While windows are the eyes of your home, allowing light and air to flow in, the window trim is the finishing touch that makes them beautiful. Choosing the proper trim is essential for the home’s aesthetic continuity and character.
Whether you go for a modern window trim for your home’s exterior or opt for a more rustic finish instead, it will impact your home’s design and longevity for years. In this guide, we will be looking at 13 distinctive window trim ideas and what to consider when choosing the right type of trim. For more inspiration on exterior home styles, explore our trends for exterior house colors and designs.
Why Choosing the Right Trim Matters
Choosing the right exterior window trim style contributes to a few essential aspects of your home’s design.
Enhancing Curb Appeal
One of the easiest ways to make your home’s exterior look more appealing is to choose a creative exterior design. Unique window frame and molding ideas can enhance the appeal of your home, making it stand out. If you’re aiming for a market-friendly look, remember to balance your preference and a style that will appeal to potential buyers.
Creating Visual Contrast
By using different trim colors, you create a visual contrast that adds depth and dimension to your home. Black and dark blue finishes contrast well with light colored walls or siding, and cream or beige offers brilliant contrast when paired with darker exterior colors.
Remember to experiment until you find your ideal option, since you’ll be living with it for a while.
Reducing Maintenance Requirements
Most window trim options require occasional maintenance to ensure consistent performance and maximum lifespan. When you pick the right trim type, it minimizes maintenance requirements and ensures your home will look great for longer.
Protecting Your Home
Window trim protects the edges of your window frames and siding, ensuring they remain protected from the elements. This approach extends your home’s lifespan and prevents the need for regular window replacements due to rot or moisture damage.
Different Types of Window Finishes
When it comes to window finishes, contractors often use a few terms interchangeably, although they have distinct uses. Some of these standard terms include:
- Trim: This is a narrower, less decorative finish used to complete the areas around doors and windows, or where walls meet floors or ceilings.
- Molding: Molding is a wider finish with more elaborate, often decorative, designs.
- Casing: Generally thicker than trim, casing covers the space between the window frame and the wall edge.
- Framing: Used to frame door and window perimeters, this trim style is thinner. It is considered a structural element, rather than a decorative one.
13 Breathtaking Exterior Window Trim Styles and Materials
We’ve compiled an overview of popular exterior window trim styles to help you choose the right one for your home. From modern window trends to more rustic effects, you’re sure to find something that lights a creative spark in you.
1. Flat Trim
Flat trim is one of the most popular modern window trim exteriors. It features a slim finish with sleek lines that fit perfectly into a minimalist, contemporary design style. It’s also budget-friendly and accentuates your home’s lines, further enhancing the overall style.
2. Substantial Bold Trim
A wider, bolder trim makes a statement about your home and design style. It’s the ideal high-contrast approach to exterior design, generally relatively inexpensive and can add a certain depth to your home that it may otherwise lack.
3. Layered Trim
This approach makes your windows stand out by layering trim elements, regardless of the overall exterior design. There are many different layering styles to choose from, and though it may be a less budget-conscious approach, many homeowners consider it worth the investment.
4. Wood Trim
Wooden trim dates back centuries and is an excellent natural finish for an understated or rustic home style. When paired with white siding, it produces beautiful lines. However, wood trim requires additional maintenance to prevent rot, including priming, painting and possibly sealing the wood to protect it.
5. Colorful Exterior Window Trim
Employing colored trim is an excellent way to express a sense of playfulness or whimsy. By using tonal variations, you can make your window trim stand out. It can be less budget-friendly, but it produces an undeniably unique style.
6. Vinyl Window Trim
Vinyl trim is a heat and moisture-resistant solution that offers excellent sturdiness and a beautiful finish. It is a low-maintenance alternative to wood trim, however, you may find a limited selection of colors and style variations.
7. Simple Window Trim
A simple approach allows you to create a more subtle effect. This style of trim often blends, or nearly blends, with the siding and window sill. It’s also an excellent way to spotlight your beautiful windows, making them a focal feature of your home’s exterior.
8. Modern Window Trim
Most homeowners appreciate the modern window design and home style, characterized by clean, precise lines and expansive windows. This trim style opts for complementary colors rather than contrasting ones. This understated trim style can make any home seem more contemporary.
9. Farmhouse Window Trim
A bolder, less understated approach, this farmhouse trim is sturdy and wide, featuring a precise and clean finish. When paired with a wide, large-windowed home, it highlights all the building’s best features. You can easily pair your design with shutters, window baskets or other bright design elements to make it your own.
10. Composite Exterior Trim
Composite trim consists of fiber, resin and wax blends. It’s an environmentally conscious alternative to wood trim, as it contains recycled wood. Using it is similar to cutting and installing wood trim, but it often has a longer lifespan.
11. Rustic Window Trim
Rustic trim is the ideal fit when you want to install trim that matches your home. It pairs well with exposed wood grain and has a natural, cottagecore type feel to it.
12. Foam Window Trim
Foam is a reliable exterior trim option, available in both rectangular and decorative shapes. It offers excellent durability and a bolder, more distinct appearance than most trims and finishes.
13. Stucco Window Trim
Stucco is a unique trim type, consisting of a styrofoam core covered in fiberglass mesh and a modified cement coating. It can be as elaborate as you like, but at a lower price compared to concrete or marble. This option is also moisture-resistant.
Choose Your Trim Color and Material
After finding the proper exterior window trim style to make your home look elegant and complete, here are a couple of aspects to consider:
Color
Once you’ve chosen a trim style, consider which colors will suit your home. Whether you prefer black and white or a more colorful approach, choosing the right tone is essential. Options include:
- Monochrome
- Dark shades
- Light shades
- Natural wood colors
- Contrasting tones
- Supplementary tones
Bear in mind that painting your trim is always an option.
Material
Trim material is one of the most essential aspects to consider, since each material has unique characteristics. You can choose from the following:
- PVC
- Wood
- Vinyl
- Composites
- Foam
- Stucco
Bring Your Home to Life With These Exterior Window Casing Ideas
With numerous exterior window trim ideas to choose from, there’s an option to suit every home and architectural style. If you’re considering a window upgrade, reach out to the experts at Asher Lasting Exteriors. You can contact us online, call us at 715-832-7282 or visit our Wisconsin showrooms for assistance. From window installation and replacement to helping you select the right trim, we’re here to support you and enhance your home’s design.
