## trim all the way down 

Trim, or moulding, has a long history in classical architecture. And like it or not, domestic and civic architecture in western cultures still heavily references its classical roots. 

In renaissance Italy, trim provided an economical way to bring in the classical orders without the full expense of so many stone pillars. The original profiles were a cross section of column bases and capitals extruded along walls and ceilings. To some extent we still see some of those same profiles in modern trim. 

Today, trim is used to cover the joint between 2 dissimilar materials. Why? Every material moves in a slightly different way which makes it difficult to plan for and control. If you don't account for movement, you will end up with a crack. Cracks look bad and allow air/moisture migration that can lead to other problems. 

PS, when cracks/gaps are planned for they are called reveals.

architect // if you're building consumer or b2b products in the design or construction space, let's chat! // icbk.me/huugo.fc // seemore.tv/free/fc/huugo.eth

Common names for types of trim:
- trim at the joint between floor and wall: baseboard
- trim at the joint between baseboard and floor: shoe moulding
- trim around doors and windows: casing
- trim at ceilings: crown moulding
- trim along stairs: skirt board 
- trim along countertops: backsplash
- trim around lights: flange
- trim around plumbing fixtures: escutcheon