Most of us at one point or another have been impressed by spectacular crown molding. Lets face it, in the world of trim, crown molding would have to be king. It is often the star of the room that draws eyes upwards and can leave a stately impression.
So, if you’re wondering whether or not to go to all the trouble of installing crown molding, you’ve probably got one question on your mind:
Does Crown Molding Add Value to Your House?
In our opinion, crown molding most definitely can add value to your house if it is installed correctly and is the right fit for your style of house. You’ll want to ensure that you’ve made the right purchase that compliments your house and does not look cheap and nasty. With the right investment, crown molding can certainly add value to the capital of your house.
There are of course some homes and rooms where crown molding just wouldn’t be the right fit and no amount of molding is going to jack up thousands of dollars to the capital if the molding looks out of place.
Crown molding is not a magic bullet that will make houses sell or increase a house value just because it’s there. Moreover, crown molding can add value if the look and aesthetics of the molding is fitting and inline with the style of room and house. Traditional homes with character and charm are perfectly suited to ornate crown molding whereas the same molding may look out of place in a more modern build.
The best guide is to have a look at whether other homes in the same area as your place (with a similar style to yours) use molding effectively, as if they do, the chances are buyers in the area expect this sort of look. Buyers may even be willing to pay more for a house with molding than homes without it. In this respect, crown molding would definitely be adding value to the home as it’s inclusion, makes the home easier to sell.
Remember that the aesthetics of a room matter. This includes everything from the colours and designs on the walls, floors, corners, ceilings (paint, wallpaper, light fittings, window dressings, flooring) to the layout and size of the room. All aspects of a room contribute to the look, feel and ambiance created and the inclusion of crown molding can certainly add a stately impression to an otherwise ordinary space.
You may want to check out our article, How to Cut Crown Molding Flat (and install it) for further crown molding advice.
Should I put Crown Molding in My House?
Sometimes crown molding can give the illusion that a room is bigger than what it actually is (by drawing the eyes upwards) plus the ceiling corners can cover cracks that may have formed over the years. In this respect there are certainly a lot of positives to installing crown molding.
When it comes to the question of ‘should I put crown molding in my house?’ remember that you don’t need to put crown molding in every room of your house (or at all if you don’t like the look of it!) It’s important to be mindful that crown molding is used to add elegance and character to a room. To give it an impressive wow factor.
There are certain rooms where this is more desirable than others. ie, the room with the toilet probably doesn’t need the ‘wow factor.’ – unless of course you’re going for consistency across the whole house and simply don’t want to leave the toilet room out! Totally up to you.
For the most part, the living room is the classic most traditional place to use crown molding.
However, you can put crown molding in any room. Traditionally the rooms that are chosen for it are ones that are ones used for entertaining and are priority rooms in the house. For example a master bedroom would be selected over a child’s bedroom.
Rooms that are bigger are generally selected over rooms that are smaller. The most common rooms chosen for crown molding in a house include:
- Entry room and main hallway
- Living room
- Dining room
- Master bedroom
- Main bathroom
- Kitchen
Even just adding crown molding to just a few rooms is sufficient enough to boost your home value. Of course this only works if the crown molding is properly installed and doesn’t look like cheap junk. Buyers (especially those who know what they’re looking at) expect quality and won’t be impressed by some cheap, hackneyed install that looks like an eyesore above their heads.
If you’re going to install it, perhaps do it properly or don’t do it all, otherwise it will be a big fat waste of time and money.
Should All Rooms Have Crown Molding?
Many people who install crown molding opt for the ‘public’ areas of the house where guests are most likely to be. After all, getting installed can be pricey (depending on the material and labor costs) so to keep costs down, only certain (the most ‘important’) rooms are chosen.
So, should all rooms have crown molding? Not necessarily. You certainly don’t need it in every room in order to add value or ROI. You can be selective on where to use it and this will save you both time and money.
Also, there are even a couple of situations when you don’t want to use crown molding. If you have cathedral or vaulted ceilings, a typical crown molding will probably not fit or look good.
You will need to bear in mind that crown molding will have a place where it starts and finishes for a ‘seamless’ look. Therefore, if you have a room or hall that ends by adjoining another room with a different ceiling height, you wouldn’t be able to carry the molding from one room to the next.
In this respect, you will definitely need to map out where your molding will start and end and ensure the ceilings are the same height throughout.
Does Crown Molding Make a Room Look Bigger or Smaller?
One of the biggest influences on the appearance of crown molding is the size of the room and the size of the molding. The general rule is to choose the right size (width) molding in accordance to the height of the room. Click here to see our crown molding size guide.
In regards to the question, ‘does crown molding make a room look bigger or smaller‘ well according to interiorsplace.com, if the crown molding is the appropriate width and or a lighter colour than the wall colour, the room can look bigger.
Conversely, Ask the Architect, believes that the molding needs to be more vertically orientated than horizontal coverage. In other words, there should be less horizontal coverage on the ceiling and than there is on the wall. This is what will lead the eyes upward to make the room look bigger.
Ask the Architect indicate that crown molding can make a room look smaller, if the wrong size is used making the room feel cramped. ‘choose wisely’ they say.
Do Modern Homes Use Crown Molding?
When people use the phrase ‘modern homes’ they are often referring to homes built in the last 10 years or so. Now while it is true, many builders who design contemporary homes, don’t bother with crown molding, there are also many who do and there is such a thing as ‘modern art deco molding’.
This doesn’t mean that all moderns home use this type of molding, but it’s important to be mindful that there are many styles of crown molding. Not all have the ‘traditional look’ with some more streamlined and sleek designs popular with first home buyers.
To answer the question, ‘do modern homes use crown molding?’ they most certainly do (they can do). Of course not all modern homes do, but it is certainly not a look that has gone out of style.
This is probably because there are a lot of options when it comes to molding and many believe that crown molding has a timeless appeal – whether used in contemporary homes or ones that are aged.
Does Crown Molding Add Value To Your House?
Many people we’ve seen install crown molding believe that the crown molding they installed did result in a positive ROI and/or it enabled the sale of their house. The investment is generally positive. If the install looks awful or cheap, then, like anything, the returns won’t be so positive.
Remember that professional installation can be expensive (hundreds per room) but it is certainly possible to do-it-yourself and have rooms that look fantastic, without the high cost of installation. Crown molding can easily run into the thousands so it’s good if you can save money where you can.
Remember that crown molding functions like a fresh coat of paint — it gives a room new energy and life. In this respect, it can well be worth the trouble of installing it as it leaves a lasting impression to potential buyers. In this respect, it can definitely increase the value of your home.
It just needs to be installed correctly, be the right size for the room and is in keeping with the overall aesthetics and style of your house.
Therefore, crown molding may increase the appeal of your home to buyers who find it more attractive to those without it. However, crown molding is not a bandaid.
Installing it will not increase your home’s value if there are significant problems with the installation or if the crown molding looks out of place to the rest of your house.
Interested in crown molding? Check out our guide on: How Much is Crown Molding?