Use a little ingenuity to disguise or even repair molding flaws.
Crown molding adds elegance and a finished look to a room, bridging the gap between the walls and ceiling with decorative strips of wood, plaster or synthetic material. Although the purposes of molding are to bring the ceiling and wall together and to hide imperfections, sometimes the molding itself has flaws that should be disguised. With a step-ladder and a little ingenuity, only you will be the wiser about your molding's irregularities.
Caulk and Wood Putty
Acrylic caulk fills spaces between molding and walls.
A small tube of acrylic caulk or a container of wood putty, both available at home improvement centers, fix gaps in molding so you don't have to hide them. Squeeze acrylic caulk into gaps between molding and ceiling or walls. Remove the excess with an old credit card or a damp rag. Repair gaps between strips of molding and corners that don't fit together correctly. It may not be perfect up close, but from the floor level no one will ever notice. If gaps are serious, fill them with wood putty. Use your finger to push the putty into the space and pack it well. Once dry, paint it to match the molding. If your problem is nail holes, try filling them with spackling compound, also found in hardware stores. Spackling doesn't shrink like caulk can, according to the Extreme How-To website.
Decorative Corner Fillers
Corners are often the least attractive part of a crown molding installation, and the most likely to have flaws. Uneven walls and ceilings make it difficult for pieces to match perfectly, even for professionals. Make your corners match and create a custom look by installing prefabricated, decorative corner blocks. Blocks are available for inner and outer corners and are designed to coordinate, rather than match, the molding. In fact, they are meant to stand out.
Dark Paint
As fashion designers have known for ages, black hides a multitude of imperfections. Paint your crown molding black or another dark color, and any flaws will be nearly impossible to notice, as seen at Better Homes and Gardens' website. If the walls are light, the impact is greater. You'll notice the color, but not the flaws. Glossy paint is more reflective, so choose a paint with a little less shine if you need to hide serious flaws.
Picture Molding/Rail
Picture molding was commonly used in the Victorian era as a way to hang art without damaging plaster walls. Narrower than crown molding, it is installed just below it. Consider adding picture molding to your walls to draw the eye away from flawed crown. Hang picture rail hardware from the picture molding, attach long cords or chains to your pictures and hang the pictures from the hardware. This will pull focus from the crown down the wall to the hanging pictures.
Tags: acrylic caulk, between molding, color flaws, crown molding, gaps between, little ingenuity