At a glance
| Item | What to give | Without it |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 section drawing | The profile at full size, with the lines that must match marked | The maker guesses which curves matter |
| Envelope | The largest section the stock can be, in millimetres | Stock is cut too big or too thin |
| Datum | Where the profile starts: floor, ceiling, rail or lining, and which face is the reference | A profile set from the wrong face |
| Material | Species or board, grade, moisture and whether solid, veneered or built up | A match in the wrong timber looks different painted or stained |
| Finish | Paint, stain, oil or lacquer, and sheen | Finish hides or exaggerates the profile |
| Lengths and quantity | Run lengths, total metres, spares, and the longest single length allowed | Waste and joints are decided on site |
| Corners and joints | Mitre, scribe, cope or block; where joints may fall | Visible joints in the wrong place |
| Fixing | How it is fixed and to what, and whether fixings may show | Mouldings split or fixings telegraph |
| Existing sample or template | A short piece, a traced template or a gauge print, labelled with where it came from | A match with nothing to match to |
| Photographs | Square-on, with a rule or scale bar in frame, lit from the side | Dimensions cannot be read from a photo |
| Evidence required | Any fire or sustainability evidence the project needs | A supplier cannot provide it after the event |
Eleven items. Process stages and cost drivers follow; no cutter cost or lead time is given because we hold no partner figures. Content is general practice, flagged for a partner joiner to confirm.
Four jobs, four briefs
People say “custom moulding” for four different jobs, and the brief changes with each:
- A new profile from a drawing. You own the design. The brief is the 1:1 section and the checklist below.
- A match to an existing moulding. The existing piece is the specification. The brief is the template and the evidence of where it came from, plus the checklist.
- An extension of an existing run. As a match, but the junction between old and new is the critical detail and needs a hold point.
- A stock profile with changes. A catalogue profile altered in size or depth. Name the starting profile and mark the changes on the drawing.
In every case the drawing governs, not a description in words. For a match, say which is the reference: the template, the drawing from the template, or the old piece itself.
The brief: what to send
One page, drawn full size, does most of the work. The drawing shows the lines to include; the table at the top of the page lists every item.
Taking a template on site
The aim is a record that can be laid against the old moulding again, not a description. Common methods, which can be combined:
- A contour gauge. A row of thin sliding pins pressed square against the moulding takes its shape. Trace it onto card, cut the card and check it against the moulding.
- A short length. Take a short piece from a hidden place, such as behind a cupboard or above a lowered ceiling, if the building and any consent allow it.
- Photographs. Square-on to the end of a cut or a mitre, with a rule in frame and light from the side. Useful as a check; not enough alone, because lenses distort.
- A cast or scan. Some workshops take a cast or a scan of a complex profile. Ask the partner what they can use.
Label each record with the room, the wall and the height, and keep the template: it is the reference for the first-off sample.
Mind the paint, and the room
Old mouldings have usually been painted many times. Each coat rounds the arrises and part-fills the grooves, so a trace taken from the painted surface is not the profile the joiner made. If you can, take the template where the paint is thin (an unseen end, a back edge) or after a small test patch has been stripped, and say which you did. Old work also varies along the run: it may be hand-worked, out of true or later altered, so name the place the template came from and mark any variation on the drawing.
From drawing to wall: the hold points
The stages below are the usual order. How long each takes is the partner workshop’s information and varies with the profile, so we give no durations: ask the partner and put the dates in the programme. The point of the table is where you should stop and approve.
| Stage | What happens | Hold point (who signs) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief | You send the 1:1 section, the checklist items and, for a match, the template | Designer |
| 2. Profile drawing | The partner redraws the profile from your information and returns it | Designer approves the drawing |
| 3. Tooling | The cutters or knives for the profile are made (or a stock profile is altered) | Partner; no sign-off needed unless the drawing changes |
| 4. First-off sample | A short length is run and compared with the existing moulding or the drawing | Designer approves against the existing, in place if possible |
| 5. Production | The run is made, finished as specified and packed | Partner quality check; designer if any length is queried |
| 6. Fit | Lengths are fixed, mitred and scribed on site | Site; check the first corner and the first junction with old work |
Treat the first-off sample as the approval, not a formality: hold it against the existing moulding at the junction, in the room, before the full run is made. If a revision is needed after tooling, say so at once: the knives may have to be made again.
What moves cost and time
We do not publish cutter costs or lead times: the partner workshop quotes them for your profile. What changes them, in words:
- Profile complexity. A profile that needs several cutters, passes or hand work costs more than a single-cutter profile.
- Length of run. Tooling is a one-off cost spread over the run, so a short run carries the same set-up as a long one.
- Material. Hardwood, softwood, MDF and built-up sections behave and cost differently; see the moulding materials sheet.
- Waste. Odd sizes, long lengths and grain matching leave offcuts.
- Revisions. Each change after tooling can mean new knives and another sample.
- Finish and fit. Painting, staining, scribing and fitting on site are separate work.
Old and listed buildings
Where the building is listed, section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 prohibits works for the demolition of a listed building, or for its alteration or extension in a manner that would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, unless the works are authorised. The section does not itself mention interiors. Local authorities explain the practical line differently: several say like-for-like repair does not need consent while others require it for anything that is not exactly like for like, and say it is for the planning authority, not the owner, to judge. Ask the conservation officer before the order is placed, and ask for the answer in writing if there is doubt. BS 7913:2013, a guide to the conservation of historic buildings, is listed by BSI as current; we did not read it. A match that is meant to read as new, or one meant to be indistinguishable, is a conservation decision: record which you chose.
Saying how close is close enough
“To match” is not a tolerance. State the match point and the allowance: for example, the profile to match the approved template within a stated distance at the arris lines, checked on the first-off sample at a named junction. Because the old piece varies, the allowance belongs to the template, not to the building. General joinery tolerances are on our joinery tolerances and scribing sheet.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
Ref [M-01]: moulding, profile as detail [D-30] at 1:1, envelope [90 x 25] mm, datum [top face to ceiling]. Material [ ]. Finish [ ]. Total length [ ] m plus [ ]% spares; longest single length [ ] mm. Corners [mitred / scribed]. First-off sample to be approved by the designer before the run.
Ref [M-02]: moulding to match the existing in [room], from template [T-02] taken on site on [date] at [location], paint [stripped / not stripped]. Profile to match the approved template within [ ] mm at the arris lines. First-off sample to be held against the existing at the new and old junction in [room] and approved before production.
The building is [Grade ] listed. Work to the existing mouldings is subject to consent from [the local planning authority]; the contractor is to confirm the consent position in writing before any moulding is removed or replaced.
Terms used on this page
- Profile
- The shape of a moulding seen in cross-section, which is what has to be drawn, matched and cut.
- Contour gauge
- A tool with a row of thin sliding pins that take the shape of a moulding when pressed against it.
- First-off sample
- The first length run from new tooling, kept for approval before the full run is made.
- Datum
- The face or line a profile is measured from, such as the floor, the ceiling or a rail.
Standards and sources
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 7: Read 7 Nov 2026.
- BS 7913:2013 conservation of historic buildings: Current (BSI, 7 Nov 2026). Not read.
Questions we are asked
How do I match an existing skirting board profile?
Take a template with a contour gauge, ideally where the paint is thin, trace it onto card, label where it came from and photograph it with a rule. Send the template with a 1:1 drawing, and ask for a first-off sample to hold against the existing before the run is made.
What should I send a joiner to make a custom moulding?
A full-size section with the lines that must match, an envelope, a datum, the material, the finish, the lengths and quantity, the corner details, and any template or sample. The at-a-glance table in this sheet lists all eleven items.
Can a profile be copied from a photograph?
Not reliably. A photograph square-on with a rule is a useful check, but lens distortion and perspective make it a weak specification. Use a template or a short sample as well.
How long does a custom moulding take, and what does it cost?
It depends on the profile and the partner workshop, so this sheet gives no figures. Ask the partner for a lead time and a cost for the actual profile, and record the dates for the drawing, the first-off sample and the run in the programme.
Does a like-for-like moulding repair in a listed building need consent?
It depends on the work and on the local planning authority. Section 7 of the 1990 Act requires authorisation for works that would affect the building's character, and authorities draw the line differently, so ask the conservation officer before work starts. This is not legal advice.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF: the eleven-item brief checklist, the hold points from drawing to wall, how to take a template, and wording for a schedule.