Is there a rule of thumb or architectural standard for sizing crown moulding? We’ve got 8′ ceilings and fairly small rooms, so I thought a smallish crown would be more appropriate. However, when I laid a 12′ piece of 2 3/4″ crown against the ceiling, the project supervisor allowed as how it wasn’t big enough. She wanted it to “show more”, and was happier when I rotated it so the spring angle was more like 20 degrees, showing more of the crown to someone standing in the room. I’m afraid a larger crown will overpower the short wall, but it comes in roughly 1/2″ increments, so maybe a little bigger wouldn’t hurt. What do the experts do?
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Replies
Exactly what you did. Judge it by eyeball, proportions, the space its in, and the guy (or gal) cutting the check.
Mid size room, 8' ceiling, you want it to show a little, I'd think you could go up to a 3 1/2 without drawing undue attention to it.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
Check this out:
http://www.sfvictoriana.com/details/index_11.htm
Their 7-21 crown is a 2-1/2", their 7-23 is a 4-5/16" crown. Personally I'd go in the middle or upper end of that range. A 4-1/4" crown is very typical in a lot of 8 foot rooms.
Our source (via Home Depot) is
http://www.millsourcemw.com/html/montceiling.shtml
We've tried their #52 (2 3/4), but #49 (3 5/8) looks to be worth a shot. I'm also going to check out a real lumberyard locally that our architect recommends to see if they can do better with quality and price.
I think of 2-3/4" crown mainly as a cabinet trim. I've run that size around the tops of a lot of kitchen cabs, where the cabs are below the ceiling.
That's an idea -- got to find something to do with 50' of the 2 3/4. Unfortunately, our kitchen cabinets' overhead space was boxed in when the house was built, so we'll use regular crown at the top. Tearing out the boxed-in stuff is an attractive idea, but a very messy job, since there's no ceiling back there -- it's open to the attic and full of fiberglass, bugs, etc. The cabinets are in to stay -- much better construction than the house in general.
Crown Molding size is one of the most difficult issues to deal with. Some considerations are: Size of room, type of room, molding and trim styles within and adjacent to the room, and of course meet the customers desires! Also, the type of crown molding can influence the appearance, i.e., built-in dentil molding. Having several catalogs and samples will make the process decision easy.
Having several catalogs and samples will make the process decision easy.
Easy?
YCF Dino
I've run that size around the tops of a lot of kitchen cabs, where the cabs are below the ceiling.
What do you do when the cabinets arew above the ceiling?
Curious minds want to know!!!
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Arguing with a Taunton/Lowes editor is like trying to argue with a jackass, sooner or later you realize he's just braying back at you because it is all he knows
What do you do when the cabinets arew above the ceiling?
Then it would be into the insulation, making it a little harder to get to the upper shelves.
What he meant to say was when there was a space between the cab and the ceiling.
No I don't think that is what he meant!!
I think he really installs his cabs above the ceiling some times.
why else would he have made the distinction "below the ceiling"??
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Arguing with a Taunton/Lowes editor is like trying to argue with a jackass, sooner or later you realize he's just braying back at you because it is all he knows
I have hung 2 member crown on 8 foot ceilings and it looks great. The smallest I would do is 3 5/8 crown. If you want to do 2 member, beaded base, showing about
an inch and a half below the crown looks great. What size is the baseboard and window trim around the room? That will help on proportions also.
Coming to you from beautiful Richmond, Va.
Base is 3 1/4, case is 2 1/4. Both of them look OK to me, but I've got to admit that the 2 3/4 crown looked a little skimpy. Pre-remodel, the walls were all paneled with cheap (mostly) fake-wood paneling with a 1 5/8 cove serving as the crown.
I have put up crown molding in my bathrooms, bedrooms, halls and entry way. I have put up a different variety/version in each room. The ceilings are all 8 feet except for the stairs. The smallest that I used was 3 1/2 inch. The biggest was 5 1/2 with dentil. I have used inverted base molding with the 3 1/2 and also used base cap with it. The richest looking is the 3 1/2 with base molding put on the ceiling and wall with about 1/4 reveal showing before the scroll of the base molding. Many people like the 3 1/2 inch with a base cap put about an inch under the molding. Then paint the wall the same color as the molding between the base cap and the molding. If you already have your smaller molding, you might want to try this. It makes the molding look much bigger without extending way into the room. Good luck.
Sid