Our Decorative Finishing Services...
The basics terms below have a brief explanation of each of our services to help you clearly tell us - or any other vendor - exactly what you would like installed. This page has been designed for the information-seekers who love to read. We have included links with photo galleries to use for inspiration and reference.
If you are more of a visual person, go straight to our galleries on the Past Projects or Design Studio pages.
Either way, we invite you to browse, learn, and get inspired by the possibilities we offer!
FINISH (TRIM) CARPENTRY
Trim is used to frame windows, doorway openings, mantels, coffered ceilings and other transitions. While trim molding is typically intended as decorative, once installed, it can also benefit a home by protecting it from drafts, hiding minor structural damage and providing minor reinforcement to the overall structure.
If your project is a bit more than you wish to tackle alone, contact us today. We would love to help.
TRIM MOLDING
As a home settles, minor cracks may tend to appear at drywall joints as is commonly the case at intersections between walls and ceilings. These small joints are typically taped together and mudded over before sanding and painting occurs. Trim molding is initially installed as a way to hide drywall joints and improve the overall appearance of a room. Choosing the right trim work for floors, walls and ceilings dramatically contributes to the successful overall design scheme of a room.
Trim molding is traditionally made from wood that may also be stained and sealed to preserve the natural texture of the material. Today, it is also available in flexible, or in less expensive composite materials made to resemble real wood. Composite materials must then be painted, or faux finished. Visit our design studio page for finishing ideas and samples.
CROWN MOLDING
Often considered one of the best decor upgrade/investments for the dollar, crown molding is trim affixed along the edge of a ceiling. It can be affixed in any variety of styles, designs and thickness. Crown molding is an addition that will add that finishing element and dramatic impact that you will appreciate for years to come. If you do not want standard white, please visit our design studio for finishing ideas and samples.
BASEBOARD & QUARTER ROUND
Baseboard is molding used around the floor of a room to create a clean, aesthetically pleasing divider between the walls and flooring. Quarter round is the small, slightly rounded molding often found at the bottom of the baseboard. It is called quarter round because it is a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeters) wide and may be used in any section of the room to cover gaps where trim and floor, wall, or ceiling fail to meet. If builder's standard grade baseboard is too cookie-cutter for you, please visit our design studio for finishing samples and ideas.
CHAIR RAIL MOLDING
Chair rail is trim molding horizontally installed midway between the floor and ceiling for the full length of the wall. This small detail is common in dining rooms to prevent chairs from damaging walls when pushed back from the table. Visit our design studio for custom ideas that go far beyond standard-stock sold at big-box stores.
WALL PANELS
Wall panels serve many functions. As a decor element, they are an excellent way to break up wall space for visual appeal. This can be achieved by paneling the upper or lower half of the wall, installing wainscoting, beadboard, shakerboard, or one of several other methods. There are also acoustical and sound absorbing versions that are perfect for the studio or home theater. Visit our onilne design studio to view many different options before picking the final one that will best suit your decor.
Alternatively, if you prefer something less extensive than true paneling or wainscoting, faux panels may work well. Trim we call "picture frames" can be added to a wall to create the look of inlaid panels. Picture frame trim is used to decorate flat surfaces in geometric patterns. Creating a line of faux panels and painting the molding to match the wall color creates an architectural element that looks as if it has always been there. Just make sure to choose a hard-surfaced panel design that looks expensive rather than cheap, or you will have defeated the purpose of "improvement".
FAUX PANELS
Faux Finishes can be used to create the look of wood, stone or fabric panels. Choosing real brick or bamboo panels is usually a better idea than selecting the faux look unless budget is your main concern. But, with so many materials and faux styles of decorative wall panels available, such as brick, bamboo, woven grasses, stone, wood and fabric, it's usually fun and quite simple to find a suitable type for each of your rooms.
Remember to pick decorative wall panels that you will want to look at every day without becoming tired of them. Faux panels - whether composite or hand-made - should appear tasteful and realistic. Visit our design studio for inspiration.
DECORATIVE CEILING TRIM
Another versatile option to consider, if you like the look, is a decorative ceiling panel. More detailed patterns are best for rustic decors, while smoother designs may work well in a modern interior. If you don’t want to spring for real tin panels, consider the faux-finshing option where you can customize the size, pattern, color and detail specific to your space. To replicate elaborate plaster designs, opt for lighter premolded panels that can be quickly and easily installed and finished to match your decor. For those on an even tighter budget, a peel-and-stick option is also available, but remember, they are only temporary.
Trained faux finishers have the ability to create or replicate nearly any look directly on your ceiling, from metallic finishes to elaborate patterns or murals. The benefit of calling in a decorative finisher is that you will have a unique, one of a kind finish that works well with your unique style, design and budget. Best of all, in our experience, homes with decorative ceilings tend to have a higher resale value! You guessed it, samples of what other clients have done to their ceilings can be found in our design studio!
BEAMED & COFFERED CEILINGS
These treatments have been in style since medieval times. Beamed ceilings add a heavy structural look, but most beams today are made with lightweight composite materials finished with trim work. Coffered ceilings consist of any grid framework that creates uniform recessed panels. The possibilities for trimming out, painting and decorating coffered ceilings are endless - limited only by the creativity of the homeowner or designer. Visit our design studio for inspirational ceiling finish ideas.
DOMES, NICHES & MEDALLIONS
These design treatments are used to create a focal point in any room. While niches recess into a wall, domes are recessed into the ceiling - both are often lighted and painted for effect. Our Designer Ceilings Gallery shows examples of previous client's finishing ideas for these specialty upgrades.
Medallions came about as a fire barrier between candle-burning chandeliers and the ceiling, and were sized 50% larger than the fixture. In other words, a 24" chandelier would require a 36" medallion. Today medallions are strictly decorative, but following the same sizing rule will most often give you the best results for most areas and open spaces within a home. In tight spaces such as small hallways or powder rooms, switch the measurements so that the medallion is 50% smaller than the light fixture.
COLUMNS, PILLARS & PILASTERS
These are amongst the most classic and enduring of all ancient architecture, appearing in everything from front door surrounds to room dividers, table bases to decorative shelves and mantels. Columns and arches were, in many ways, the hallmark of sound structural engineering mastered by the Greeks and Romans. Today, as a decorative element, whether alone or in groups, (square, round or flat) columns are especially effective in open floor plans.
Whereever columns may be too bulky, pilasters offer an appropriate alternative solution – low profile with strong vertical lines, making them perfect for adding a sense of craftsmanship to a home. Our past faux stone projects gallery offers examples of how others have chosen to finish and decorate their columns, pillars and pilasters.
TRIM BOXES: CORNICES, WINDOW & PLANTER
Turn an ordinary window or doorway into a beautiful focal point of your room’s décor with the addition of a wood cornice. Whether used as an aesthetic enhancement or to conceal the headrail and hardware, wood cornices add a striking design element and instant architecture. The same box construction approach can be used to make lots of custom projects for around the home or office.
CORBELS & ORNAMENTS
Ornaments are the finishing touches that can be added to any project for additional impact.These decorative pieces include carved legs, feet, corbels, appliques, corner treatments, bullseye and acanthus ornaments, capitals, pyramid blocks, and more!
Faux Bois (Wood-Graining)
Visit our wood-graining gallery to see the endless possibilities of transforming or updating your white wood, MDF, or existing wood to appear to be a new type of wood. This is an ancient technique that today is used on steel garage doors, cabinetry, furniture, stair hand-rails and more! For the most realistic results, call us, NOT your general paint contractor. Leave them to do what they do best.
CUSTOM PROJECTS
DuFaux designs is currently a low-volume, high-quality finish design business. We balance our enthusiam with planning, budgeting, carpentry and decorative painting mastery. We thrive on creativity and attention to detail - just like you. Feel free to check out our past projects portfolio, then call us to discuss your ideas!
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