Horseshoe-Hardware Tips

General tips about installing urethane products:

• Our Architectural Accent urethane products are for decorative use only. Do not use them to support load bearing items, such as lamps, etc.

• Never install product with fasteners only. For best results, always use noncorrosive fasteners, such as stainless or coated finish nails, along with urethane base PL Premium Construction Adhesive on the back and at all decorative moulding joints.

• Urethane mouldings are somewhat temperature sensitive. We recommend over- cutting decorative mouldings by 1/4" per 10' of length (spring fitting the moulding as tightly as possible). This minimizes the possibilty of shrinkage due to temperature changes. Also, you should allow the mouldings to climatize (bring up to room temperature) for at least 10 hours prior to installing.


Benefits of installing urethane millwork products:

• The products are more lightweight than wood, concrete and plaster products, so they'll install faster and easier. For some mouldings, the one-piece construction is faster and easier than building up complex mouldings out of different wood pieces.


Long-term benefits to homeowners:

• Our products are all low maintenance urethane millwork products needing minimal upkeep. Plus, urethane moldings resist insect infestation, decaying and splintering. For people living in coastal or high humidity areas, these products are ideal. They have a closed cell structure to prevent water penetration and absorption.


Proven History:

• The synthetic molding industry got its start approximately 30 years ago.  They are truly fascinating products that perform well in extremes of hot or cold.  The urethane moldings and trim pieces are made by pouring a liquid that expands and solidifies inside a mold.  This process allows intricate profiles to be created. Theses strong, lightweight materials won’t crack or splinter like wood, but look just as good. These products can be cut, drilled, trimmed, or sanded with the same tools one uses for wood.

• These urethane trim pieces accept any high quality exterior acrylic latex paint. The disappearing art of architectural plastering is rediscovered in our light weight urethane moulding, trim, and ceiling medallions. It offers tremendous value with unmatched durability at a fraction of the cost of similar wood and gypsum products.


Materials Needed:

• High density polyurethane foam molding
• Tape measure
• Miter saw or compound miter saw
• Trim paint
• Urethane-based adhesive
• Finishing nails and hammer or pneumatic nail gun with nails
• Spackle, plastic wood filler or latex caulk
• Paintable caulk


Installation Steps:


1. Pre-paint molding with trim color (figureA).

2. To determine the length of the first, or inside, piece of molding, measure the length of the wall with a tape measure and transfer this measurement to the molding with a pencil. Using a power miter saw, cut the molding with a miter cut where pieces meet in a corner.

3. To make the miter cut the saw is set at 45? and the molding is positioned on the saw table at the proper attitude; this is "vertically nested", meaning that is should be close to the angle that the molding will sit on the wall. If working with a compound miter saw the molding lays flat on the saw and the bevel (angle of the blade) is set to 33-7/8?. For the left piece of the miter, the wall edge of the molding is against the fence. For the right piece, the molding is placed on the saw backwards and upside down (figureB).

4. Next, dry fit the molding on the wall, then mark a line along the bottom edge where the wall and the molding meet. This will be the guide for when you are installing the molding with adhesive to minimize any sliding of the molding along the wall as it is placed.

5. Apply a bead of urethane-based construction adhesive
(figure C) along the top and bottom of the molding on the edge where the molding and wall meet. Position molding on wall.

6. Drive 8d finish nails to secure molding 1/2" from both top and bottom edges along the entire length (figure D).

7. If molding isn't long enough to span a wall, splice two pieces together with a scarf joint centered over a wall stud. To do so, set the miter saw to the right-hand 45-degree setting. Hold the first piece of molding to the right of the blade, so its back is tight to the fence, and cut. Hold the adjoining piece to the left of the blade, and cut.

8. Fill nail holes with spackle, plastic wood filler or latex caulk. Caulk around molding as necessary to fill gaps. Touch up molding and wall areas with paint as needed.