Monday, July 28, 2008

Crown Moulding 101

I was speaking to a client yesterday. Since he is a builder, I decided to pick his brain about the basics of crown moulding. The info below is just me regurgitating what he said.

For those of you who don't know, crown moulding is kind of like putting baseboard trim around the edge of the ceiling. It can really make your home feel more upscale and make the ceiling feel higher than it actually is.

The moulding can be either wood or plaster. The plaster looks just as good as the wood but is less expensive. I am guessing that the wood is more durable, but if it's stuck to the top of your walls and no one ever touches it, I imagine they would both last you as long as you need them to.

If your ceiling is 8 ft. high, you'll need a narrower moulding. 5 inches works well. For 9 or 10 ft. ceilings, you'll want a wider moulding of about 7 or 8 inches.

The average cost for the moulding AND installation should be about $5/ foot of 5 inch moulding, $6/ foot of 6 inch moulding, and so on. The price will depend on the contractor. Some are better than others and their price may or may not reflect that. Also, if you have a very small space, they may charge more per foot because of the expense to travel to your home in terms of time and labour. Make sure to do some research and if possible get references.

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