Foam crown molding is simple to install and looks just like wood molding! Learn everything you need to know about installing foam crown molding from someone who tried it.
Thank you to Crown Molding Solutions for providing product for this post.
One of the challenges of remodeling is the unexpected complications that come up along the way. Today I’m sharing an awesome product that solved a big problem for us in our remodel. It’s crown molding made out of foam!
The problem:
When we first moved in, the whole upstairs was trimmed with what we like to call “redneck crown molding,” a series of different sized wood pieces all nailed together to give the quasi-look of molding. It was ugly. Not only was it ugly, but it was poorly installed and even more poorly painted. It looked awful. It was one of the first things we ripped out of our home when we moved in.
The problem is that removing the old “molding” (and I use that term very loosely) damaged the ceiling and walls pretty badly. It was going to be way, way, way too hard to patch, so we knew we had to add new crown molding to cover up the damage.
But the problem didn’t end there. Problem #2: we have ceiling heat upstairs, which means you absolutely cannot nail into the ceiling for fear of severing one of the heating coils and permanently disabling the heat system.
So we HAD to have crown molding, but couldn’t nail crown molding up.
Grrrrrreat!
That’s when I started researching and came across Crown Molding Solutions. Their foam crown molding was similar in price to the wood we would have bought, but is lightweight and made of foam, so you just glue it to the wall! It was the perfect solution for us!
So we picked out a size and design we liked and in no time flat, our molding showed up on our doorstep.
This is what it looks like:
It’s the 4.5 inch molding in style #4. See all of the styles HERE.
This is after we had painted it. I painted all of the molding before installing and that was definitely the right choice… much easier than standing on a ladder and having to tape off all of the edges.
The molding has a flat back and top so that you have a surface for gluing.
To install, we applied LocTite Power Grab All Purpose adhesive to the flat back and top parts and pressed the molding into place. Easy peasy!
There’s even a YouTube video that shows the installation process. Watch the tutorial HERE.
We still had to make mitered cuts for corners, but this stuff cuts so easily that we did a lot of it with a hand saw.
Also, I just wanted to show the power of caulk. After installing the molding, the next step is to caulk the edges.
You can see in this photo how much of a difference it makes:
Before caulk there are a lot of gaps, but after caulk, everything is smooth and filled in. Caulk makes such a huge difference!
Here I am, balancing precariously on the arm of the couch and caulking up a storm:
I am so happy with how the molding turned out. It adds such a nice finishing touch to the space. Here’s the room before molding:
And here it is after:
The room looks so much more pulled together and finished. I love the added character.
We decided to build our kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling to close off that awkward area that just collects dust, so my husband built boxes to fill in the space, then we trimmed the cabinets with molding. Here’s the “before” picture…
… and here’s the kitchen after building the cabinets up and adding molding:
Doesn’t it look great?! The molding adds so much drama and makes the whole kitchen look custom. Obviously we’re not done working in the kitchen… we still have cabinet doors to build and need to paint the cabinetry, but it’s a great start and I’m so pleased with how things are coming along.
Here are a few things you might want to know if you’re thinking about installing foam crown molding in your home:
- Foam molding is a great option for people who are uncomfortable with using power tools. You could install molding in an entire house with only a hand saw.
- The molding comes unpainted. Start with one coat of primer, then two coats of semi-gloss latex paint. I used an angled brush, but if you have a paint sprayer, it would work well for this job.
- Because it’s foam, the molding is very lightweight, so installation is easier. Even my kids could lift an entire 8 foot section of molding above their heads.
- Once it’s installed, foam crown molding looks just like traditional wood molding. I seriously can’t tell a difference.
- You do have to be careful not to dent the foam during cutting and installing. It’s soft, so if you push too hard on it or press tools into it, it will leave indentations. It’s not a big deal… just something to be aware of.
- If the thought of cutting angles scares you, you can purchase pre-made inside and outside corners! No mitered cuts needed… just install the corners, then caulk all of the seams. Talk about simple! The pre-made corners are available HERE.
It looks beautiful,what kind of paint did you use to paint the crown molding?
regular latex interior paint