PVC or Wooden Moulding? Damp Walls, Termites, Paint and How Long Each Lasts

Short answer: use PVC moulding on walls that get any damp (ground floor, outer walls, bathrooms, near a kitchen sink) and for painted wall designs, because water and termites don't affect it. Use wooden moulding for doors, furniture and anything you want to polish or stain, and where the strip takes knocks or nails. MDF moulding is fine only on dry inside walls. POP cornice and moulding suit ceilings and walls that are being plastered anyway. Nitin Plywood House, Alipur keeps both wooden and PVC moulding; call +91-9212017608 for the profiles and widths in stock.

The comparison

	PVC	Wood	MDF	Polystyrene ("charcoal", "French", polymer)	POP / gypsum
Damp and seelan	Not affected	Swells or rots if it stays wet	Swells badly	Not affected	Softens with water
Termites	No	Yes, unless treated	Yes	No	No
Weight	Light	Medium	Heavy	Very light	Heavy
Knocks and dents	Dents	Strong	Edges crumble	Dents easily	Chips
Paint	Yes, with the right primer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Polish or stain	No	Yes	No	No	No
Nails and screws	Holds pins	Holds well	Weak at edges	Glue only	Fixed in plaster
Best for	Damp walls, bathrooms, painted designs	Doors, furniture, polished work	Dry inside walls	Light decorative frames	Ceilings, cornice

Which one where

Place	Choice	Why
Living room or bedroom wall, dry, will be painted	PVC, wood or polystyrene	All work; PVC is the safest if you're unsure about damp
Ground-floor wall, outer wall, any seelan	PVC	Wood and MDF swell; fix the damp first, though (below)
Bathroom, toilet, near a sink	PVC	Water every day
Door and chaukhat patti	Wood	Takes knocks, nails and polish
Furniture edges, shelves, almirah	Wood (lipping) or edge band	Strength at the edge
Wooden or plywood ceiling	Wood or PVC cornice	Match the ceiling; see the cornice guide
Polished veneer or teak look	Wood	Only wood takes polish

Questions people ask

"Wooden moulding gets cracks after some time?" Wood moves with the season. Cracks and open joints come from patti that wasn't dry when fixed, from long single pieces on a wall that heats and cools, or from damp behind it. Buy dry, straight patti, and let it sit in the room for a day or two before fixing.

"Can PVC moulding be painted?" Yes. It needs a primer that grips plastic before the wall paint; ask your painter which one he uses for PVC. Without it, paint can peel off the smooth face.

"My wall has light seepage. Will moulding hide it?" No. Moulding hides nothing for long: damp pushes the paint and putty off behind it, and the moulding comes away with them. Get the seepage fixed first; then use PVC if the wall may stay slightly damp. The same advice applies to furniture on damp walls: fungus and almirahs on damp walls.

"POP or PVC for the long term?" On a ceiling that's being made in POP anyway, POP cornice is natural. On a finished wall, PVC is cleaner to fix and doesn't need plastering.

"Is HDMR (HDHMR) moulding durable?" HDHMR handles moisture far better than MDF and is used for CNC-cut and curved designs. For plain straight strips, PVC or wood is simpler.

"Who fits moulding, the carpenter or the painter?" Either. Wooden patti on doors and furniture is the carpenter's job; wall moulding is often done by the painter or a moulding fitter, before the final coat of paint.

How long each lasts

• PVC: indoors it lasts as long as the wall paint holds, because it doesn't swell or get termites. Direct sun can fade unpainted PVC over the years.
• Wood: for many years when it's dry, sealed with paint or polish, and away from damp. Termites are the main risk in ground-floor rooms: why termites attack plywood.
• MDF: fine in dry rooms, fails quickly with damp.

FAQ

Which is better for a wall, PVC or wooden moulding? PVC for damp walls and painted designs; wood for doors, furniture and polished work.

Is PVC moulding waterproof? PVC itself isn't affected by water. The fixing (adhesive, putty behind it) still needs a sound, dry wall.

Can wooden moulding go in a bathroom? Not where it gets wet. Use PVC there.

Does PVC moulding get termites? No.

Nitin Plywood House, Alipur

We keep wooden margin and moulding patti, wooden beading and cornice, and PVC moulding, with delivery anywhere in Delhi. Tell us the wall size and the design, and we'll help you count the running feet. For today's profiles, widths and rate, call or WhatsApp +91-9212017608. See moulding and beading patti and moulding, beading and margin patti: the names.