Does Crown Molding Make a Room Look Bigger or Smaller?

If you’ve ever admired crown molding in a room and considered installing it in your own home, you might have wondered whether crown molding can make a room look bigger or smaller. While crown molding can be appealing and add a decorative flair in some rooms, does it work in all rooms?

Does crown molding make a room look bigger or smaller? If you use molding that is the right width and the same color or a lighter color than the room, the room will generally appear taller and larger.

Crown molding is a decorative feature that runs along the perimeter of the room and is installed at the junction between walls and ceiling. It can be simple or elaborately adorned. Adding crown molding to a room can enhance its aesthetic appeal, but if done wrong, it can detract from the overall appearance of a room.

If you choose crown molding that is wider than 4 inches for a room with low ceilings, the room will generally feel smaller. Rooms with higher ceilings can accommodate wider crown molding, and it’s best to reserve the widest types of crown molding for rooms that are very large and have high ceilings.

The color of your crown molding can also make a difference in the resulting appearance of your room. If you match the color of the molding to the walls, it can make a room with low ceilings appear larger. By maintaining a uniform color, it tricks the eye into perceiving a continuous column and creates the illusion of height. If the molding were painted in a contrasting color, it would draw attention and focus to the low ceiling, so it’s better to coordinate the colors.

If you want more tips on choosing the right crown molding for your home, including common mistakes to avoid, as well as other advice on crown molding, read on below.

What is Crown Molding?

Before you begin, it’s helpful to know exactly what is classified as crown molding. Crown molding is a purely aesthetic trim that is installed where the wall meets the ceiling in a room. It typically runs along the entire perimeter of the room. Traditional crown moldings are made of wood or plaster, but they can also be made from a variety of other materials like various types of plastic.  

Crown moldings can be simple or incredibly ornate. Originally, crown molding was a way to hide the cracks that would occur between walls and ceilings. Nowadays, it is generally a purely decorative element.

Crown moldings can be installed not only at the junction between wall and ceiling, but also around doors, over fireplace mantels, along bookshelves, or on cabinets.

Crown moldings are a great way to add visual interest to a room and make it look more sophisticated. By taking the time to research how to choose the right type of molding for your space and learning how to properly install it, you can guarantee an excellent outcome.

Mistakes to Avoid with Crown Molding

The first and sometimes easiest mistake with crown molding is simply choosing the wrong size. When selecting moldings, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the wide variety of designs and sizes, and what may look absolutely fantastic in the store display can end up looking awful and disproportionate in your home.

1. Choosing molding in the wrong size

As a general rule, the width of your molding should be proportional to the height of your walls. Most sources recommend that if you have a house with 8-foot ceilings, you should aim to find molding that is between three and five and a half inches wide. Anything wider will look disproportionate. Taller ceilings can accommodate moldings with widths of five to seven inches. Ceilings over ten feet can even have wider moldings if desired.

2. Don’t paint a contrasting color if you have low ceilings

If you have a lower ceiling, it’s generally not a good decision to choose molding in a color that contrasts with the walls and ceiling. The strong contrast will draw attention to the junction and make it more apparent that the ceiling is low. If you want to create the illusion of a higher ceiling, this is a surefire way to sabotage your efforts.

3. Don’t install it yourself if you don’t have the right tools and skills

Installing crown moldings yourself can be an incredibly challenging task, especially if you have little experience and lack the proper tools. A common mistake is trying to install crown moldings without the necessary resources or knowledge, and the result is usually unappealing. If in doubt, it’s best to hire a professional to get the job done right the first time.

4. Don’t choose a style that doesn’t match the rest of your home

Lastly, make sure that the style of molding you choose matches the overall aesthetic of your home. If you have a relatively modern home, a sleek, simple molding can be a great addition. However, if you have an older house with many traditional, intricate elements, a more detailed and elaborate molding may be a perfect fit.

The idea of crown molding is to add a touch of interest and sophistication to a room, but you don’t want it to feel ostentatious and out of place. By selecting a molding style that complements the overall aesthetic of the rest of your home, it will feel more natural and look better.

Can you install crown molding yourself?

When it comes to home decor projects, installing crown moldings can be a challenge, especially for beginners. Installing crown moldings requires very precise measurements and precise cutting, as well as some basic carpentry skills. If you’re not ready to take the time to do the job properly or don’t have the right tools, you may end up with a sloppy and unattractive end result.

However, with a little patience and knowledge, you can successfully install crown moldings yourself. When purchasing your moldings, make sure to know the exact dimensions of your room, and try to acquire pieces that are long enough to cover the entire length of the wall. Avoid moldings with defects or warping.

To have the best chance of success, you’ll need to use a miter saw and a nail gun to install the crown molding. The miter saw allows for much more precise cuts, which is incredibly important when trying to seamlessly join two pieces of molding at a corner junction.

However, before cutting the first molding, it’s important to take accurate measurements. Taking the time to make the right measurements will save a lot of headaches and avoid wasteful mis-cuts later on. If you plan on installing your own molding, be prepared to make a jig, record accurate lengths of walls and moldings, and make careful calculations.

If you’re motivated to install crown moldings yourself, you can use this step-by-step guide to tackle the task on your own.

Where to Buy Crown Molding

Fortunately, crown moldings are very commonly available, and for most crown moldings, you don’t need to go to a specific store or dealer. Most retail stores from home improvement chains carry some options for crown moldings, but in small local stores, they may need to be ordered from a catalog.

If you’re having difficulty finding the specific style or size of crown moldings you desire, there are a number of online retailers that carry an impressive selection. Even Amazon.com carries some plastic and polyurethane versions of moldings.

How to Paint Crown Moldings

If you decide to install your own crown molding, you may want to paint the molding yourself.  If this is the case, there are some helpful tips to make this process go more smoothly for you.

Firstly, it’s best to paint your wall and ceiling before installing the molding. Waiting to paint until the molding is installed makes it more challenging, and there’s a greater chance of accidentally splattering paint on the molding.

Additionally, painting or staining the crown molding before installation usually makes the task easier. It’s much easier to ensure an even application and coverage of the paint or stain, especially if the moldings have intricate details. It’s also much easier to paint something in front of you than above your head, so hold off on attaching the molding until it’s been painted.

Another reason for painting or staining the molding before installation is that it’s much easier and cleaner if the molding is a different color from the walls or the ceiling. If your molding is a different color, you don’t want to accidentally drip paint on the walls or paint over the ceiling. It’s much easier to achieve a clean, precise application when you paint the molding before installation.

Will Crown Molding Increase the Value of Your Home?

If you want to increase the attractiveness of your home on the market, crown moldings can be a relatively inexpensive and easy way to achieve this. It adds character and sophistication to an otherwise plain room. 

For crown molding to increase the value of your home, there are a few things to consider. First, you need to make sure the right crown molding is chosen so that the room doesn’t look smaller or out of sync with the rest of the house (see our previous section for mistakes to avoid when choosing crown moldings.)

Second, you need to ensure that the crown molding is installed properly. If you lack the tools and expertise to install crown moldings yourself, it may look sloppy and uneven, adding little to the value of your home. Hiring professionals can help ensure a hassle-free installation and a clean, sophisticated result.

Lastly, you also want to ensure that the color of the molding is appropriate and professional. Leaving moldings bare or painting them arbitrarily adds little to the value of your home and may even deter potential buyers. When the molding is neatly painted in an appropriate color, it can instead provide an appealing architectural accent in a room, captivating potential buyers and increasing the overall value of your home.

In conclusion, installing crown moldings can be a great way to enhance the aesthetics of your home. By carefully selecting and painting them, you can make a room appear taller and more sophisticated. If you want to liven up a room in your home, look no further than crown moldings. It’s a relatively easy and effective way to make any room look more complete.