Crown Molding Materials

• Crown Molding Materials

  PLASTER
  
  Best for: A grand interior, typically with plaster walls and a budget to match its high style.
  
  Pros: Cast into elaborate profiles -- some of which can't be milled out of wood -- this elegant material's deep reveals cancreateintricate shadows. Plus, it won't shrink or warp.
  
  Cons: There's no such thing as off-the-shelf here; all plaster crown is made to order and costly. It's also very heavy and easily cracked, and needs to be buttered on the back with fresh plasterfor installation -- not a DIY-friendly job.
  
  From left: Grapevines, about $19*; oversize spiral rose vines, about $21; simulated built-up, about $22; rope detailing, about $7; toothy dentil, about $9; all from Hyde Park
  
  *All prices per linear foot

• Crown Molding Materials

  SOLID WOOD
  
  Best for: Most installations.
  
  Pros: Like plaster, natural wood is a traditional material that is hard to imitate. Solid wood mills and carves into crisp edges, and hardwoods like oak and mahogany stain beautifully.Its color and grain patterns add warmth to a room. Wood comes in myriad simple stock profiles; more ornate reliefs can also be achieved by embossing wood composites onto solid wood.
  
  Cons: Cutting and installing wood molding can vexeven the mostskilled carpenter, and the material can shrink and swell with changes in the weather.
  
  From left (1) Dentil detailing, about $8; OrnamentalMouldings. (2) Maryland acanthus leaf, about $10; Inviting Home. (3) Hand-carved floral and dentil, about $18, (4) Embossed wreath, about$11; both from Bendix Architectural.

• Crown Molding Materials

  POLYURETHANE
  
  Best for: This product works in most installations.
  
  Pros: Less expensive, more stable, and more rot- and insect-repellent than wood, this extruded product is an excellent imitation. It mills and cuts like pine, goes up with the same nails, and takes paint equally well. It also comes in elaborate, plasterlike profiles.
  
  Cons: Slightly softer than wood, it dents easily (so it requires a light touch to install) and is only good for painted applications.
  
  From left: (1) Concord dentil, about $3, (2) Governor's Place cove, about $10, (3) Tall Randal crown, about $16; all from Focal Point AP, (4) Egg and dart,about $3; Architectural Ornament, (5) Elaborate Georgian dentil, about $12; Inviting Home.

• Crown Molding Materials

  MDF
  
  Best for: Rooms where trim is painted.
  
  Pros: A composite material made from sawdust and resins, ultralight medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is a stable and low-cost alternative to solid wood. It comes in a wide range of stock profiles, some with a natural wood veneer suitable for staining.
  
  Cons: Without veneers, MDF must be painted; cutting and installing poses the same challenges as solid wood, plus ultralight MDF is easier to dent or nick.
  
  From left: (1) EverTrue's classic MDF ogee curves, about $15, (2) EverTrue's simplified MDF ogee profile, about $11; both through Lowes.

• Crown Molding Materials

  FLEX
  
  Best for: Curved walls and window bays.
  
  Pros: This rubbery material comes in an array of profiles that can bend around a curved wall without the need for relief cuts.
  
  Cons: While less expensive thana custom carpentry job, flexible molding is still costly and must be special-ordered.
  
  From left: (1) Unstained arch (shown stained), about $15; Flexible Moulding, (2) Zago's overarching pearl and floral, about $7; (3) Zago's plain curving ogee, about $5; (4) Zago's pearl and dentil, about $6; all 3 from Flexible Trim.