Inviting Home Blog

Installing crown molding in your home can enhance the aesthetic appearance of its interior as well as the general value of your home. However, there are a number of general misconceptions that deter homeowners from capitalizing on the benefits of adding crown molding to their decor. The following list dispels seven common myths about the appropriate use and installation of crown molding.

Myth #1: My ceilings are too low for crown moldings.

It’s untrue that crown molding should not be installed in rooms with low ceilings. In fact, using moldings that project further than the wall can provide an optical illusion that makes ceilings appear taller than they actually are. For rooms that are vertically challenged, use crown moldings to give modest spaces a sense of elegance.

Myth #2: Flimsy crown moldings will add just as much value to my home.

If part of your motive for installing crown molding is to enhance the value of your home, using cheap and poorly crafted crown moldings will not suffice. Just like any interior design pieces that you would use to decorate your home, flimsy crown molding will not provide the same visual splendor as do high quality moldings. Moreover, crown moldings that are lacking in quality, construction, or material are easily recognized as such and won’t contribute to the monetary value of your home.

Myth#3: Crown moldings made of wood are always preferable to those made of polyurethane.

There are a number of reasons why choosing to install polyurethane crown moldings can be a better choice than wood crown moldings. The advantage of using crown moldings made of polyurethane is that they are not affected by changes in climate or humidity. Wood crown moldings, however, are subject to expanding, contracting, cracking, and warping in environments with variable temperatures. For this reason, polyurethane crown moldings are a better suited for areas with frequent temperature and climate changes; they are also a good alternative to wood in isolated areas of your home that often vary in climate, such as damp basements.

Myth #4: Wood crown moldings are more durable than polyurethane crown moldings.

Recent developments in the materials used to construct polyurethane crown moldings make this statement obsolete. As discussed above, polyurethane moldings will stand up to changes in climate and humidity and are not affected by indirect lighting. Moreover, though, new, high definition polymer systems are now used to produce a new type of polyurethane that is used in crown molding production. This new synthetic, high-density material is extremely durable and stress resistant, which means it won’t crack or scratch; lastly, polyurethane crown molding is not attractive to bugs or termites.

Myth #5: Crown molding is unsuitable for rooms frequented by children.

Many people think that crown moldings are not well suited for use in children’s bedrooms or playrooms. The primary reason for this is because of the misconception that crown moldings are not durable enough for application in rooms that house more rough-and-tumble activities. Contrarily, though, crown moldings, specifically high-density polyurethane crown moldings, are extremely durable and perfect for application in rooms where children are at play. Specifically, chair-rail moldings can even help protect walls from being dented, scratched, or damaged, and are known for their resilience.

Myth #6: Crown moldings should always be white.

Crown moldings do not always have to be white. This is a frequent design faux pas; in fact, crown moldings should be the same color as the moldings that are already in your house. They can also be painted or stained to match existing color schemes, making them perfectly suitable for any room decor.

Myth #7: All the crown moldings in your home should be the same style.

All of the crown moldings in your home do not need to be the same style. Different styles of crown molding may more appropriately suit some rooms but not others; there is a wide array of crown molding styles to choose from, and you should take advantage of these options to maximize their aesthetic potential in each particular room. However, it is important to consistently use the same crown molding size around your home to maintain consistent dimensions and visual proportions.

In the process of selecting the crown molding that you will install in your home, it’s important that you are aware of the difference in terms of the material, construction, and cost of the various models available. Since the ultimate goal of installing crown molding in your home is to enhance the appearance and value of your home, be prudent about the quality of the molding you choose.

Though it may seem like purchasing inexpensive crown molding is economically efficient, you are ultimately undermining the potential value of this interior design feature. More often than not, inexpensive crown molding is flimsy and aesthetically lacking. These crown moldings are cheaper for a reason; they are made out of lower-grade materials using inferior construction and artistry.

When the ultimate goal of installing crown molding is to heighten the innate value of your home, using sub-par crown molding is counter-productive. Crown molding should be sturdy and should seamlessly appear to be a permanent fixture of your home’s architectural construction. Flimsy crown moldings will easily break and chip; this will make chintzy crown molding jobs readily apparent as such. Low quality moldings won’t contribute any additional value to your home, visually or monetarily.

If you are trying to be economically savvy, here’s a crucial consideration to keep in mind: the cost of installing cheaper crown molding will be the same as installing higher quality molding. By purchasing higher caliber, slightly more expensive crown molding to begin with, you will ultimately spare yourself subsequent expenses in terms of repairs or re-installation costs.

To make your crown molding project successful, it’s wise to spend a little more to ensure that your finished product will look tasteful and effortless. Unlike a whimsical painting, crown molding is intended to be a permanent fixture in your home, and therefore affects its overall worth. Select high-quality crown molding made out of reliable materials to enhance the visual aesthetic and economic value of your home.

Where there are large traffic areas, there will be at least a few scuff marks and maybe some other damage to the walls. If you would use the wainscoting, then you would have an easily cleanable solution.

This wainscoting is easily cleaned and does not harbor bacteria. It is resistant to moisture so it is not susceptible to mold and mildew. It makes the wainscoting absolutely perfect for kitchens and bathrooms. The bathroom and the kitchen are usually the places that are most neglected because they are the two places in which there has to be easy access to everything. Clutter in the kitchen or the bathroom space is unwanted, so decorating with accessories is not that great of an idea because that will create the clutter that should be avoided in the first place.

The wainscoting would be absolutely perfect for a refinished basement as well. That way you could boldly turn your basement into a game room without having to worry even a little about what effects that could have on your walls. You wouldn’t have to worry about the moisture that is usually found in the basements because of the moisture resistant properties of the wainscoting.

By using High Definition Polymer System (HDPS) wainscoting you would be helping the environment as well as protecting you and your family. Besides being hypoallergenic and fully recyclable, this wainscoting helps reduce heating and cooling bills by improving thermal insulation. The extra layer on the wall will help your house to keep the heat in during the wintertime. This wonderful wainscoting material is also CFC, PVC, and Formaldehyde free. Some companies have known to use CFC as a blowing agent for polyurethane. It helps because it makes it much easier to control the foam and mold it into the perfect pattern.

The blowing agent that is used for the manufacturing of this wainscoting is made with azodicarbomide and they are much friendlier to the environment and much better for your family’s well being. Think about it—bad for the planet means definitely bad for you. Many act as if helping the planet is the same thing as simply helping out a stranger, but you would really be helping yourself.

This is your perfect tip to share with the people around you because it is your turn to be the designer star among your friends. It is never too late to make your house beautiful especially with this new wainscoting. It is a great idea to find molding that complement the wainscoting. Look for moldings with nice, clean profiles on this web-site.

Traditionally used as a supportive element for various architectural structures, the corbel’s utilitarian use saw that its decorative applications were frequently more of an afterthought. Today, thanks to the structural soundness of modern buildings and the strict codes to which they are built; the decorative application of corbels is experiencing something of a revival. But despite their modern makeover, the corbel must keep true to its original roots: while the modern corbel may not be as supportive as its predecessors, it is imperative that the corbel appears as if its application is as being an element of support, otherwise it will simply look silly. The corbel must look as if it serves its pre-determined purpose; and if it doesn’t appear to have one, then the corbel will look as inappropriate as a tuxedo at a funeral. “Corbels are special details that add a refined touch of class to the home, and should always look the part. Today’s decorative corbel is meant to enhance and accentuate what is already there; similarly as to what the push-up bra does for the woman who wears it,” says this designer.

The surge in the corbel’s popularity indicates the formation of a trend, and the trend indicates that the modern corbel often appears in hub of the home: the kitchen. Corbels are frequently spotted underneath the overhang of the countertops and alongside the hood of the stoves. Corbels are often spied alongside fireplaces, flanking the mantle. And corbels nestled into the corners of doors and entryways have become a popular place for them to reside. Corbels certainly add depth and another layer of interest to a home’s interior architecture, but it is the full range of designs and the carvings available that truly fuels the trend. “The range of designs and styles, the warmth and detail of the carvings themselves, makes it possible to highly customize your home decor, to truly make the space a reflection of you and your tastes,” explains this designer. And so it is not off the mark to say that just like the circular pattern of fashion trends, corbels and architectural details share a common thread: everything old is new again.

The design professionals at InvitingHome.com have a suggestion for today’s homeowner: “Close your eyes, and visualize the interior of your home in its present state. Now, imagine your home stripped of your possessions, with no furniture, nothing on the walls, no window treatments…visualize your home stark naked. What do you see? What does the space convey to you, how does it make you feel?”

Homeowners who visualize a featureless, interior space absent of character, devoid of life, vacant of any sense of vibrancy are then diagnosed as suffering from an acute case of what these design professionals jokingly call “Naked Interior Syndrome”.

Although the syndrome is a product of the imagination, today’s multi-billion dollar home improvement market is reality. Even more indisputable is the scores of homeowners who drive the market in their relentless quest to impart their homes with a persona that reflects their own unique tastes. So, how does a homeowner begin to create such a lasting impression? “Character and interest lies in the architectural details of the interior,” says one design professional. “One of the easiest ways you can dress up your interior is through incorporating some well-placed architectural details; these are elegant ways to give your home a distinctive look and feel.”

Architectural details is an umbrella term used to describe a range of decorative architectural products ranging from smaller-scaled wood carvings such as rosettes to decorative friezes, functional wall niches, to the substantial columns traditionally associated with ancient civilizations. In recent years, corbels have become increasingly popular amongst homeowners looking for an independent, decorative element that packs a much needed punch in their decor.

If you are the one of those people who doesn’t like illusions and mystery, bored by multiple repetitions, and the word “eternity” awakens sad thoughts - it’s means that mirrors in your home are used only for its direct function. In this case it is going to be enough to supply your home with mirrors for two locations - the entry, and the bathrooms.

There is several simple rules that you have to follow, to save yourself time and avoid costly mistakes:

- Mirrors always should be hang strictly vertical.

- Position your mirrors so direct open light from lighting fixtures wouldn’t reflect in the mirrors, in other words the lighting source reflected in the mirrors shouldn’t “blind” the person.

- The distance from the floor to the top of the mirrors should be no less than 6 feet.

- The distance from the floor to the bottom of the mirrors should be at least one in a half foot.

And one more important thing, when placing a mirror you should count on at least three to five feet of open space in a front on it so a person has an opportunity to step back while looking at the mirror.

 In a well composed room, mirrors were used to emphasize the symmetry of a space. A good room, unless perfectly square, would have a major and a minor axis and mirrors would be used to emphasize one or both.

In a modern room, a mirrors hung on the wall might occupy the position that a built-in mirror might have had in earlier times. And: While large mirrors accentuate some spatial attributes of a room, small mirrors, even tiny ones, can acknowledge a room’s symmetry. Small mirrors might be used above a door if the door is occupying the center of the room, or in the middle of a bookcase if that would corroborate the room’s symmetry.

If your intention is to use the corbel as a means of support, such as underneath a counter top, the depth of the corbel you choose must be at least 1/2 of the depth of the overhang which it will support. If your intention is to use corbels as a means to brace shelving, then you must choose a corbel that is at least 2/3 of the depth of the shelf which it will support, since the corbel will be the shelf’s sole means of support.

When incorporating corbels into your home for purely decorative reasons, choosing the correct sized corbel is based upon the proportions of the surface you’re working with, as well as the physical details of the corbel itself.

If you intend to place the corbel above the fluting of a pilaster, the key dimension you are working with is the width of the corbel. The corbel should measure as wide, though no wider than 1/2 inch of the pilaster.

If you intend to place the corbel underneath a structural beam, the key dimension you are focused on is the width of the corbel. The corbel’s width should measure as wide as the width of the beam, or no smaller than 1/4 inch of the width of the beam.

If you intend to place the corbel beneath a countertop, the key dimension you are focused on is the depth of the corbel. The same rule applies when using the corbel as means of support: the corbel should measure at least 1/2 of the depth of the countertop’s overhang; or more preferably, exactly 3/4 of the depth of the overhang.

If you intend to place the corbels inside a door opening or entryway, the key dimensions you are working with is width. The corbels’ widths should measure the same as the width of the doorway. They should never measure smaller than 2 inches of the doorway’s width, with 1 inch on either side. Also, special consideration should be given to the sides of the corbel, since the carved details will face outwards. The carved details will be the first glimpse of the corbels one sees when passing through the doorway.

If you intend to place the corbels on either side of a kitchen’s stove hood, you are working with both dimensions of width and depth. The corbel should be rather large; at least 12 inches deep. If cabinets will abut the corbel, the sides of the corbel should be flat, so it will be flush with the cabinets

We are proud to say that we offer only those products which are 100% CFC/HCFC free.

Our lines of Molding and Adhesives for molding installation also do not contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. It is a colorless, strong-smelling gas that has been used quite profusely in building materials and many household products.

Its most common use is in adhesives and the adhesive that is used in pressed wood products such as MDF moldings and baseboards. You might have heard about it in the news in regards to the FEMA trailers used in the recovery effort after Hurricane Katrina.

It is usually present in no more than .06 parts per million, but if it ever reaches. 1 parts per million or more it may cause side effects such as respiratory problems, burning and watery eyes, burning sensation in nose and throat, nausea, coughing, tightness in chest, wheezing, and/or skin reactions (such as rashes).

Formaldehyde was put on the list of carcinogenic elements. There is no certainty in the amount that would cause it—depends on the exposure type and duration of the exposure to the chemical. In a recent article in the New York Post (Friday, February15, 2008, “FEMA’ cane aid is Toxic”) Mike Stobbe described the situation where “Health officials are urging hurricane victims be moved out of their government issued trailers as soon as possible.

Apparently “in some trailers the levels were nearly 40 times customary exposure levels, raising fears that residents could contract respiratory problems.” Our homes should be our refuge not our undoing.

This is why InvitingHome.com has made such an effort to provide “people safe” and “environmentally friendly” moldings. They may be a bit more expensive, but since these moldings will be in our home for the rest of your life why would you want to fill your home with moldings that are harmful to our family and hazardous to the environment?

You can rest assured that all of our architectural products are green and that we are conscious of any other ways to be proactive in helping keep the environment clean. For example, our manufacturer has switched from petroleum to gas at its main manufacturing plant. Petroleum is mostly made up of hydrocarbons. As the hydrocarbons burns they create carbon dioxide, water, sulphur, and carbon monoxide. When natural gas is burnt, one molecule of carbon dioxide for every two water molecules is released, making it the cleaner fuel alternative. This change ends up lowering the carbon monoxide emission at the factory by 660,000 lbs a year. At InvitingHome.com we are also conscious to reuse packing material and all cardboard is sent to a recycling facility.

Our quality molding is incredibly durable (as strong or stronger than wood) with a tough, but extremely smooth surface. The high density molding save you time and money due to the fact that you do not have to prime them—they come pre-primed. It is not cumbersome because of how lightweight it is which makes it much easier to install and more fuel-efficient to ship.

With InvitingHome.com you are not sacrificing style or quality to help the environment or protect your family.

It is natural for people to strive for the best. Even a few decades ago, no one even dreamt of having the kind of architectural ceiling details that have easily become a defining characteristic of our lives today with the new materials and possibilities. Those particular characteristics and ceilings embellishments can be easily achieved with the products found on InvitingHome.com.

Through the centuries, people have been decorating their homes by beautifying them and creating a sense of calm. There is a great assortment of ways to make your house more appealing and creating an original personality with your own signature ceiling. To be at home, there is a desire for it to feel incredibly warm, cozy, pleasing, and calming. Is it simple to achieve such an effect.

You can take different approaches with the goal of redefining the interior of your home. For many, to beautify their home means that they are to do so themselves - to rely on your own skills, taste, and mistakes to create your own interior - but don’t forget that there are times to get help from an interior designer or architect. The ceiling is one of the largest blank canvases of your home, but slips from the mind as the possibility of adding character to your house. With the modernization of materials and creativity, there are new breakthroughs in ceiling designs. The ceiling is a great way to tailor the room to a certain feel or to give the room structure that is not simply reminiscent of a box. The amazing items that give birth to such possibilities include ceiling medallions, ceiling rims, ceiling domes, as well as panel molding with decorative corners. It is not only a great way to bring life to a new home, but is suitable for restorations of historical interiors.