Make a Statement with Crown Molding

Crown Molding gives your home the design attention it deserves. It gives a sense of completion and framing to the decor of your home like no other architectural detail can. Most home builders build and sell homes without ever adding the finishing touches of crown molding. That's like building a car and selling it to without the dashboard. To people who already have crown in their home, anything less would just be unfinished and incomplete.

Few newer homes have crown molding in their entry way. The entry way is the first impression a guest has of your home. Of all the rooms that need crown this is the one! Here is the chance to set the tone and reveal your own unique design style. Home decor is one thing, but framing it with crown molding gives it the design attention it deserves.

Crown molding is no longer a major project. With the availability of quality foam moldings any homeowner can install crown within hours and without special tools. Contractors would prefer that the secret of foam moldings stay hidden because there is no way to tell the difference between foam and wood moldings once installed. Europeans have been complimenting homes with foam moldings for over 30 years and now the trend is moving to the USA. The general consensus is that if the crown molding is on the ceiling, painted and out of reach, why waste the natural resources of wood. Especially if the foam molding looks better! The best foam moldings available from Europe are Villa Deco Crown Moldings. You can see them at the following website www.SoSimpleCrown.com

Crown Molding Materials Past & Present

Crown Molding started its glorious career 1000's of years ago made from materials like marble and stone. It was hand chiseled by skilled artisans and made to last for century's.  Eventually the hand carved natural stone would give way to a more manageable less expensive resource for crown molding that could be carved easily and didn't weigh so darn much.   Plaster and wood became the preferred material for architects and builders of European cities until the turn of the 20th century.  At about the year 1900 came the invention of a little known product called fiber board.

MDF or medium density fiberboard as it is known became incorporated into 100's of wood products, some of those being crown molding, base and case.  MDF is limited in its ability for detail but magnificently cheep and fairly stable as long as moisture is not a problem.  The big problem with MDF is that it's made from extremely toxic chemicals and adhesives, none the least of which is formaldehyde.  Fortunately the new generation of homeowners are increasingly saying no to off-gasing and chemically toxic building materials.   It is also heavy, so if you do use MDF attach it to the wall securely.  You don't need that coming down during a dinner party!  With that, MDF is the staple of the building and do it yourselfer community.  It comes usually pre-primed and is fairly easy to cut, hammer, paint, sand, and can survive a true beating.

Polyurethane, or more aptly known as PU.  As if the environment didn't have enough problems! Molded polyurethane made its debut to a less than excited contractor community about 20 years ago. This mixture of chemicals offers the ability to be pored into a mold.    The ability to create ornate detail is just what manufacturers of PU thought was needed to relieve the wood carvers of their careers and put ornate moldings into every home.  Inexpensive and fairly easy to make, the styles and designs brought back all the European and Greek styling of yesteryear.  Installation of PU moldings can be a challenge and it does tend to shatter in impact with hammers and saws.  The verdict is still out on weather it should be nailed up or glued.  Just don't try to paint it!  One bright spot in PU's future is that companies like Monsanto and the Ford Company are trying to develop PU made from vegetable oil instead of petro chemicals.  Most PU moldings are now manufactured in China due to strict environmental controls in the US, Canada and Europe.

The latest material that is taking a foothold in the building and DIY community is the introduction of EPS crown molding, or Styrofoam!  First of all, EPS it is so light and easy to work with that it doesn't take a bunch of tools or finish carpenter to put it up.  Because it is so light Styrofoam molding installs with caulking over any material including block, brick, plaster, glass, drywall, etc...EPS molding are molded so you will not pay more for ornate molding than you will for regular molding. 

I think we have come to the end of economically feasible materials in the application of crown moldings. Of course there will always be new materials available but cost effective, safe, and easy to work with?  EPS will be a hard material to beat as far as crown molding is concerned, at least for the next few thousand years!

Things to Consider before taking on a Crown Molding Project at Home.

Crown Molding is a beautiful upgrade that just about any handy homeowner can manage.  The transforming affect that crown molding offers to a room is something that you will appreciate every time you step through the front door.  Crown will soften a boxy room and bring a touch of class to your unique style.  With all the positive attributes to crown, there are some hurdles that the inexperienced DIY'er needs to be aware of before venturing out into the crown molding aisle. 

First of all, you have to get the molding home.  Finger-joint pine and MDF moldings come in 16 foot lengths.  That definitely won't fit in the Honda or even a minivan!  If you do have a way to transport 16 foot boards keep in mind that mdf will weigh about twice what the pine will, and holding that above your head while trying to nail into the wall can be a daunting task.  Polyurethane crown moldings come in much more manageable 8 foot sections but still weight as much as mdf.  Foam moldings come in 6.5 foot sections and are so light that installing is just plain easy.

Tools, tools, tools!  Installing wood, MDF and PU crown requires a plethora of tools.  If you are trying to build up your wood working garage then grab that credit card head to Home Depot!  If you just want crown molding in your dining room and don't want to be the next Bob Villa, then consider EPS foam moldings.  Installation is done with caulking, so no nails, no need to find studs, no need to put up a backer board, no cracks in the plaster, no nails penetrating plumbing and wiring, no easier method to installing crown.  If you can place a section in a miter box and cut through it with a hack saw, you can install foam moldings.  The beauty is that once it is up and painted you have not given up anything over wood moldings.  Actually you will save a boat load of time and money.

Corners.  Face it they are a pain in the neck!  If you don't have to cut corner, don't,  With wood products and PU, the corners have to be cut on-site.  Most home construction is not done in perfect angles.  Corners are usually off by a few degrees and that needs to be addressed during install.  This is also the case with foam moldings but the difference is that foam is a forgiving material so removing a little material form the corner is an option when the corner is not perfect.  Foam moldings come with precut corners and with a little forgiveness in the material, some fudging by the installer and a little caulking in the seam, it is not hard to get a perfect corner every time

Foam Crown Molding

Painting Crown can be almost as hard as installing it.  Fortunately just about everything comes pre-primed or paint ready.  MDF is usually comes with a coat of primer.  Painting is done after install because nails tend to leave holes that need to be filled with puddy and sanded.  Polyurethane comes with no primer and needs paint but also has to be painted after install because of nailing.  Keep in mind that PU is extremely smooth and either needs some primer or some sanding to get the paint to stick.  Not an easy paint project.  EPS foam comes paint ready and is bright white.  You can paint after install or before.  No nail holes to contend with just corners and seams.

Seams are the one thing with PU and Foam that people worry about.  MDF and its 18 foot lengths facilitate fewer seams but create a colossal amount of waste.  Seaming with PU is a fomidable task and currently there is no product out there made for seams on polyurethand.  Seams with EPS foam is rather basic.  If for some reason you do have a seam that is noticeable after install and painting then a little dab of nail hole filler or dry wall Spackle (not the lightweight stuff) and some sanding will make that seam disappear.  Sand with some 400 grit and repeat if necessary to hide.  Foam doesn't expand or contract so once that seam or corner is fixed it is fixed for good.

This seams like a lot of information for such a simple project but it is good to know the facts.  A typical customer install of foam crown takes about 2 hours.  According to Home Depot, MDF crown molding is one of their biggest return items.  To drive to the hardware store, purchase MDF take it home and then return it back to the hardware store, wait in line for your refund and go back home, takes about 2 hours.  I tell you what, order EPS crown online at www.SoSimpleCrown.com, they will ship it to your door with pre-cut corners, and the time it takes you to go to Home Depot and back, twice, your crown molding project will be done!    Now you can enjoy your weekend and your cozy home!