Pediment Over a Door — Decorative Crown Cap on Interior Casing
The head casing over a door is a flat board. A pediment makes it a header: a band, a crown and a cap that turn an ordinary opening into the one people notice.
JMB Builders installs a pediment over a door, or a built-up header, on interior casing across the Twin Cities metro: a flat frieze board over the head casing, a small crown or bed molding on top, a fillet or cap above that, and returns at each end so no end grain shows. It goes on existing casing or with new trim, filled and primed. Priced per unit, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per door or opening
- Frieze, crown and cap, ends returned
- Fits over existing casing or new trim
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A pediment, crosshead or built-up header is the trim that sits on top of the head casing of a door and makes the opening taller and heavier looking. In its simplest form it is a flat frieze board with a crown molding on top and a cap over the crown, returned on itself at each end. Fancier versions add a bed molding under the frieze, a keystone in the center, or a peaked or broken pediment. JMB Builders builds and installs them across the Twin Cities metro on entry-hall doors, cased openings between rooms, closet doors in a formal bedroom, and the front door from the inside.
The mistake on most store-bought header kits is proportion. A header that is too tall for the door looks like a hat; one that is too thin looks like a shelf. The frieze height, the crown size and the overhang of the cap all have to match the width of the casing and the height of the ceiling. We size the header to the door and the room from your photos, build it on the bench as one piece so the miters and returns are tight, and mount it with glue and pins into the head casing and the framing above.
Headers go in primed, filled and caulked. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself. A stain-grade header is built from the same wood as the casing.
What you supply
- A photo of the door from across the room and a close-up of the top of the casing, plus the ceiling height
- The look: a flat crosshead, a crown header, a peaked pediment, a keystone, or a photo to match
- Which doors get it; a header on one door in a hall usually means the others want one too
- Your paint or stain color if you want us to finish it; painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A frieze board in primed MDF or poplar, sized to the casing width and the ceiling height
- Crown, bed or cove molding on top of the frieze and a flat cap above it, mitered and returned at each end
- A bed molding or a fillet under the frieze where it meets the head casing, when the style calls for it
- A keystone, a peaked pediment or dentil molding as an option
- The header built on the bench as one assembly, then glued and pinned through the head casing into the header framing
- Nail holes filled, joints caulked, all primed; painting or staining quoted as a separate line
- Photos of the finished doors in your job folder
How it is priced: per unit
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- A simple crosshead (frieze, crown and cap) vs. a peaked or broken pediment with a keystone
- Whether the head casing under it is flat and wide enough to carry the header, or has to be replaced
- Ceiling height and the clearance between the top of the casing and the ceiling or the crown
- Paint-grade MDF and poplar vs. stain-grade to match wood casing
- How many doors in the same visit; the parts are cut in one setup
- A header on a wide cased opening or a double door, which needs a longer, deeper frieze
- Painting or staining as a separate line, or primed for you
Send a photo of the door with the ceiling in the shot and the width of the casing. That is enough to size the header and quote it.
How long it takes
Three or four single doors: a day. A peaked pediment or a header on a wide double opening: a day each. Painting is a return trip after the primer cures.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Flat crosshead
A frieze board with a small crown and a cap, returned at each end. The plain version that fits a colonial, a farmhouse or a new build with flat casing.
Built-up crown header
A taller frieze, a bed molding under it, a full crown on top and a wide cap. Reads as an entablature over the door and belongs in a room with crown molding at the ceiling.
Peaked or broken pediment
The triangular or split-top header over a front door from the inside or a formal dining room opening, with a keystone or a rosette in the center. Built on the bench as one piece.
Header over a cased opening
A long frieze and crown over a doorless opening between rooms, sized to the wider span so it does not sag in the middle, and fastened into the header framing behind the drywall.
Pediment Over a Door — Decorative Crown Cap on Interior Casing: questions, answered
Can you add a pediment over a door that already has casing?
Yes, and that is how most of them go on. The head casing stays, the header assembly sits on top of it, and it is glued and pinned down into the head casing and up into the framing above the door. If the existing head casing is a narrow or rounded profile, we replace that one piece with a flat board so the header has a base to sit on, and the two side legs stay.
How tall should a door header or pediment be?
It depends on the door height, the casing width and the ceiling. As a rule the frieze is a little taller than the casing is wide, the crown on top is a small profile so the whole header stays in proportion, and there is clear wall above the cap before the ceiling or the crown molding. On a standard-height ceiling that means a modest header; on a tall ceiling it can be built up. We size it from the photos rather than from a kit.
What is the difference between a pediment and a crosshead?
A crosshead is the flat version: a horizontal frieze board with a crown and a cap on top, sometimes a bed molding under it. A pediment is the same thing with a shape on top, usually a triangle, a curve or a broken peak with a keystone in the middle. Both sit on the head casing and both are returned at the ends. Most interior doors get a crosshead; the pediment is for the one door that is meant to be the focus.
Should every door in the hall get a header?
Doors that face the same space should match. One header on a hall with four doors looks like a mistake; four headers looks like the house was designed that way. That does not mean the whole house: the bedrooms can stay plain while the hall, the entry and the dining room get headers. We quote it per door so you can decide where it stops.
Can you put a pediment over a cased opening with no door?
Yes. A wide cased opening between a living room and a dining room is one of the best places for it. The frieze is built longer and a little deeper so it stays straight over the span, and it is fastened into the header framing behind the drywall rather than just into the casing. The crown and cap are mitered and returned at both ends the same as on a door.
Do you paint the header or does it come primed?
It goes on primed, with the nail holes filled and the joints caulked, ready for paint. Painting it the trim color is quoted as its own line on the quote, or you paint it yourself. A stain-grade header in oak, fir or poplar is built to match your casing and is stained and finished as a separate line as well.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All finish carpentry pages
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