Woodworking costs depend on your project and location. Check with a local pro for your specific job.
Foam crown molding installation costs between $1,500 and $2,800 for your entire home, with labor driving most of your total.
Your ceiling height and room dimensions determine how much molding you need and how long your installation takes to complete.
Account for caulking and paint supplies, plus removal of existing molding and wall prep that adds $150 or more to your budget.
Hiring a local crown molding installation professional ensures your project is done well and boosts your overall home resale value.
Installing foam crown molding costs homeowners an average of $2,300 for an entire home upgrade. However, you may pay as little as $210 or as much as $6,400, depending on the size of the rooms and your local labor costs. Crown molding can add a beautiful aesthetic touch to any room. Foam crown molding is a great choice for high-moisture areas.
Crown molding size has a direct effect on the total project cost. While foam crown molding has a low cost per linear foot, between $0.50 and $3, labor costs can often exceed $10 per linear foot, and don’t scale as well as material costs. This means that even though you may be able to save on larger projects, you won’t see a huge reduction in the total cost. The prices below include both labor and materials.
| Common rooms | Dimensions | Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom | 8 ft x 12 ft | $360–$580 |
| Medium bedroom | 12 ft x 12 ft | $400–$630 |
| Master bedroom | 14 ft x 18 ft | $580–$880 |
| Small living room | 12 ft x 16 ft | $500–$760 |
| Large living room | 18 ft x 20 ft | $690–$1,100 |
| Kitchen | 10 ft x 12 ft | $400–$600 |
| Bathroom | 5 ft x 8 ft | $230–$380 |
Foam crown molding is different than other materials for a few reasons, but a big one is in its manufacturing process. Wood needs to be carved or shaved, but foam is produced in casts, which means much of the intricate detail that would take a long time with wooden styles like Victorian or colonial simply doesn’t apply to foam molding.
Because of this, foam molding tends to be priced consistently across styles. This doesn’t mean that the most complicated style will be as inexpensive as the simplest, but it does mean price differences aren’t as extreme as they would be if the molding were made of a more labor-intensive crown molding material. This helps keep costs much lower than traditional materials.
Foam crown molding can be made almost anywhere, so there won’t be regional differences in pricing. Where geography really has an impact is on labor costs. Cities and areas with few pros will find the project much more expensive than people in suburban, well-populated zones.
While not strictly location-based, the height of your ceilings plays a role in installation costs as well. Not everyone enjoys being up on ladders working overhead for hours on end, so expect a premium on labor if you have high ceilings.
| Location | Average Cost for a Home |
|---|---|
| New York City, NY | $2,500–$5,000 |
| Sacramento, CA | $2,000–$3,200 |
| Detroit, MI | $1,000–$1,700 |
| Tucson, AZ | $1,200–$1,900 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $1,100–$1,800 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $1,500–$2,400 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $1,400–$2,300 |
| Seattle, WA | $2,100–$4,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $1,800–$3,000 |
| Charlotte, NC | $1,600–$2,700 |
| Dallas, TX | $1,300–$2,200 |
Purchasing the material and paying for installation aren’t the only costs to consider. When researching this project, be sure to avoid any unwanted surprises.
You can adhere the molding to the wall and call it a day, but we recommend some finishing touches. Caulking corners, where the molding meets the wall and ceiling, and at corners, will help blend the molding into the wall seamlessly. Most foam molding will be painted over, which we recommend as well. How you decide to paint your crown molding, however, is up to you.
Installing crown molding commands a slightly lower hourly price than installing trim—between $50 and $100 per hour. Foam crown molding is much easier to work with than other crown molding materials, so even a relatively inexperienced pro can cut, install, and paint it in a much shorter amount of time.
The cost of building permits can be high in some home improvement projects. However, crown molding installation rarely requires one. You’d need to pull a permit if, during the installation, you needed to structurally alter a room or the home.
If you have existing crown molding, it’ll need to be removed. This will cost between $30 and $80 per hour to remove. After any existing molding is removed, you need to prep the wall. In most cases, this only involves marking the molding location with a pencil and prepping the wall (keeping demolition and prep costs to a minimum). All you need to do is clean the wall with a wet towel, and it should be good to go.
Foam crown molding won’t attract bugs, can’t rot, and is extremely resistant to molding. In almost all cases, the only maintenance you’ll need to do is periodically dust the molding and make sure it’s adhered properly. If it isn’t, you’ll start to see gapping where it meets the wall and where foam pieces meet.
There are two warranties for most home projects—the material warranty and the installation warranty. These will have different warranty periods and stipulations, so make sure to read the fine print for the material you purchase and to discuss the warranty that covers the installation with your pro. Common periods are 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year (for both product and labor).
DIYing this work will come down to a few key things: time, cost, and experience. Handy homeowners may view this as a relatively simple task, but for the uninitiated, installing crown molding, especially in more than one room, just may not be worth the time investment and learning curve. In such cases, talk to a local crown molding pro to discuss pricing and timelines.
Those who are more intrepid can forge ahead with a DIY, but they need to know this is a project where it’s easy to make a costly mistake. For example, incorrectly applying adhesive to a wall could damage the wall itself. Improper measurements can lead to forfeiting materials, and outright purchasing the wrong molding or adhesive isn’t unheard of.
Repairing foam crown molding isn’t cost-effective or efficient. The reason you may repair crown molding is that it’s unique or difficult to replace. Foam molding, however, is neither, and is inexpensive to replace, which is what we recommend. That being said, there are certain instances where it makes sense to repair instead of outright replace, such as:
When you just need to reapply failing adhesive.
Chipped or old paint may just need a new coat.
Changing the color of your wall or ceiling doesn’t necessarily mean you need new molding.
The general rule when considering whether to replace or repair is that if a repair costs more than around 50% of the value of a replacement, you should go with the replacement.
Installing crown molding in your home can offer a return on investment (ROI) of between 50% and 80% on average. So you can recoup a healthy amount of the up-front cost of your crown molding if you decide to sell your home. Potential buyers will likely value the luxury touch and, in some markets, expect it. Foam crown molding can be a much smarter investment compared to expensive materials like wood if you’re looking to boost the appearance of your home without digging deep into your wallet.
Well, there aren’t many. Foam crown molding tends to be the budget alternative already when homeowners are looking to upgrade their interior. The absolute biggest difference you can make as a homeowner is DIYing the work (or at least some of it) in order to cut down, or outright cut out, labor costs. Foam crown molding material is already inexpensive, so we actually recommend purchasing a quality product and saving on labor rather than the other way around.
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
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Pioneer WoodworksFrom average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Find out how much it costs to install crown molding by type and size. Use our expert guide to figure out how much crown molding you need, how much crown molding costs near you, and whether you need to hire a pro.
Discover how much it costs to remove crown molding based on factors like its size, location in your home, material, and more.
If your crown molding has edges or seams, you may want to caulk it. You can DIY this work or hire a pro—use this guide to learn the cost for both.
There are a lot of crown molding materials to choose from, and you’ll need to know the benefits of each to know how to pick the best one for your needs.
When comparing foam crown molding versus wood, foam offers multiple advantages, especially with price. However, wood has a traditional look that’s tough to beat.
When you want maximum durability, consider selecting between PVC crown molding versus wood. PVC is moisture resistant, while wood gives you a vintage design.
