Crown molding is a great way to add elegance and style to your home. Crown molding can be made of many different materials, such as wood, foam, polystyrene or even plaster! In this blog post, we'll go over the types of crown moldings and their pros and cons.

What Is Crown Molding?

The popularity of installing crown molding is on the upswing as Instagram induced viewers see how to give ceilings depth and formality. But what is crown molding? Is it just the style of molding, or is there something more?

Its origins come from the simple purpose of covering where two pieces of wood met, giving it a more finished look. Over time, crown molding took on more style and shapes and at times and periods became very elaborate. Crown molding refers to the trim that covers where the wall and ceiling meet, as opposed to the baseboards or trim found midway up walls.

Types Of Crown Molding

There are a multitude of types of crown molding to choose from. We'll try to keep a narrow focus for this article, but if you want to know what other types are out there, we'll leave it to Bob Vila to explain it to you here.

Crown molding can come in a variety of types or materials. The difference or reasons for choosing one over the other often come down to personal preference or budget. Take a look at each type to get a sense of which direction you might be inclined to use for your home.

Wood Crown Molding 

Wood crown molding is great to use for most projects. It is highly versatile, and easy to work with. The wood grain also adds a nice texture to most installations and can be stained hundreds of different tones to match whatever style you're going for.

Pros: Wood crown molding is a traditional and hard-to imitate material with its own beauty. Wood comes in many different heights and profiles, shapes, and grains to suit any decoration need.

Cons: Wood molding has a number of benefits, but is not without issues. Cutting and installing wood molding so it fits perfectly can be difficult. The wood can also shrink and swell, making the fit a little off.

Foam Crown Molding  

It may seem odd to have foam crown molding, but it has its applications. It can be installed without power tools with just scissors or utility knife, and is super lightweight.

Pros: This lightweight and affordable foam material can be cut with scissors or a knife and simply goes up with construction adhesive.

Cons: This material is pretty much the opposite of Plaster. The closer you look, the more you see the foam texture and dulled edges.

PVC Crown Molding  

PVC crown molding is great to use in bathrooms, exteriors, or anywhere moisture is a certainty. Because of the way it's made, it does have some design limitations, so the profiles are much simpler.

Pros: PVC is essentially plastic, so this product won't warp or rot, even if it gets really wet.

Cons: Design/profile limitations. It also has a slick surface, so it can be difficult to paint, but conversely it needs to be painted in order to cover the plastic look.

Plaster Crown Molding    

Plaster crown molding is best used when you want a grand, elaborate interior decoration, typically found in homes with plaster walls and a higher budget. Plaster is completely custom, so it doesn't come cheap.

Pros: The cast material creates intricate profiles that are hard to make out of wood, and it won't shrink.

Cons: Plaster crown molding is heavy and requires tender care both during installation and as it ages. It is also brittle, breaking easily if handled too roughly or hit with heavy objects. And as mentioned before, because it's custom, it can take time to get and it's costly.

MDF Crown Molding 

MDF crown molding stands for "medium-density fiberboard" and is a composite material pressed together from sawdust and resins. It's great to use if you know you're going to be painting the crown molding.

Pros: It is easy to install, lightweight, and low-cost. Available in a wide range of profiles with some types even like natural wood veneers for staining.

Cons: If no wood veneers, it really must be painted. Additionally, because it's a less dense material, it’s much easier to mark and dent.

Crown Molding Ideas & Styles

Crown molding styles can give character to a room, maybe more than any other element of the room. You can choose from simple, traditional styles or you could go for a more modern crown molding style that will make your room stand out.

Crown molding is certain to give a room a measure of elegance, character, and depth. Crown molding can be installed in a variety of rooms from kitchens to bathrooms to bedrooms.

Usually you'll want to stick to one style of crown molding to give the whole house continuity - though stand out rooms can have unique crown molding to set it apart from the rest of the house. Bathrooms will also often have a simpler style of crown molding than the rest of the house.

Take a look at a few crown molding ideas & examples below and then take that inspiration to Bianchi-Tillett Developers to bring to a reality!

Cabinet Crown Molding   

Molding for cabinets can improve the look and feel of kitchens in style. Molding is often applied to kitchen ceilings and walls above cabinets in order to create a custom and polished look.

Ceiling Crown Molding   

As mentioned before, ceiling crown molding is used to not only cover where the ceiling and walls come together, but to create character, depth, and elegance to a room.

The options are virtually endless when it comes to design and style of crown molding. From cove style, to dentil, to egg-and-dart, you can add decorative style that could make King Louie himself impressed! Work with our architect to design a style that you absolutely love!

Crown Molding Corners 

Corners can be tricky when it comes to crown molding. One option would be to use the egg-and-dart concept, essentially allowing your builder to make a simple ninety degree cut to join corners, rather than trying to exactly make every angle or aspect of an ornate design that might not line up exactly. Talk to us about other options for your crown molding corners.

Crown Molding Cost 

There are so many types of crown moldings that it is difficult to get a good estimate on the price. The cheapest option for homeowners is composite molding, which Home Depot offers a huge variety. Wooden profiles are also relatively inexpensive, with different prices depending on type. Check with Bianchi-Tillett Developers to get an idea of what current prices are like for the type of material you're looking to use in your custom home.

  • Plaster Molding Cost: From $7 - $35 per linear foot, depending on design and width.
  • Wood Molding Cost: From $1 - $22 per linear foot, depending on design and width.
  • Foam Molding Cost: From $1 - $2 per linear foot, depending on design and width.
  • PVC Molding Cost: From $2 - $5 per linear foot, depending on design and width.
  • MDF Molding Cost: From $8 - $18 per linear foot, depending on design and width.

Conclusion

When looking to add loads of character in your home, crown molding can do the trick.  No matter what your decorating style and design, there is a type of crown molding that will work. From high class and ornate plaster crown molding to economical PVC molding, there is a crown molding type for every budget.

Contact Bianchi-Tillett Developers today to talk through your custom home ideas - we bring dreams to life!


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