Crown Molding Size Matters

It’s true: size matters. At least when it comes to crown molding size.

As ceiling heights continue to rise and rooms get larger and more open, crown molding is experiencing a renaissance. From traditional to contemporary homes, heavy crown molding is being used to add interest to even the most sparely furnished of spaces.

When asked by a client how big to go on the crown molding on a new construction home featuring 11-12′ tray ceilings, the answer was go big or go home. The result was a three piece crown: the corner piece, an enhancer on the ceiling and an enhancer on the wall. We painted it Benjamin Moore’s White Dove OC-17, to contrast dark gray walls.

If you have high ceilings, but your molding is suffering from a Napoleon complex, you can add “enhancers” to the ceiling and/or wall around the existing molding to instantly add inches. You can also space out the enhancers from the molding and paint the wall space in between the same color, for the look of additional heft, without the hefty price tag. Just keep in mind the more pieces you add, the higher the labor costs to install, since the installers will have to go around the room a separate time for each piece.

You can also buy larger molding that is ready to install, and requires a single round of installation. If you can spare the extra budget, choose one with a deep “cove” profile. A deeper cove looks beefier than a shallow cove, because it’s cut from a thicker piece of wood. Most larger moldings can fit right over existing molding, which eliminates removal costs. Always choose primed “paint-ready” molding, and hire a reputable installer who will patch nail holes and align and caulk seams properly.

There are many styles of molding to choose from. Detailed molding like the triple crown above continue to dominate, although simpler styles are becoming increasingly popular. Regardless of style, the size and projection of the molding will add the most drama and luxury to a space. Proportion is key.

Lastly, crown doesn’t have to be large or ornate in every room; limiting enhancers to larger public spaces and going simpler in smaller rooms is easier on the eye and the budget. To achieve a balanced look, baseboards should be roughly the same size as or slightly smaller than the crown molding.

So what’s too big?

A general rule of thumb is 1 : 0.5, where the ceiling height in feet relates to the molding height in inches, on the diagonal.  If in doubt, choose a larger size, although you may want to go slimmer if the room is particularly small.

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Have a design challenge? Send your question to sarah@mossmanor.com. We’ll choose a topic each month to feature on our blog!