DIY tip

When we first moved into this house, we did a very quick patch and paint of the main rooms in order to get moved in quickly and have some rooms "done".  Now, in preparing for the bedroom makeover, I have taken the time to finish the room properly before decorating.  I taped and patched a number of cracks in the ceiling, but was unsure what to do about the bad cracks that had developed where the walls meet the ceiling just above our picture rail. 

We discussed removing the picture rail, patching the corners, then re-mounting the picture rail, but this really seemed like more work than we wanted to devote to these ceilings.  Instead, I came up with a plan to hide the cracks.  We nailed up a piece of 1/4 round base shoe (usually used at the base of your floorboards where they meet the floor) at the top of the picture rail, effectively masking the cracks.  I then caulked both seams to end up with what looks like one piece of moulding. 

Lastly, a coat of paint makes for a clean finished product with no cracks in sight.  I didn't want the moulding to be a stand out element, but I did want to define it from the white ceiling, so I chose a soft dove gray.

Stock mouldings from a home store can be cheap and versatile home solutions.  If you don't have an issue like my picture rail, you can always just add moulding to a room to create more interest and give it classic appeal.