Crown Your Walls (Crown Molding)

Crown Molding can make a big difference to a room, adding a touch of elegance and style. It is not just for formal rooms, it will enhance the beauty of any room or hallway as I have had requests to install it in almost every room of the house except for small closets and the garage. As the pieces of molding start to get installed, I hear nothing but “ohs” and “ahs” from most of my Clients, as they admire their rooms transformation. One thing to note, crown molding looks great, as long as it is installed properly!

Once you have made the decision to add crown molding to your rooms decor, the next decision, would be to determine the Profile and the Size. The Profile is made up of a combination of cuts in the wood by the manufacturer, that are curved and straight. There are a variety of different Profiles and you can even get a custom made Profile from your local Millworks Shop. I recommend keeping it simple and just selecting a profile from your local Building Supply Store. However, if you want something unique and intricate, you can either have your local Millworks Shop create a profile for you, or you can create your own by using a combination of moldings. Creating your own using a combination of moldings can be fun, however, it is more costly and labor intensive.

My recommendation for the Size of the molding to select, should be determined by the height of your walls. If your ceiling height is 8 foot from the floor, I recommend a 3 5/8″ piece of molding. If you have 10 foot ceilings or higher, I recommend a 5 1/4″ piece. The Size of the molding is determined by the length of the profile from tip to tip. I highly recommend using only Wood molding! There are many composite made moldings, MDF and Plastic to name several, and I will not use these types in any of my installations. These composites are not rigid and as a result they will magnify any imperfections that you may have with your ceiling. Most ceilings are not completely flat, a truss may be slightly higher or lower to the truss next to it, or your ceiling beams may have bowed/sagged over time. Due to these composites being more flexible, they will curve around any of these imperfections making the molding noticeably “wavy”. Since wood is rigid, it will not bend as easily around these imperfections keeping the molding “nice and straight”. I also don’t like to use composites because they make a single person installation nearly impossible.

Some other tips for installing Crown Molding: Do not use pre-made blocks for the inside and outside corners. Yes, they make it real easy for the average person to install, however, they also make the room look “cheap”. Rather than using the blocks, hire a professional to have the Crown Molding installed, it will look a lot better and be worth the money spent. Do not rely on the drywall and caulk to hold up your Crown Molding, meaning, don’t randomly shoot finish nails through the crown into the drywall on the walls and ceiling. You will want to ensure that the Crown stays in place by either fastening it to the studs in the wall or installing blocks to the corner of the wall and ceiling. Try not to have any joints, meaning, unless your wall is longer than 16 ft., use only one piece to span the length of the wall. If you have to use multiple pieces, glue the pieces together and sand them vigorously so they look seamless.