crown moulding profiles and dimensions (click image to enlarge)

The 1850’s saw a boom in the popularity of mouldings thanks to the invention of planing machines which could produce mouldings off-site at a much lower cost. Suddenly, elaborate decorative mouldings were much more accessible, albeit still difficult and expensive to install. Still more than a century and a half away from the sophisticated, lightweight mouldings technology available today, people lucky enough to have crown mouldings in their homes had to deal with the arduous task of maintaining wood and plaster prone to environmental wear and tear.

In the late 1980s, medium density fibreboard (MDF) hit the scene. Though MDF mouldings are more lightweight than earlier forms, they have the unfortunate disadvantage of releasing free formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and other toxic compounds for at least several months after manufacture. MDF mouldings are also sensitive to environmental stressors, exhibiting significant shrinkage in low humidity, as well as warping and cracking.

Today, we find ourselves in a golden era of mouldings. Plaster Coated Styrofoam (PCS) mouldings, complete with our proprietary flexible coating, are leaps and bounds beyond anything that came before them. They are 100% non-toxic, lightweight, durable, virtually immune to differences in humidity, and easy to install yourself. Best of all, they are available at a fraction of the cost of traditional mouldings. There’s a reason mouldings have been a consistent architectural feature for thousands of years, and it’s never been easier to continue this proud tradition in your own home.