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!