No doubt if it’s crown molding, it’s likely painted white or in a shade of white.
But is there a specific reason why cornice manufacturers opt for the white color, or is it just a tradition (with no basis) that has persisted into the contemporary world?
Let’s find out why crown moldings are typically painted white and the other variations they also come in.
Why is white the most predominant color for crown moldings?
White is the most common color for crown molding for arguably two main reason.
The first is because it’s easier to take white to any other color than it is to take any color to another color or even white. So white is therefore serving as a neutral base ready to be painted over should in case the customer choose to paint the molding a different color.
The second reason is because white is simply the color that goes with every other color and also everything in the household.
Have blue painted walls? white is the perfect crown color to go with it! Your ceiling and walls are made of vertical shiplap with a deep color profile? White will still blend perfectly well with it!
The fact that white is clean, pristine, and is multi-purposed, is easily one of the reasons why manufacturers opt to paint or prime their crown moldings white or with an off white color like cream.
Aside white, the only color you’ll be able to purchase crown molding in, is the natural wood color. This means that the crown molding in itself is made from wood and that the wood isn’t painted with a paint that has pigments.
Can you paint crown molding?
Predominantly, crown moldings come in white, shades of white or the natural color of wood, and the homeowner is expected to embrace such elegant color of the molding, make it the focal point and tweak everything around it, or rather, finish it up in a style that befits the place their working with.
In terms of finishing, we’re talking about painting.
You can paint polyutherane and wood based crown molding into any of color of your choice, provided the selected color blends well with the existing palette in the space.
When deciding the color of paint to go for, take inspiration from existing trims like the baseboards below, the window and door trims, the ceiling, the wall, and the biggest focal point in the room, may be the chair, island or flooring.
If you have a small space with a low ceiling however, know that you are quite limited, because choosing the wrong color will quickly make the room appear stuffy.
For small spaces, it’s best to paint the crown molding the same color as the ceiling to maintain its height, or a slightly varied color. For instance, the ceiling can be white while the crown molding is colored cream or any shade of white, like ivory or procelain.
In really large rooms, you can get away with painting the crowns a different color than the ceiling, and even the walls. You can get away with a three color system for both ceiling, crown and walls.
The safest way to do it however, is to paint the crown molding the same color as the ceiling or a slightly varied tone of color from the ceiling.
Then you can choose to paint the wall a different yet complementary category of color, or stick with colors that are closely related.
Now coming over to how you can paint crown moldings, ½ of the painting job is already done for you because most crown molding manufacturers prime their crowns in the factories before ever selling them.
All you need to do as a homeowner is paint the surface of the crown using a high quality arcylic paint or a latex based paint.
Make sure to paint crowns prior to installation, in order to get to corners and intricate really well and also minimise the risks of ruining other surfaces in the course of painting an already fixed molding.
Most the time, a single coat of paint should suffice on a polyurethanre based crown, but for wood, you might have to do two coats to really get that finished look on the surface.
As for what you should use for the painting job, it’s always recommended to use brush for crowns that have been installed and a sprayer for crowns that have not been installed.
Should crown molding have the same color as ceiling?
Crown moldings painted or having the same color as the ceiling is typically the way it’s normally done.
You can go for a stronger color on the crown moldings for sure but that’s if you’re not dealing with a low ceiling, because the strong color will quickly highlight the low height of the ceiling, and make the room look overwhelmed, especially when the walls too have a different color.
In a very large room however, a different of color molding and ceiling would easily work.
One color palette you can work with is a white ceiling, a black crown molding and a brown painted wall. This looks absolutely gorgeous in a room that has very tall ceilings.
To break the uniformity of an all white house also, paint the crowns in any of the shades of brown or black. This would create a beautiful definition that is very pleasing to look at.
Should all trim be the same color?
Yes, all trims in a house have the same color to avoid creating a reese’s pieces mess of your apartment.
With different colors of trims, it’s easy to go wrong and mess up the entire look of the house.
Instead, opt for a uniform look, then fall back on the natural colors of elements in the household like furniture, ceiling, walls, television and rugs to break off the uniformity and balance things out.