Crown Molding

When selecting a style from a retailer or distributor, homeowners should consider selecting a style that is available in multiple sizes, particularly if a room with multiple ceiling heights is going to be crowned or multiple rooms of varying height are to be crowned with the same style. “You want the style to carry through for the different heights,” says Larkin. In this situation, the shorter ceilings would get the smaller crown and the higher ceilings would get a larger crown, but the crown styles would be consistent. “But not every style comes in multiple sizes,” warns Larkin. Even crazy angles are no match for the professional crown molding installer. Photo courtesy of T.F. Larkin, Inc. To help choose from the many style options, professional installers like Langan suggest finding inspiration in a room’s existing décor. “Certain rooms are more formal than others,” he says. “Formal rooms like the foyer, dining room or living room might look best with the extra design, a larger size or more complex look.” The carvings or etchings of antique furniture in a room might suggest a complementary crown style with multiple lines and creases while the clean, straight lines of contemporary décor could be best matched with a simpler pattern. For the homeowner with a larger budget, molding can be made to order in just about any design desirable. Using the design of an existing piece of molding or a CAD representation of a customized style, a mill that deals with custom molding can rip and mill the desired profile. Such a process will drive up the costs, however. The setup cost alone can run as much as $300. Read more on custom molding here. No matter what style a homeowner is considering, it is always a good idea to bring home a few samples to test by holding it up to the wall. This will help to narrow down the options and settle on the perfect fit for a room. Sizing Up In addition to the different lengths in which crown molding is sold, products will also come in different sizes. There are most commonly two sizes given. One denotes the measurement of the piece down the wall from the top of the ceiling (height) and the other measures the distance that the piece juts out from the wall at its farthest point (projection). The measurement of the face is sometimes given as well. Choosing a size that is appropriate to the room décor and the height of the ceiling will leave a room with better crown molding results. The size of the molding can also have an impact on the installation process. Larger profiles can be challenging to cut on the average miter saw. Homeowners looking to install the molding themselves should take this into consideration when selecting a molding size. Installation Know-How Crown molding installation can be performed by the homeowner and can make for a challenging but rewarding day or weekend project. Taking accurate room measurements is crucial—both the total wall length and the corner angles should be calculated—and a tape measure and a protractor are required. When purchasing the molding, it is wise to buy extra to allow for practice cuts or mistakes. The unused material can usually be returned.

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