Using Carved Moldings on Furniture, Cabinets, & Walls

Have you ever wondered how to add carved details when you're refinishing a piece of furniture ?Or found something beautiful that's got a missing or broken molding, and think, "How do I fix that?" It's easier than you think!

Below Jill used an Efex Latex Molding on the center of this Vintage Desk to accent the hardware.

If you're refinishing a piece of furniture, and it's too plain or has some minor damage, adding a molding is an easy option. Efex Flexible Moldings are simple, cost effective, and can be painted or stained to match whatever you want.

They’re made of flexible Latex that stick to any surface (wood, plaster, metal, glass, and terracotta) using Weldwood Contact Cement. You can stretch them, bend them around corners, and they come in a huge variety of sizes.

They’re not just for furniture either. You can change the look of your cabinets, ceilings, or fireplace mantels. We carry 100s of different designs, from Trim and Scrolls to Rosettes, Bows, and Ceiling embellishments. All of their designs come from country charm and old world historic moldings.

You can make a frame for your art with the square borders.

For this Vintage Humidor , we used the Efex "Country Birds" Molding, then painted over with Chalk Paint.

On this Vintage End Table, we used moldings on the front drawer, a long trim around the edge of the top, and around the legs.

After priming this table, we marked out with a pencil where we wanted the moldings to make sure they're even. The rest was a piece of cake.

How To Apply An Efex Molding :

Apply DAP Cement Glue to back of the appliqué , and to surface you’re attaching to. (To activate the bonding agents in the glue, you must put the glue on both the molding, and the surface you'll be sticking the mold on to.)

Press the two surfaces together once the glue is dry to the touch, and it’s done! You can start finishing your piece once the appliqué is attached.

Once dried completely, you can paint or stain the moldings to blend in with wood.

Another type of molding that comes in handy are "Escutcheons". They're those little keyholes on Antique Furniture that are sometimes missing or broken. (Usually on a cabinet door or dresser drawer)

Once you realize how easy a fix that can be, you'll be amazed.

Click on the pic to browse all our Efex Escutcheons!

I hope this tutorial inspired you to try something a little different next time you're redoing a piece of furniture!