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adding molding, architectural details, crown, faux molding, how to add molding, inexpensive home ideas, molding, Moulding, stack, stacking molding, stock molding, wall
Molding can really make or break a house, but it can also make or break a budget. Unfortunately, I just can’t get enough of it! You may have noticed in a lot of the pictures of my house that I have ornate molding – but I also have areas where we installed simpler, linear molding. Let’s face it, the fancy-smancy stuff isn’t for everyone and it has to suit the architecture of the house. It can also be pretty pricy. The problem I run into is that I have tall ceilings – 12′ on the main floor and 10′ in the basement and upper level. With that, the molding has to be in scale, so in many rooms I have stacked moldings or, in the case of our mudroom, duped the eye and used a trick that builders use to get the most bang for the buck.
Here’s what I opted for in our mudroom, which was SOOOO dreadfully plain, boring and devoid of any details:
I incorporated the wall into the molding by painting it the same color, which added several inches to the height. All the pieces are generic stock molding that can be bought off the shelf at Home Depot or Lowes. I SO wish I remember how much I paid for this project, but it wasn’t much!
The top piece of molding is 5 or 6″ crown – I chose the largest face they had on the shelf. I then chose a smaller half-round to place on the wall about 3″ down from the top molding. A piece of cap molding placed 3″ down from the half round completed my “molding stack”. I always paint my molding before installing, so I just had to go back, fill nail holes, caulk, and paint the wall in between the wood pieces.
In person, it looks like one solid piece…
The molding is up high, so you can’t tell. But from this particular picture it looks dinky (grrrr!), which makes me want to go back and add to it!!
Next time, I’ll explain how I addressed the walls (sneak peek above) keeping with the same linear look 🙂
Regardless of your aesthetic, you can tweak this idea and make it your own, blending it in to fit with the architecture of your home. And adding upgrades like these not only sets your house apart from others and adds visual interest, but it also adds equity! I hope you all have a great weekend!!
So clever! I love it! And I’m already looking forward to the next post!
anxiously awaiting the reveal of the sneak peek.
I saw a first on hgtv the other day…think it was house hunters, but this woman HATED crown molding! As in it was a negative on her list while house hunting…that and toilet roll holders. Weird. I love it!
Wha-wha- what!?!?!?! How bizarre!! The toilet roll holders, now that’s just funny, but molding!??? Did she like things very minimalistic?
I know, right?! And not a minimalist, she was super high maintenance, so you would think the opposite. She said that tp holders on the wall “disrupt the flow” of the wall, or something like that, so I’m guessing that’s why she didn’t like the molding? She was contemplating having it removed from a newly-reno’d house. Ha, glad you think that’s as weird as I did!
Oh, I wish I had seen that episode!!! When people are that particular, it’s so funny to watch!! Poor realtor! Hahaha!! I can’t imagine *removing* molding! Ugh!!!
I swear sometimes I yell at the tv more when I watch HGTV than when I watch sports! Glad I could share this one 🙂
Love, love, love molding & that sneak peek looks really interesting too. I’ve been wanting to do some in a few rooms but of course waiting on all re-decorating until that kitchen gets going. I notice too (unless the photo color is off) that you’ve got non-basic-ceiling white. Did you use the same color as the wall, or a shade lighter?
I wish that we had gone with a higher ceiling in the downstairs main rooms (family room is cathedral & as I’m looking at paint that one, it’s not going to be a job for Diane on the ladder!). Funny how no matter how hard you try to get it right when building, there’s always something you’d do differently once you’ve been in the house for a while.
Great to see your posts again!
I think you should have your own HGTV show!
You actually install and do these projects yourself as well?! I thought you used contractors….??
Yes 🙂 I don’t remember where I talked about it – maybe in my ‘About Me’ section, but definitely in past comments – the problem is when contractors see our house, the price goes WAY up!! It started with painting the living room – the first (and only quote I got was for $10K!!! So, I painted that room and every other room myself. Some shingles fell off of our roof and a roofer quoted me $4,600!! I figured that a “0” is added to quotes and they must think I’m just giving money away! To get any work done, I have to get so many people in for quoting purposes, it’s such a hassle and just not worth it! So, all the house projects on here are stuff we did – if it’s something I can tackle, I def. try!!
I love this little trick. Oldie but goodie.
great idea – I like it!!!
I wish I had high ceilings, but ours is a relatively modern home, although suddenly it’s almost 28 years old! Where did that time go?
I too am into creating the “look” of something with the least amount of money, so that I can spend money on quality items that don’t lend themselves to this approach.
You are a most resourceful and clever lady 🙂
Great idea, the way you added the cap molding below. So clever!
you are a genius! i love the look of your fake stacked molding.
I believe with the right molding, your house will certainly look more sophisticated and bigger. Yours is simple but it became a beautiful accent to your house. I love to do this to my house as well but it gets really pricey depending on the style of the molding you want.
I love it! Eagerly awaiting the next post!
Ingenuous. Please keep the clever tricks coming.
The idea is clever and does a nice job of sprucing up a wall you think needs help.
But on the subject of liking/disliking moulding don’t you think some of the personal choice there has to do with whether the moulding fits the age of the home. Just arbitrarily adding moulding in every room in every building isn’t really appropriate. Some architectural motifs look horrible with moulding.
I once had a friend who was gaga over crown moulding — they thought it made the room look (not more finished but…) more expensive. And that’s the problem. Making something ‘look expensive’ is nothing but self deception. The room ISN’T more luxe because someone hangs a little cut wood around the walls. Who does anyone think they are kidding? If you have a 1950’s house then live in a 1950’s house. If you have an 1893 house, then live in an 1893 house. If you have an american home, then don’t pretend you live in Tuscany.
Just one person’s opinion…
Cheers,
Peter
A retired photographer looks at life from behind an RV steering wheel.
Life Unscripted
Hey, this is brilliant. Amazing job! 🙂
Brilliant idea 🙂
My parents are replacing wood for carpet right now in their home and the old molding clashes dreadfully with the new floors. I am a big fan of your take on this and I will pass the info on. Thank you
I know, right?! And not a minimalist, she was super high maintenance, so you would think the opposite. She said that tp holders on the wall “disrupt the flow” of the wall, or something like that, so I’m guessing that’s why she didn’t like the molding? She was contemplating having it removed from a newly-reno’d house. Ha, glad you think that’s as weird as I did!
The first thing I do is remove the TP holders. Why eliminate a wall that can be used with a holder ? Standing holders come in many designs .
There is a lot to understand about moldings. When combining moldings there are certain types that must be on top (terminating molding). Although taking random pieces of different molding and combining them may look interesting, there are age old proven rules of design that state which should be where to have the most pleasing appearance on your inner senses.
Proportion is very important too. Friends of mine have very ornate large crown moldings over their windows. All that shows is that the architect or builder doesn’t understand the rules of architecture to size them right. This stuff is pretty cool though – I have an article on it here. http://www.oldhouseguy.com/aesthetics/
Here is a great article about molding mistakes.
http://thetimelesshouse.com/2014/09/lost-art-molding-faux-victorian/#.VGNvrvnF_HQ
Great Article! I love that!!
this is a very nice molding design. this is a very nice and great idea!
nice