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We dressed up the living room of the historic workman’s cottage owned by Patsy and John Switzer by adding crown molding, chair rail, a decorative ceiling medallion, and faux wainscoting.

Rather than traditional wood moldings, we used lightweight polyurethane molding from Fypon, which are easy to cut and install and conform better to the irregular walls often found in older homes.

Crown Molding

Crown molding with wood corner block on yellow walls.
Fypon crown molding.

The Fypon crown molding (MLD1000-12) we installed was 6” wide. To add more visual interest and make the crown molding easier to install, wood corner blocks from The Home Depot were used in the corners with the crown molding butted up to it.

Polyurethane construction adhesive from Titebond was used to attach the moldings to the walls and ceiling. Nails were used hold the molding in place while the adhesive dried.

After the molding was in place, caulking was used to fill any cracks or gaps. When the caulking had dried, a final coat of paint was applied to both the molding and walls.

Watch our video on How to Cut and Install Crown Molding to find out more.

Ceiling Medallion

White ceiling medallion.
Fypon ceiling medallion.

A 15½” diameter Fypon medallion (#CM16JE) was attached to the ceiling around a paddle ceiling fan with construction adhesive.

When using construction adhesive to attach ceiling medallions and other moldings, apply the adhesive, press the molding in place, and then pull the molding off slightly for a second to allow the adhesive to develop more tack and dry faster.

Watch our video How to Install a Ceiling Medallion and read our article on Ceiling Medallions to find out more.

Chair Rail

Fypon molding was also used for the 3” wide chair rail (#MLD631-16) we installed in the room.

The height of the ceiling in a room helps determine how high the chair railing should be installed from the floor. Chair rail is usually installed between 30″ and 36″ from the floor, or about 1/3 of the ceiling height. Since the Switzer house had 12′ ceilings, we decided to install the chair rail a little higher than average, at 38″ from the floor.

Rather than cutting the chair rail back at a 45°angle where the molding intersected the door and window facings, we made an outside miter cut and applied a small piece of molding with construction adhesive to form a return.

Watch our video on How to Install Chair Rail Molding to find out more.

Men measuring and installing faux wainscoting on yellow wall.
Danny and Allen installing faux wainscoting.

Faux Wainscoting

To dress up the area below the chair railing, 1¼” wide decorative molding was mitered at the corners and assembled into four-sided frames, which were then attached to the wall.

Watch our video on How to Install Faux Wainscoting to find out more.

Read our article on Elegant Extras: Adding Molding to Your Home to find out more about adding moldings to your home.

Living room with yellow painted walls, white woodwork, and brown upholstered furniture.
Room with crown molding, chair rail, and faux waincoting.

Other Tips from This Episode

Ketchup bottle full of glue next to Titebond glue bottle.

Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Condiment Bottle Glue Tip

To make it easier to dispense wood glue, wash out an empty plastic condiment bottle which has a wide top that’s made to store upside down, and fill it with wood glue. Store the bottle upside down on your workbench to make it easy to dispense the glue. (Watch Video)

Jodi Marks standing in front of LifeProof Carpet display.

Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
LifeProof Carpet

LifeProof carpet has advanced stain resistance that never wears off to protect against stains from food, drinks, or pets. It’s also soft, very durable, and environmentally friendly. LifeProof carpet is available at The Home Depot. (Watch Video)

Applying textured ceiling spray to textured ceiling.

Ask Danny Lipford:
Repairing Textured Ceilings

When repairing textured walls or ceilings, it can be difficult to match the existing popcorn or orange peel finish. The solution is to apply texture in a can, such as the products from Homax, to match the texture on your walls or ceiling. (Watch Video)

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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