How To Paint Crown Molding the Easy Way

worstontheblockMarch 14, 2021

Are you thinking about painting your crown molding and injecting some new life into your space? If so, follow along. In this post I’ll show you exactly how to brighten up that dull molding with some paint.

After finishing our whitewashing project on our brick fireplace and removing the giant distraction which was our ugly red brick, it became clear that we had more work to do.

Beneath our walnut-stained crown molding, we have a cube-shaped molding that was already painted when we moved in. This ran throughout the entire room and always looked pretty strange.

But now that the bricks were finally looking so good, the half-painted molding was looking really bad.

Since half of the molding was already painted, it would have been incredibly difficult to strip the molding and then try to match all of the (several) other wood finishes in the room.

Instead, we just decided to cut our losses and paint all of it white. And now that it’s done, we LOVE it.

But beware: once you paint your wood finishes it’s incredibly difficult and time consuming to go back to the original wood, so MAKE SURE this is something you really want to do first.

If you have that timeless wood millwork and molding in a historic home, take time and really consider working with the wood as that quality cannot be replicated anymore.

Preserving the wood also does a lot for your resale value and can be quite beautiful with the right furnishings and decor.

That being said, it is your home and you have to love it.

So if you’re ready to take the plunge, follow along and learn how to make this impactful transformation.

Painting Crown Molding

What you’ll need:

paint brush
old rags
primer
paint
painter’s tape
drop cloths
ladder or step stool
patience
paint bucket
paint pourer

Arrange the furniture.

Pile all your furniture in the center of the room. This makes it easier for you to access the beams and move your ladder/step stool around the room.

Then cover your furniture with drop cloths or old bedsheets for a little protection from potential paint spills.

Clean the beams.

It’s important to clean the beams first to ensure the paint will stick to the wood instead of the dust. This is also a great opportunity to really get into those hard to reach places and get a jump on spring cleaning.

Depending on how long it’s been, you could get your vacuum up there to suck up any dust and cobwebs first. Then clean all moldings with a rag and wood cleaner.

Protect surrounding surfaces.

Use your painter’s tape to tape around the moldings and protect any surfaces you don’t want paint on. Some people with a very steady hand are able to forego the tape– I am not one of them.

Once everything’s taped, make sure you protect your floors by laying drop cloths on areas around the room that may be in danger of drops of paint.

Also consider any areas on the walls that may need some extra protection.

We have three built-in bookcases which we covered with old sheets. This will save you from having to empty all the contents of the shelves.

You might also take down any artwork on the walls that may be in the “splash zone”.

Prepare moldings.

Take a good look at your moldings for any imperfections that may stand out with paint. You’ll want to sink any nails that stick out from the molding using a nail set and hammer.

Wood putty can be used to fill any sunken nail holes or wide joints. Use a putty that matches the color of your wood so it will blend nicely under the paint.

All of these little holes and joints had to be filled so they didn’t show after painting.

When the putty is dry, go over it with sand paper to smooth it down and then wipe away any dust left behind.

Prime wood.

Mix your primer with a paint stirrer and dump some of it into your mini paint bucket.

I recommend putting just a little paint in your bucket at a time. Yes, you may have to refill the bucket more often BUT if it drops by some unfortunate event, there will be less to clean up.

Using your brush, prime your moldings with long brush strokes, working in sections. You’ll have to move your step stool around the room so have patience and be careful!

Allow to dry and clean up.

Any primer leftover in your paint bucket can be put in an old tupperware container and labeled for your next project.

Clean out your paint bucket and brush with warm soapy water. If you have a slop sink or an outdoor sink, that’s the place to do this job. It will make a mess. If not (I don’t either), wipe up any paint splashes immediately and you should be fine.

Follow the directions on your primer and allow to dry completely. Leave the dropcloths down and everything covered as you will be painting next.

Paint wood.

Now you’re going to follow basically the same steps you used to prime, except with the paint. Mix the paint, pour some in your bucket, climb that step stool and get to it!

Make sure you get in every crevice for those intricate moldings. Use long brush strokes and work in sections, making your way around the room.

You may be able to get away with one coat. My moldings needed two as the wood was still showing through after the first coat.

A warning: all this looking up and painting above your head can be exhausting and asks a lot of your arm and shoulder. Be patient and take breaks as needed.

I was certainly exhausted afterwards but it was SO WORTH IT. The temporary pain doesn’t even come close to the joy I feel when I walk into our bright and cozy living room everyday.

Allow the paint to dry & clean up.

While you are waiting for the paint to dry, wash all your brushes and paint bucket in warm soapy water after storing any extra paint into an old tupperware container as mentioned above.

Don’t forget to label!

Remove tape.

Go nice and easy here, being sure not to rip any paint off the wall.

At this point I find with many of my painting jobs that sometimes a very small amount of the paint will drip through no matter how careful I am when taping.

What you can do in this instance is take a very small paint brush (like an arts and crafts one) and carefully go over the area where the paint seeped through.

You need a steady hand here-don’t do this after several cups of coffee or your evening cocktail!

Our wall color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter and we had extra in the basement from the original paint job a year prior.

If you do not have your wall paint on hand, you can pick up a sample size from your local paint store. This should be plenty to do a quick touch up and is just a few bucks.

If you don’t know the name of your paint color, you can carefully cut out a small sample and bring it to your paint store. They should be able to match it for you.

Remove drop cloths and rearrange furniture.

This is such an exciting step as you start to see how the room is going to come together with your beautiful moldings.

Put away all drop cloths and pull your room back in order. Grab a buddy to move that heavy furniture back into place and lift with your legs!

Marvel at your work.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy your hard work. There’s nothing better than a DIY like this one that brings SO MUCH impact to your space.

Putting in a weekend of work and of having my living room in disarray for a few days was so worth it.

The freshly painted, white moldings look so fresh and bright and add a contemporary touch to our old home.

We hope you love them as much as we do!

Questions? We’re here!

Leave a comment below and let us know what color you’re thinking of painting your moldings.
Any brave souls painting their moldings a color other than white?

We’d love to see how it comes out!