Buy Made to Match - Mouldings [M2M]

How to get an existing timber moulding matched

A supplier can only copy a profile they can see. There are three ways to show them, in order of accuracy:

• Send a sample. A 150mm to 300mm offcut is best. Take it from inside a cupboard, behind a radiator or above a door, where a short piece will not be missed. The mill can then copy the section exactly and grind a cutter to it.
• Photograph the end grain. Find or cut a clean square end, stand a steel rule alongside it, and shoot straight on. A photo of the face taken at an angle hides the depth of the section and cannot be worked from.
• Send a drawing or template. Press a profile gauge onto the moulding, trace round it onto card, and scan or photograph the tracing flat and at full size. Mark which edge is the top.

What to measure before you enquire

• Height and thickness of the section in millimetres, taken at the widest and deepest points.
• Total length required, plus roughly ten per cent for mitres, cutting and waste. Say the longest single length you need: stairs, landings and long hallways often need over 3 metres, and that changes which suppliers can help.
• Species and finish. Say whether the moulding will be painted or clear finished. Painted work is usually run in a stable softwood or a paint-grade hardwood; clear-finished work needs the grain and colour matched to the joinery already in the room.
• Where it is going - internal, external, or an older solid wall that may hold damp - so the species and moisture-content advice is right.

Matching mouldings in a period or listed building

Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian, Regency and Arts and Crafts profiles were run on cutters that no longer exist, and the detail varied by region and by builder, so a catalogue lookalike rarely sits flush against what is already on the wall. Copying the section from the room itself is the only reliable route. In a listed building or a conservation area, speak to your local authority conservation officer before work starts: like-for-like replacement in the same species and section is normally what they expect, and having the original profile copied supports that case. Where only a few metres are needed, ask each supplier to price the cutter charge separately, because that cost is much the same whether you order 5 metres or 50.

How the quote process works

Use the system on this page for an instant online estimate, then send one enquiry out to UK timber suppliers, mills and joinery manufacturers and compare what comes back. We are not a stockist and we hold no stock: every timber moulding is cut to order, so lead time and any cutter charge are worth comparing alongside the price per metre. The matching service covers skirting, architrave, dado and picture rail, coving and cornice, beading, panel mould, handrail and window sections, in any profile and any wood.

Related: Period Wood Mouldings, Bespoke Mouldings, Intricate Mouldings (CNC) and How it Works.

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