Crown moulding in the bathroom...opinions?

[scott vroom]

I'm looking for opinions on a bath remodel. It's a standard 5x8 bathroom with a tub/shower alcove. I'm considering whether or not to install 2.5" crown moulding around the ceiling. I've got crown moulding throughtout the entire house and am thinking it might add a touch of class to the bathroom. I'd end up with tan walls and white ceiling trimmed with white crown. I'm not so concerned about moisture since I'm using painted MDF moulding and would caulk the top and bottom to prevent moisture from getting behind the crown. Also, it's a guest bath and the shower is rarely used.

What are your thoughts? Do any of my fellow 'Creekers have bathroom crown?

[Van Huskey]

We have crown in all our bathrooms both small and large and haven't had an issue. I have one shower that I trimmed at the top with moulding and used a small plastic "exterior" moulding. It is not a crown profile (not sure what to call it). In my experience wood or MDF crown in a bathroom is not an isssue.

[scott vroom]

Thanks Van. I really like the look but the family is split on it. I installed 3.5" crown throughout the house and am looking at maybe 2.5" for the small bathroom. Not sure if there are design conventions on moulding size but I think too large a crown might overwhelm a small bathroom.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I wouldn't use MDF, but if you must use it, at least prime and paint the back before you install it, and caulk it. Otherwise, use solid wood. Most of the moisture in the bathroom ends up on the ceiling.

[Prashun Patel]

We have MDF in our bathroom. No issue. Do prime and paint both sides properly, though.

I agree that a smaller crown is preferable in a small space.

I also think a picture rail hung 6-9" below the ceiling in lieu of a crown makes for a lighter, but as neat and elegant look. You paint the area above the rail the same color as the ceiling.

[george wilson]

I'm not a house type guy,but can you get foam filled fake moldings in smaller sizes? Colonial Williamsburg sells(at least used to sell) foam filled fancy 18th.C. style large crown moldings,and other things like the large rosettes (?) that you see in the ceilings of large homes. I'd think that such moldings might not be affected by moisture.

On the other hand,I would be afraid that MDF would slowly begin to swell in spite of paint inside and out.

[Van Huskey]

I also think a picture rail hung 6-9" below the ceiling in lieu of a crown makes for a lighter, but as neat and elegant look. You paint the area above the rail the same color as the ceiling.


I like tha look also but only if the ceiling is 9' or taller.

[Gene Waara]

I also added MDF crown to our main bath about a year ago. It too is rarely used for showers - no issues as yet and looks great. I have had several compliments on it.

[scott vroom]

It's an 8' ceiling and we're looking at 2.5" classic crown to avoid overwhelming the room. It's a guest bath with a 110 CFM ceiling fan and the shower rarely gets used so I'm not worried about moisture. Besides, if it swells after 5 years it just gives me an excuse for another project:D

[Don Morris]

My son and I put it in his 9' ceiling bathroom. Looks nice. They didn't put it in his bathroom, but had it in the rest of his townhouse. Didn't look complete without it. At least that's what his LOML told him as the reason he had to do it.

[Ben Franz]

I guess I'll chime in as devil's advocate. Crown has historically been used in public areas (LR, parlor, DR, etc.) and now is common in kitchens, at least at the top of cabinetry. Master BR, I guess, why not. When you start trimming out the bathroom this way, for MY taste it's a little over the top - sort of like a ranch house trimmed out with a 3 piece crown and 8" base/cap/shoe. It isn't a Victorian and 8' walls with heavy mouldings look out of scale. That said, it's only my opinion and it might be worth what you paid for it. It's your house and a moderate sized crown like the 3.5" you're using isn't horrible. If there is a slightly smaller crown with the same profile, it might be a better choice for a small room. Scale is important.

[Von Bickley]

I have 3.5 inch crown molding everywhere except closets. It is also in bathrooms, large and small, and I think it looks great. :)

[scott vroom]

The crown for the bathroom is only 2.5"....IMO scaled correctly to the room size. The rest of the house is 3.5" crown...and two of those rooms have vaulted ceilings that run to 12' high.

We're putting in all new door casing and baseboard: 2.25" Colonial case and 3.25" Coronado base. I agree that all trim should be proportional to the room size and ceiling height. I'm in the SF Bay Area where crown througout is recognized as a very marketable upgrade.

[Bill Orbine]

I going to be putting up 4-1/2" crown in my client's bathroom next week. I've done larger crowns in bathrooms and really the point is moot whether the size of crown overwhelms the room as long as there's room for the larger crown. Sometimes you need to chose your crown size based on other moldings (baseboards, casings, etc,) and woodworks like the vanity cabinets. You just want to avoid being either overwhelming or puny. In any case, type of material isn't a major factor but I do tend to stay away from MDF if I could, but will use MDF if none other is availiable in the particular profile. As long as the caulking and painting are done proper. Heck, I've done bathroom beadboard wainscot in MDF and never had a problem.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I used a 3.5" mdf crown in our master bathroom 110 cfm fan and at least 2 showers a day, no problems. I think it's all well and good to consider the use of period/style moldings in the proper house, but crown moulding looks great in most applications, plus it makes trimming the paint and taping those pesky corners easier.

Ryan

[Rob Price]

We have crown in all our bathrooms, we used the same crown as the rest of the house. When I finished my basement, I did use pine for all the trim/casing/crown. Once MDF absorbs moisture there's no turning back. I do think what's more important is how you finish/caulk it. I used oil based paint hoping it would be a bit more impermeable, but I dont know if that's really true or not.