Finishing Touch in Full Swing Manufacturing Decorative Architectural Mouldings

The Finishing Touch has already been in full manufacturing mode this year, supplying French Provincial style decorative mouldings for a 50 square home in Hudson Court, Ashburton.  Currently the manufacture process for the component mouldings is being completed and installation will soon commence.  Rigorous standards are applied during the manufacturing process and with job lots being project driven, high levels of efficiency are the norm.

A post modern luxury home in Devorgilla Avenue, Toorak is being decorated with extensive decorative architectural mouldings and the Finishing Touch have been working on manufacturing and installing them for the past two to three months.  The mouldings on the front of the building and French Provincial style parapets add style and class.  Still to be completed are the fence capping and the cabana and pool area at the back.

 Devorgilla Ave House

The builders of these homes chose the Finishing Touch because they know that with over 20 years’ experience in specifying, manufacturing, and installing decorative architectural mouldings, Steve De Gregorio and his staff will deliver quality mouldings that add value and character to their buildings.

During the planning stages of the building process Steve will advise on the most suitable style of moulding to decorate and enhance a house, drawing on his experience and knowledge of building.

The unique Finishing Touch mouldings are manufactured from high grade EPS polystyrene. The process is completed with a triple coating of a multi-part compound and finished with a triple coating of sand, giving maximum strength and durability. The beauty of this process is that the mouldings will not crack, shrink, expand or bend.

Advertisement

Columns Add History And Beauty To Modern Design

Columns were originally wooden and one central column would be used for structural support in small buildings. The Egyptian and Assyrian civilizations used more sophisticated columns in stone whilst the Minoans used whole tree trunks, turned upside down to prevent regrowth, on a base, topped by a round capital and painted.  They used columns to create large open plan spaces and also as a focal point for religious rituals.

Columns evolved in the ancient world within architectural orders developed by Greek civilization, these principal orders are:

Doric –

Wider at the bottom with a simple capital, but no base.

Ionic  –

Stand on a base and have a capital in the form of a double scroll.

Corinthian  –

Slimmer and taller, stand on a base and have a richly decorated capital, usually with sculpted flower and leaf decoration.

All three have vertical fluted carving.

The Romans introduced different columns –

Tuscan –

No flutes and a simple base and capital.

Roman Doric –

Similar to Tuscan but with flutes.

Composite –

With mixed elements of the previous styles.

Solomonic –

With a twisted shaft.

Earlier civilizations had used columns in the most part for the purpose of holding up the roof inside a building, using the outside walls for decorations with reliefs or paintings. The Ancient Greeks and Romans, extended their use to the outside as well for decorative purposes. Buildings like the Parthenon are classical examples of this style of architecture.

The use of decorative mouldings as columns on modern buildings brings back these past glories to contemporary architecture. The finishing Touch have created a new lightweight range of mouldings, including columns, that add beauty and a link with the past in modern building design.

 

Arches, Decorative Mouldings, Structure and Beauty

Arches are functional and add beauty to a building. They have been used since prehistoric times, but were originally only able to support small structures such as storerooms. That is, until the Romans created an arch that could support great amounts of weight.  The Roman arch was used to construct buildings as large as palaces.  Other cultures copied this style and structure and new variations were created, such as the Horseshoe or Moorish arch, used in Islamic architecture.

   Horseshoe or Moorish Arch

Corbel Arch

The Corbel arch is one of the oldest types of arch building, dating back to 3000BC. A corbel arch consists of two opposing sets of overlapping corbels, resembling inverted staircases, which meet at a peak and create a structure strong enough to support weight from above. Babylonian architecture made wide use of corbel arches.

  Corbel Arch

Roman Arch

This is a semicircular arch. The original Roman arches were made of stone.  A wooden frame was first constructed in the shape of an arch with stone work being built up around the frame and finally a keystone was set in position. The wood frame could then be removed and the arch was left in position. Stone arch technology was used on Roman monuments such as the Colosseum in Rome.  The Roman arch can still be seen today in modern architecture, now constructed from more modern materials.

  Roman Arches

Gothic Arch

An important innovation of Gothic architecture was the experimental use of pointed arches. The main difference between Roman and Gothic arches was the the pointed shape of the latter, which introduced a new aesthetic dimension and reduced the arch thrusts by as much as fifty percent. With the weight of the roof being supported by the arches rather than the walls, the walls could be thinner.

  Gothic Arch

Basket Arch

A three-centered arch—sometimes called a ‘Basket-handle arch’ or ‘Anse de panier’—closely resembles an ellipse, which puts it in a field of its own.The Basket arch is a flattened arch whose ellipse like shape is determined by three arcs that are interconnected; with each radius being drawn from a different centre. Also known as Semi elliptical or Elliptical, this style of arch is mainly used in modern day building due to its simple design.

  Basket Arch

Mouldings add decorative interest to arches and the Finishing Touch can supply a light weight decorative moulding to suit the style of arch selected for your next building.  Choose from the range or order a custom made moulding.

 

Create A Classic Style Home Or A Modern Twist With Decorative Mouldings

Although decorative mouldings were most popular during the Victorian era and defined the Victorian building, they have been used through many eras and for numerous styles of building.  These days they are used to create a style from yesteryear or add interest to a modern building.

 

With the latest development in decorative moulding manufacture, the once heavy mouldings now come in a lightweight design that is easy to transport, fix and finish.  The Finishing Touch distribute this innovative moulding design, developed and manufactured by Advanced Mouldings. Mouldings were originally made from stone then stucco followed by terracotta, with plaster used for intricately designed interior ceilings.  Now the Finishing Touch offer mouldings made from computer cut high grade EPS polystyrene, triple coated with a multi-part compound and reinforced with a triple coating of sand.

The range of different moulding shapes can be used to create many different styles, such as a French Provincial style home, as illustrated in the award winning Eyrie with its French neo classical façade. The Finishing Touch moulds are an integral design element of this classic façade.

Mouldings can also create a classic Georgian style façade, as illustrated in this house.  Builders and House Designers can choose the appropriate moulding shape, placing them in the right position to create the desired effect.

Art Deco is a popular, elegant and more modern style which can be ably re-created with the clever use of mouldings, as shown in this home.

Other styles that can be achieved through the use of mouldings are Edwardian, Mediterranean and Tuscan.  The Finishing Touch have a range of mouldings available, but they can also create custom made mouldings to customer specifications.