Crown molding can add a touch of style to any home – and installing crown molding is a great decorating project for the do-it-yourselfer. Styles range from contemporary to traditional, creative, and even romantic – offering you a wide variety of moldings to choose from.

Crown molding is one of the easiest ways to add style and beauty to your home. Not only decorative, crown molding can be used to hide blemishes such as drywall joints. Crown moldings also help to protect from wall damage, drafts, wood expansion, and contraction problems that can occur over time. Here are some tips for preparing, choosing, and installing crown moldings in your home:

Preparation

Some things to determine before you purchase crown molding are:-

Decide if you would like to replace or add baseboards to match the style of your crown molding.

Decide how many windows or doors in the room need molding replaced or molding added in order to match the style of the crown molding.

Determine any problem areas in the room such as a sagging ceiling; check the corners with a framing square to be sure the corners are square; and the locations of any obstacles that are in the path of the molding line.

Measure the room including each feature in the room such as the ceiling, floor, and doors. Use a wall or floor plan to record the measurements, along with the number of corners in the room. Determine and note on the plan whether the corners are angled in or out.

Remove existing baseboards or molding using a pry-bar. This should be done carefully so as to avoid damaging the walls. If an accident should occur, be sure to repair any holes before you begin installing the new molding.

Choosing Your Molding

The next step is choosing your molding. There are many choices when it comes to molding – many styles as well as types of wood to choose from. You should decide if you want molding that is pre-stained or if you want to add stain yourself. If you decide to paint your moldings, you can choose less inexpensive woods.

To coordinate the entire room, you can choose from crown moldings, baseboards, chair rails, window and door trim, and wainscoting, floor trim – in coordinating styles and colors. Crown moldings are available in a variety of woods including hard maple, soft maple, cherry, poplar, red oak, white oak, mahogany, and Spanish cedar. Choose the wood that will best match the atmosphere you are trying to create in the room.

When purchasing molding and baseboards, be sure to use your measurements and allow around 20% extra molding for waste – small pieces that are left when you cut for corners and other obstacles.

Tools to Have On Hand

These tools make the installation of your crown molding and baseboards easier:-

Tape measure – a good retractable tape measure or a laser or digital tape measure

Framing Square

Chalk line

Compound Mitre Saw

Cordless Drill

Power Nailer

Stud Finder

Having the right tools on hand and preparing the room in advance of purchasing your molding will help to make installing crown molding in your home an easy do-it-yourself project. If this is the first time you have ever installed crown molding, check with your local hardware store to see if they offer a free class that will teach you how to measure, cut, and install crown molding in order to create a stylish new look for any room in your home.