bang into them, such as baseboards and chair rails.

Below are some of the woods to consider when adding trim or molding to the interior of your home. The figures provided are a loose guideline to show the relative costs of a basic cut of each species of wood; they are based on Rino's Woodworking Shop, Inc.'s pricelist. Additional items you will need in order to install interior wood accents include a tape measure, chop saw, adhesive and nail gun or hammer and nails.

Mahogany

Mahogany is considered an exotic wood because it is not only a hardwood, its natural, deep reddish-brown color is beautiful. Because it is a very hard wood, cutting and sawing can be difficult. Carbide tooling is generally required to make clean cuts.

Mahogany baseboard starts at $6.41 per linear foot.

Cherry

Cherry possesses a slight pinkish tint and a characteristic swirl pattern. With age, the wood naturally becomes a deeper red. Cherry is a hardwood that easily absorbs stain.

Cherry baseboard starts at $4.25 per linear foot.

Soft Maple

Soft maple can be stained to resemble other types of wood, like mahogany or cherry. Its natural pale color will usually have darker spots and wiggles. Soft maples like red maple and silver maple are popular choices for budget-minded homeowners who want the look of a finer wood. Because it is naturally strong and durable, it is easy to maintain with occasional cleaning.

Baseboard made of white maple, also called silver maple, starts at $2.69 per linear foot.

White Oak

White oak is generally more expensive than red oak. White oak is weather-resistant and a good choice for exterior trim purposes. If budget is an issue, save money while still achieving the look of oak for your interior trim by considering red oak.

White oak baseboard starts at $2.18 per linear foot.

Red Oak

Red oak reveals the distinctive oak pattern and is durable enough for any interior trim application. Estimated at 10% cheaper than white oak, it is an excellent choice for homeowners on a budget who have an eye for oak trim.

Red oak baseboard starts at $2 per linear foot.

Poplar

Poplar tends to be an inexpensive wood choice for the homeowner on a tight budget who still wants an earthy look for his home. Not suited for light color stain, poplar is a good choice for painted trim or dark stain applications.

Poplar baseboard starts at $1.39 per linear foot.

Poplar and red oak are reasonably priced wood options for interior trim purposes. For higher-end trim, homeowners with a larger budget will benefit from the beauty and durability of mahogany or cherry.