IMO an 8' ceiling is too low for crown molding. You could get a similar look 2 different ways. Let's say your ceiling is painted white & is smooth sheetrock/non-textured i.e., NOT a popcorn ceiling. You could: (1) take 3/4" sheetrock, cut it in, for example, 9" widths with the outer edge beveled, & affix it to the perimeter of your ceiling & paint the same color as the ceiling - this gives you a bit of texture, less formal than crown molding, but since it's wider than crown molding the eye won't be drawn up into the edges of the 8' walls/ceiling; or (2) simply paint a crown-molding-wide strip or a 9" (or whatever) border around the ceiling perimeter. Use a paint that's just a shade or 2 off the ceiling color & something that harmonizes with both your ceiling color & wall color. Both ideas add visual texture without a heavy outline that crown molding can make.

However, if you have a textured ceiling, you've increased the difficulty...

This is not an all or nothing situation. There are many different sizes and styles of crown moulding. Here is a standard chart for guidance on ceiling height and crown moulding sizes:

7 foot ceiling - 3" or smaller
8 foot ceiling - 3"- 4"
9 foot ceiling - 4" - 5"
10 foot ceiling - 6"
17 foot ceiling - 8" or larger
This is taken from a builder's website:
http://www.glasscreek.com/Web%20Pages/Article%20Files/Crown_Moulding.htm

In our house (c. 1920) the original crown moulding on our 8' ceilings is 4". Looks perfectly proportioned, IMO.

thank you! This is the great debate in our house. I want it, my husband does not. I'm sure this is influenced by his unwillingness to tackle another project!

I am having the same debate with myself, I have 8 ft. ceilings but am looking for something in the 2 1/2 inch range.

Bottom line I guess it is up to me. Heard both sides and I still have to make a decision.

As a cabinet company we alway say use crown, as stated in a previous comment, the height of the ceilings can determine the size of the crown. You can use a smaller crown so it doesn't over power the look of the room. Most lumber yards (not menards, home depot) will carry a large selection of crown and sizes. At our shop we make all of our own crown, so we can make at it size the clients needs. This might be an option as well, finding a custom cabinet shop that can make you so some so you get the right height. Crown also will help fill in any gaps you painting mistakes you may have between the ceilings and walls.

This was the debate in our house lately. We have 8' ceilings and I wanted a substantial, but not overwhelming crown molding. Hubby thought smaller was more appropriate for the room. There already was small crown (2.5") in the room and frankly, it made the room look a bit cheap and it was wimpy looking. I wanted a moderate crown (5") so took a leap and put it up. I am SO glad I did! It is just the perfect size for my room and my wall height. Looks impressive and beautiful without being wimpy (too small) or overpowering the room by being too large.

So while most people recommended to me to go small, my gut said go bigger and I am glad I did. The 5" crown looks so good in my house and even hubs agrees that it was definitely the way to go. I could have probably gone up to 6", but for me, that would have been the largest I would go.

I decided to go for a 4" crown moulding on a 8 foot ceiling. it does looks great!
and adding a base cap later 1" after. no done yet

Try 3 1/2" crown it will look much better.

8 foot ceiling with 4" crown molding
reccesed light 4" with Nickel brush finish

I always surprised folks ask this question, you would think living with 8 ft ceilings is akin to living in cave. Adding crown molding is a great way to create more interest and detail, go big or go home.

I'm pretty sure we have 8 ft ceilings, but my question is if you have a really tiny house (like low square footage vs height), will molding size make a difference? I would love to redo the molding around all of the floors, doors, windows and ceilings but I'm afraid of making my already tiny (960 sf) house tinier! The molding on the floor is pretty old and just really dinged up and I personally think it is too small.

i really don't see the difference, i love your home, great decorating. Maybe that is the reason I cant tell the difference. That clock makes me look at it instead of the ceiling.

Yotsy Ruiz Services the recessed lighting makes your ceilings look like they are going to heaven lol. Love the look!

I'm with Smiley. If you like molding, use it.

Tack up a small piece as a mock up. It's easier to make the decision when you can see what the finished installation looks like. Agree that a smaller profile would look best ~3".

To Suzetteg316 I came on this cite looking for advice on whether or not to go with 6 inch crown molding on my little house with 8 ft. ceilings. I thank you so much as I was daring and it looks beautiful!!

Our house was built 32 years ago and we have a few places where there are cracks in the ceilings and walls. We were told this is due to "rafter lift" when the house settles. We are getting ready to due some updates and are having the cracks repaired and then want to install crown moulding.....we also have 8' ceilings. We want to go with a 3 - 4 inch moulding. My issue is we updated interior doors and base trim a few years ago and went with oak that is stained a brownish with a hint of red (I think is was called gunstock), so should we match the moulding to the floor trim and doors or should we paint the moulding to match or contrast with the walls? We are getting ready to paint the ceiling white and walls a light tan/grey color. I would appreciate any advice/opinions! Thanks in advance!

We are having crown molding istalled in three weeks. I am not sure of the size to pick. Our base boards are 3 2/5" with 8ft ceilings. Should we use same size as baseboard, or 1" more??

Chandeliars, sinks, and crown mold can never be too big.

ladyjudithjp, you'll get more responses if you post your question in its own thread. I can tell you our ceilings are 8' and the crown molding throughout the house is about 4 1/2". Looks great to me. When we moved in there were two bedrooms without the crown molding. We had it installed and immediately noticed how it seemed to "raise" the ceiling by pulling the eye up. I'm not a pro but there was no question with the before and after. I think you'd be fine using something around the same size we have.

Yes to crown molding! Not only is it attractive, it also hides..or makes it easier to paint a nice straight wall/ceiling line.

I had 8 ft ceilings and uses 5 1/4 crown and 5 1/2 baseboard. Actually made my walls look taller IMO. I always felt no trim looked unfinished, but I love trim! "Preference" is the word.

We decided to go for it with our 8' ceilings and so HAPPY we did. It really adds class and a finished look to the room.

I wish I had found this earlier. I picked out, and they've installed the majority of, 7 1/2" crown moulding on my 9' ceilings. Wondered why it looked rather large. Hopefully, I will get used to it. For some reason, thought my base and crown should be close to the same size and my baseboards are 7" as well

We are in the midst of a complete renovation and are having 4 1/2 “ crown in the rooms with 8 ‘ crilings and 5 1/2 “ crown in the rooms with 10’ ceilings. The crown is looking great and making the rooms look finish and complete

Some of the great residential architectural design does not have high ceilings. It’s also great if your views are good to design to drawn the eye outside and out vs up :) you can go up or out ;) crown looks fabulous on 8 ft ceilings 😊

Just thinking about this myself and I have been looking at a lot of rooms. So many people are over cautious and have crown mouldings that look too small. I have had a few samples on my ceiling and will be going for 4 inch with an 8 foot ceiling, but still fairly simple in style as it is a 1970s house (currently there is just a wooden batten just under an inch square - looks really cheap).