To the generous mind, no detail is too small or too insignificant to be worthy of our efforts to make it beautiful. – C.F.A. Voysey, 1915

There are some elements of homebuilding and home restoration that stand the test of time, not to be bested or replaced by the new and the modern. And then there are those next-generation products and methods that not only have the potential to be as beautiful and durable as the original, but can prove to be even better.

The newer high density polymer decorative moldings, now being used as interior and exterior trim on both old homes and new, are definitely in a category of building materials that can look as appealing as their original wood counterparts but can outperform and end up being more cost-effective than the original, according to Bill Hofmann, Vice President and CIO of Flex Trim, Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, one of the country's largest distributors of flexible, synthetic molding products.

"The polymer flexible moldings are being used on remodels of 200-year-old homes, new homes and even Las Vegas casinos," says Hofmann. "It's amazing what people don't know about a product like this, and it's always great to be able to point out the advantages." According to Hoffman, the flexible trim comes in over 5,000 profiles (styles) with names like Colonial (Victorian), Ornamental Crown, Rabbetted Panel Mold, and Chair Rail, and can stain like real wood, won't crack or rot with the elements, will bend to fit any window, door opening, or wall area, and are especially handy in places where wood can't perform. The rubber-like plastic resin substance will not crack, split, dent, decay, or dimple from nail impacts.

Actually handling an 18" section the product reveals a relatively heavy, almost bullet-proof type piece of trim, which, at first glance looks astoundingly like real wood. It makes one understand how it can be efficiently used in areas like alcoves, round ceiling domes, skylights, around columns, curved staircases, and curved walls as baseboards and crown moldings.

"The most popular and biggest selling molding is an 11/16 in. by 2 ½ in. colonial casing (called WM356) most commonly used around circle-top windows and arched doorways," says Hofmann. The company's Web site at: http://www.flextrim.com/, displays the many uses and styles offered by the manufacturer. There has been an explosion of use in the product over the past five years or so, he adds. "Giuseppe the woodcarver is becoming a disappearing entity in the modern world," says Hofmann. "The days of the woodworker artisan painstakingly carving and cutting out wood and door frames are quickly becoming history."

Hofmann went on to point out that the flexibility of the product has more meanings than one would imagine. "If a contractor ordered a 3-foot diameter half-circle of decorative trim molding out of carved wood, and when it arrived, the opening measured 3 ft. 2 in., it would have to be totally remade to fit the space. With flexible trim molding, it is cut to fit, so it's a perfect fit every time." Citing that the trim generally costs up to 70% less than handcrafted wood millwork, prices rage from $1 to $30 per linear foot depending on the size of the pattern and shape. It is available in virtually every wood counterpart there is, and matching species of wood, such as oak or pine can be stained like real wood, giving real wood results, according to the manufacturer.

 The product creates less waste, due to its cut-to-fit nature, and its replacement of real wood makes it an environmentally friendly product as well. The fact that it can be easily coiled into small, compact parcels makes it easily deliverable, an attractive feature to homebuilders.

Both custom and production homebuilders have come to recognize the benefits of the newer polymer trims over the past 15 years. Hofmann recently returned from visiting a semi-custom neighborhood of new homes in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego, where a community built by Brookfield Homes priced starting in the high $600,000s is using the trim liberally.

 "There will always be the purist renovators of period homes who would never dream of replacing wood with anything else," says Hofmann, "but people are becoming more and cost-conscious these days. And when a product looks just as good, takes less time to install, and never needs to be replaced, it's difficult to ignore it."