What Is Crown Molding?

Crown molding refers to pieces of horizontal trim installed at the top of your walls, which are contoured to fit the perfect angle where the ceiling meets the walls. Originally used to cover gaps or cracks between building materials, today's crown molding is a popular decorative element that adds instant elegance and architectural character to any room, while drawing the eye up to make ceilings feel higher. Crown molding comes in a wide variety of designs, materials, and widths, and it can also be used to decorate the top of door casings, cabinets, bookshelves, and fireplace mantels.

What Are the Benefits of Crown Molding?

Adding crown molding can instantly transform even the plainest room and increase your home's value by enhancing its charm. Crown molding can also cover up wall or ceiling defects and irregularities (especially in older homes) for a smooth, clean look. Added to upper cabinets or bookshelves, crown molding gives the illusion of a higher ceiling.

What Is Crown Molding Made of?

In the past, elaborate crown moldings were made of plaster and carved by skilled artisans. Today, you can find a variety of molding materials – including wood, fiberboard, urethane, and metal – to beautify your space. Check out our guide to types of molding for more info!

What Styles of Crown Molding Are Available?

There are different styles representing various architectural periods, including ones with lots of intricate detail like Greek Revival, Classic Colonial, or Arts & Crafts, along with sleek modern options with clean lines. Choose options that best match the style or vibe of your space. Rooms with high ceilings are ideally suited for more elaborate crown moldings that visually unify the space. If you have low ceilings, a simple crown molding can draw your eye up and give the illusion the room is taller. You can install fancier crown molding in a small powder room to add interest and impact.

To balance the room, select crown molding that looks similar to the other trim in the space, including baseboards and windows. Some popular crown molding profiles include dentil, egg-and-dart, and bead-and-curve. You can also purchase ones with carved leaves, vines, ropes, geometric patterns, curls, or bead details. Decorative corner moldings that fit into both inside and outside corners can hide any joints or gaps, while accent cross-head molding pieces add interest.

Many crown molding products are prefinished in beautiful rich tones of black, grey, white, or metallic. Others have a primed surface so you can paint to match any decor style. Painting crown molding lighter than your walls makes it pop, while matching the color and paint finish helps make the space feel larger by visually lifting up the ceiling.

How Much Crown Molding Should You Buy?

First, measure the perimeter of your room with a measuring tape. Going from corner to corner, measure each wall's length at the point it connects to the ceiling, and write down the totals. To get the number of linear feet, add up the total number of inches and divide by 12. That's approximately how much length of crown molding is needed for your space. But, you'll also want to buy about 10% to 15 % more molding than that because you will lose some of it when it's cut to fit your space. If your rooms have lots of corners, purchase up to 20% of extra material because more cuts are involved.

Cutting and installing moldings is a two-person job. If you're not confident in your DIY skills, you'll want to hire a professional to get a polished look and an accurate fit.

Crown molding is usually between 2" and 20" wide. To figure out what size crown molding will work in your room, look up: For standard 8' ceilings, choose a molding that's between 2.5" to 6". Ceilings that are 9' or 10' will need crown moldings that are between 3" to 8". Choosing the right molding to enhance the proportions of your room will add instant wow factor to the space.

Article by Wendy Helfenbaum.