Styrofoam crown molding- pros/cons?
July 10, 2015 1:55 PM   Subscribe

Our contractor is recommending styrofoam crown molding for our reno because it'll be better able to maintain its integrity as the building settles (we live in a century-old multi-unit Brooklyn building that definitely has these issues). If you've used it, what has your experience been? Does it look any different from wood/composite? Any concerns to be aware of?
posted by mkultra to Home & Garden (7 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I'm sure your century-old building has settled a fair bit, but if it's still settling noticeably then something is wrong. It's true that foam is more dimensionally stable than wood, but that's a fairly meaningless distinction unless the crown will be very large. Dollars to donuts, the real reasons your contractor wants to use foam are that the material is both cheaper and easier to work with.

Assuming it will be painted, it will look pretty much the same.
posted by jon1270 at 2:08 PM on July 10, 2015


Response by poster: The molding is a pass-through expense, that's not an issue.
posted by mkultra at 2:14 PM on July 10, 2015


My parents used it in parts of their home. If painted, you can't tell and it lets you do things that would be prohibitively expensive if done in wood. Their house was in a few decorator magazines and is still beautiful (including the foam moldings) 20 years on.
posted by cecic at 2:26 PM on July 10, 2015


I used it before and it worked great, however if you like me have an amazing kid, with a great throwing arm, know that they dent very easily and if they're high up can be a pain to fix/replace.
posted by dstopps at 5:23 PM on July 10, 2015


I can't agree that it's easier to work with; styrene moldings are nasty to handle, exude toxic fumes when cut and start softening if you heat them up even a little, so you can't sand them at all. They're generally a low-budget option. Painted and up high, you can't really tell the difference (although caulk sometimes doesn't stick too well, so make sure your painter knows what they're in for).

I can't quite wrap my head around crown molding as the locus for differential settlement problems. The styrene is very bendy, so it will curve rather than crack, but if your crown molding is bending noticeably you've got bigger problems than aesthetics.

And yep, they really aren't too durable. Crown, sure, but baseboard never.
posted by werkzeuger at 2:22 PM on July 11, 2015 [1 favorite]


This question came up on a car ride today. Consensus was 2nding werkzeuger -- styrene will curve if you have existing weird spots to cover. It's cheap but can look fine painted. We didn't think styrene would handle structural shifts over time though. The bending is meant for ease during installation and not long term compensation for structural shifting. If bends happen after install, the styrene molding will likely crack.
posted by countrymod at 2:33 PM on July 11, 2015


After mulling it over, I know why your contractor wants to use styrene: weight. It's very light compared to wood, especially hardwood. Installing crown involves lots of repeated overhead lifting and checking for fit. A long piece of big crown in hardwood could take three or four people to manage. Styrene could be lifted easily, even in large long sizes. It could affect labor costs. It's definitely easier.
posted by werkzeuger at 5:46 AM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


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