I have a question about crown molding. In the home I am rehabbing it currently has no crown molding around the ceiling in the living room but want to add some. The living room as maple colored hardwood floors; with maple colored trim around the windows and around the floor. I wanted to have the crown molding painted white, but unsure if it needed to be same color as the other trim. Or because it’s up so high does it matter that it’s not a maple color?
I’ve seen it done both ways. Its just a matter of opinion. If you match up to the other trim it will look better, but you will have to buy a stain grade molding which will cost more. Personally, if budget allowed, I would do the maple, but thats just my opinion. Good luck.
Weldon
Stain-grade crown moulding is a difficult install compared to paint-grade. If your joints don’t match up perfectly, it shows and it looks bad. To even out the waves in the walls and ceiling (and correct the corner angles), you have to first install a continuous backer and shim it until it’s just right. Then you nail the crown to the backer. With paint, you don’t need a backer – you just need to get it close and caulk it.
I would say it depends on the skill level of the installer and your budget. Don’t let somebody butcher nice maple-- it will cost more and look worse. You don’t see stain-grade crown around here until you get into homes costing more than $600K. Unless it’s a very old home. Even then, it’s usually been painted over and needs to be stripped.
Yes, I would agree, if your doing it your self and you do not have any experience, then I would go with the painted molding. I have worked wonders with caulk and it allows for a larger margin of error. There is no room for error with stained trim, your corners must be perfect and your connections must be tight.
Weldon
I found custom maple trim 50%off at a local lumber yard, it was left over from a contractor that never came and got it. Matches Mom’s floors B E A UTIFUL.
Local Amish can usually make maple trim as cheap as oak.