One of the decorative features of homes that I have seen homeowners get most excited about over the years is crown molding.
I don’t know if it is the way the word ‘crown molding’ slides off one’s tongue, or the vision that folks think of when having a conversation about it in their homes, but when discussing crown molding it is not unusual to hear how much homeowners genuinely seem to enjoy conversation surrounding this particular element of their homes.
Crown molding is a type of molding that hugs the perimeter of the room, it is located at the point where the wall meets the ceiling.
Not to be confused with its cousin ‘picture molding’ [a similar molding, but one that leaves a small space (traditionally for hanging pictures) in between the ceiling and the top of its molding], crown molding touches both the ceiling and the wall area below it.
Most crown molding these days is made out of wood.
‘Back in the day’, when crown molding designs were much more elaborate as a whole (particularly in larger homes) in comparison to today’s standards, crown molding was very often found to be made out of plaster.
Sometimes larger, more intense, crown molding is created by layering different types of molding to fabricate a fashionably unique appearance.
Crown molding is often integrated into the design of newer homes.
Some love it so much they work to incorporate crown molding into as many rooms as possible!
Others prefer to have it located solely in one room (the Living Room as an example).
Crown molding can be what I consider ‘standard’ crown molding where the molding itself is one straight shot of trim.
Crown molding can also be a bit more detailed, as is the case with ‘dentil’ crown molding.
Crown molding is installed either with its corners meeting up, ideally with ‘pretty’ miters, cut and installed by an experienced carpenter, or with blocking installed into the corners (which can add a little spice to the crown molding layout design and that makes the crown molding installation a tad easier to do).
Crown molding does not necessarily have to be installed when first building a home, we are hired all the time to install it on homes that have never had it before.
When most people think about crown molding, they think of it being installed on the inside of one’s home.
The reality though is that crown molding is just as often (if not more often) to be found on the exterior of one’s home.
Whether being installed at the time a home or addition is being built or later on after the home has been lived in for years, whether on the inside of the home or the outside of the home, crown molding installation can be extremely tricky.
To bring it to a truly finished look, whether the finish is going to be some type of paint or enamel or a natural stain/polyurethane combination, it can be quite the process to make sure everything in and around the crown molding is filled, caulked, prepped, and finished to the point that enables the crown molding to look as “perfect” as possible.
Crown molding can truly add a spectacular ornamental component to the areas it is installed in.
Though there certainly is skill involved in properly installing it, its mere presence in an interior room or as a beautifying feature on one’s exterior is frequently a source of delight for many a homeowner.
