Finish Carpentry

If you know how to handle a few tricky spots, this elegant detail can be a snap to installby Rick Arnold

The final result looks like custom trim, but it's painless and affordable to make by combining stock profilesby Rick Arnold

Stock molding and MDF panels transform a roomby Gary Striegler

Alternative trim may not be cost-effective when you buy it, but it becomes cost-effective after you've saved money on maintenance or replacementby Gary M. Katz

Coping moldingsby Tom O'Brien

It's a stable and less expensive alternative to solid woodby Michael Standish

A valance of MDF and crown molding hides an unsightly shadeby Mike Guertin

For a clean, contemporary look, create a door jamb, stop and casing from one piece of woodby Kevin Luddy

Complicated profiles require custom knives, but installation is a cinchby Sebastian Eggert

A cabinetmaker re-creates period detail with redwood salvaged from wine vatsby Miles Karpilow

by Daniel Mack

You can vary the look with simple combinations of flat boards and stock moldingsby Joseph Beals III

Medium-density fiberboard mills and paints well whether you're creating straight runs or curvesby Jay Goldman

A combination of built-up moldings and layers of plywood duplicates a traditional lookby Jim Donnelly

by Bob Johnston

by Rich Ziegner

Glue-laminated trim can be shaped on a table sawby John La Torre Jr.

Calculating miter and bevel angles so you can cut crown on compound-miter sawsby Stephen Nuding

A primer on these touchstones of Neo-Classical architectureby Norman L. Vandal