Does VITEK make products not presented here?
Yes. For an introduction to the company and all of its product lines, click here to visit the principal VITEK Mouldings web site.

Can the average home owner install polyurethane moldings him/herself without hiring a contractor?
Anyone comfortable working with wood can work with polyurethane moldings. They cut, nail, glue, and screw the same as wood.

Can VITEK products be used outdoors?
Any polyurethane product can be used outdoors. Gypsum products are for interior use only. VITEK polyurethane products will not rot, crack, or decay or be subject to insect damage. Utraviolet (UV) protection is provided by the primer with which all VITEK polyurethane products are finished.

On what surfaces can polyurethane or gypsum products be mounted?
Products can be mounted on (new or painted) drywall, plaster, or plywood surfaces. They should not be mounted over wallpaper as the wallpaper may separate or be stained by adhesive.

What kind of adhesive do we recommend?
Any adhesive which is suitable for use with wood can be used with polyurethane. In most applications, we recommend using a paintable super latex caulking as an adhesive. The caulk will act as a bedding surface which will help fill any gaps caused by the unevenness of walls or ceilings.

We recommend the use of a quality gypsum adhesive such as Sheetrock® 90, made by United States Gypsum Co. with gypsum products.

Can/should screws or nails be used for reinforcement of the installation of gypsum or polyurethane products?
Yes. Screw and nail holes must be pre-drilled for gypsum products. We recommend the use of standard drywall screws with gypsum products. With polyurethane products, screw and nail holes need not be pre-drilled. We recommend trim head drywall screws with polyurethane products.

Can I avoid the use of nails or screws with polyurethane products?
Any adhesive suitable for bonding wood to the surface on which you wish to mount a product can be used with VITEK polyurethane products. If you do not use mechanical fasteners, you will need to find another means of supporting your installation while the adhesive you have chosen sets.

What kind of filler should be used to fill nail or screw holes?
We recommend that a quality sandable, paintable, non-shrinking filler (spackling) be used to fill nail or screw holes with both polyurethane and gypsum products.

What kind of finishes will VITEK products accept?
All (polyurethane and gypsum) products will accept any latex or oil-based paint finish. Gypsum products should be primed before painting (with a standard drywall primer).

Can I stain VITEK products?
VITEK products are designed to provide the look of plaster moldings. They do not provide a wood grain and do not absorb stains. Instead of staining, you can create a wood faux finish using two wiped layers of oil glaze reduced oil-based paint. The first layer will be a light brown color. The second is a dark brown color.

How do I create a specific faux finish?
All specialty paint retailers provide specific instructions for a wide variety of faux finish treatments. If you see a finish you would like to duplicate on this site or in our printed materials, show it to the sales person in the paint retailer nearest you. Each page of this site is designed so that it can be printed using your web browser's print command (or button.)

Do polyurethane products have to be primed before painting?
No, but filled nail or screw holes should be primed before painting for the best results, especially if you plan to use a decorative painting technique such as glazing and wiping.

Are VITEK polyurethane products fire rated?
Polyurethane may burn when exposed to flame, gypsum will not. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure that products conform to local building codes. All polyurethane VITEK VI products have a flame spread rating of less than 75 when tested in accordance with ASTM-E84. They therefore meet the requirements of the Residential Universal Building Code for Foamed Plastic Trim.

Will polyurethane products retain their original length following installation?
Please refer here.

Is it necessary to cut miters when installing VITEK crown or decorative molding?
No. We recommend the use of VITEK external and internal designer miter blocks with crown and decorative corner blocks with decorative molding. This eliminates the need to cut miters for 90 degree corners.

How do I cut crown molding miters?
Please refer here.

I insist on using an electric miter saw. How do I cut crown moldings with it?
You must first read, understand, and follow the safety precautions provided to you by the manufacturer of your saw. VITEK (and any professional carpenter we've met) recommends that you do not cut crown moldings on the flat. Do not tilt your saw blade. Keep it straight up and down, at 90 degrees, in all cases. You should extend your fence, if necessary, and cut crown moldings upside down, with the crown leaning against your extended fence, just as we recommend using a miter box and a standard hand saw, here. We also recommend that you mount blocking on your saw base to support the ceiling edge of the crown. This will help you to consistently position the crown lengths for each miter cut you make.

What size is the opening in the center of VITEK ceiling centers?
All ceiling center openings are roughly 4" in diameter. This permits the use of ceiling centers with a standard 4" diameter hexagonal electrical lighting box.

Can VITEK ceiling centers be provided in larger sizes?
No. VITEK ceiling centers are supplied in a variety of fixed sizes and styles.

What rough opening is required for installation of the 771C and the 775C niches?
The rough opening required consists of a half-circle above a rectangle. The diameter of the half-circle is equal to the width of the rectangle. If the width of the rectangle is W, the height of the rectangle is H and the maximum depth of the niche is D:

Can the 775C niche be supplied with a light (similar to the 771C niche)?
No.

How far away from the fireplace opening should a mantel be mounted?
We recommend that the mantel be mounted at least 6" from the fireplace opening. A granite or marble surround is often mounted in this space.

Is the 1911 fireplace mantel kit available trimmed to an exact opening size specified by the customer?
No. Using a simple handsaw, it can be trimmed during installation to provide the exact opening you require.

Is there a fire safety standard applicable to VITEK fireplace mantels?
VITEK fireplace mantels are manufactured of non-combustible, non-toxic glass reinforced gypsum cement (GRG). We recommend that the mantel be mounted at least six inches from the fireplace opening. Consult your local building code for further information.

What is the difference between the C107 coped capital and the C106 capital (or between the C109 coped capital and the C108 capital, etc.)?
Coped capitals are sold in pairs. One capital in the pair is notched to fit over the left end of any of the five friezes, the other is notched to fit over the right end of a frieze. Regular capitals are sold individually. They are designed for use with 6" or 8" pilasters without a frieze.

Can 4" or 8" pilasters be used with a frieze in an Adornador design?
Yes. Coped capitals are available for use with 4", 6", and 8" pilasters.

Are 4" Regular Capitals available?
No. The 4" Adornador components are intended for use with a frieze.

Can I cut / chisel / drill / cope / ... VITEK polyurethane products?
When working with VITEK polyurethane products, treat them just like wood. Pieces can be cut, chiseled, drilled, nailed, screwed, glued or coped just as if they were made of wood.

I can't play your DVD on my Computer - why?
The How to Enrich a Room with VITEK DVD-Video is compatible with all good quality home DVD-Video players (which display the video on your TV.) To view the DVD on a computer, you require a DVD-ROM drive and software which might be available from Microsoft or others for your PC, depending on the version of Windows you are running, and is available from Apple for Macs running recent versions of Mac OS.

I am having SSL problems on your site - why?
Our SSL Certificate is working fine. The problem is that you are using an obsolete version of your web browser. The only way to solve these problems is for you to download an up-to-date version of your web browser. This will help you avoid these problems on this site and on many other web sites. We recommend that you avoid using "Beta" releases of a web browser.

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