If you are about to renovate your home and wondering what impact adding crown molding will have on the home’s market value, this post is for you.
What is crown molding?
It is a molded projection, which runs horizontally along the top of interior walls – where the wall and ceiling intersect – or at the top edges of doors, windows, and cabinets. It is contoured to fit the angle between wall and ceiling and finished with decorative details to make it stand out.
Essentially, it is a horizontal trim that creates a division between the walls and ceilings or adorns the top of doors, windows, and cabinets. In design – architecture and interior design – crown molding is more suitably referred to as a cornice.
Crown molding is typically made from wood or plaster. But more recently, it is also made from polyurethane foam, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), PVC, vinyl, and polystyrene. But what does crown molding do? And will it increase your home’s value?
What does crown molding do?
Crown molding mostly serves as a decorative detail used to add character to an area. It may also fulfill more practical reasons like concealing cracks or unsightly regions near the top of walls. The functions of crown molding sum up as:
- It helps to clean up the area where the wall and ceiling meet
- It hides gaps where different materials meet
- Adding crown molding to a room makes the ceiling look higher
- Crown molding imparts elegance to rooms
Will crown molding increase the value of your home?
When renovating your home, you must always get your expectations right. You may set out to do a specific upgrade with the hope of raising your home’s value. But after the project’s completion, the reality of what happens may be very different from what you anticipated.
As a homeowner, there are details you will naturally want to add to your home. Yet, although all changes you make will have some value, that value is not always financial. That is why it is often a good idea to separate the emotional significance of any upgrade from its economic value, says RENEW Management.
This is the case with installing crown molding in the home. Crown molding is pretty detail that adds class to a home. However, the value it offers is an emotional value that, though very important, does not always translate into actual cash in the homeowner’s pockets.
Crown molding is a sign of detailed craftsmanship. Even though not all buyers will be willing to pay for it, the presence of this decorative element can make a home more saleable. Adding crown molding may not increase a home’s price, but it can help it sell faster.
Things to remember when adding crown molding
Considering the above, should you still add crown molding to your home? The answer is yes. The investment you make on this upgrade can help speed-up the sale of your home. But, there are things you should be aware of to get the best out of this addition.
1. Use a style that matches your home
Given that crown moldings are decorative, they come in different styles. The level of details on the molding should complement the look of your home. For modern homes, moldings with clean lines are usually best, while ornate designs fit traditional homes better.
2. Use the right size
Crown molding comes in several shapes and patterns. Commonly available widths range from 1½ inches – 8 inches. Generally, large rooms should have wider sizes, and small spaces should have smaller widths. The design in smaller sizes should be simple. Larger types can have intricate designs.
3. Room height matters
Another detail to keep in mind is the height of the ceiling. The standard rule is to have 1 inch (or less) of crown molding height for any room that is less than 10 feet high. If a room is higher, then for every 1-foot increase in room height, there should be an additional 1 inch of molding.
4. Focus on the main rooms
For the best results, put crown moldings in every room. But if this is not possible, only the main rooms – kitchen, dining, family room, and living room – should have them. Bathrooms and bedrooms are optional areas for installing crown moldings.
5. Paint to create contrast
Painting the molding will make them pop out. It can help draw buyers’ attention to the feature and give you an additional basis for negotiating. However, the paint colors used should not be loud. Most times, painting the molding in a slightly different tone is enough to highlight it.
6. Install properly
The beauty of crown molding comes down to its installation. Complicated miter cuts are required to install crown molding properly. For the best results, you should have a professional install the crown molding. That will ensure you get the most value from the addition.
