Cutting and Installing Crown Molding

Crown molding

These are a large family of moldings. They are planned to flare out to a finished top edge. These cover walls, cabinets and pilasters. The maximum use is in the formation of interior and exterior cornice assemblies as well as door and window hoods. Where walls meet ceilings, these moldings appear as ornamented plaster and wooden trims. They add to the flair and elegance of a room.

How to install crown molding

Utility knives, coping saws, wood putty, measuring tapes, miter saws, finish nails and hammers are the equipment required for this process. The linear footage required to span the distance to be trimmed is measured. 10 percent is added to this value for waste and mistakes. There are many sizes, shapes and finishes from which a choice can be made. The style must be compatible with the décor and personal choice. The length of the trim should be such that minimum splices are required. This will ensure a better finish. The longest trim pieces are 14 to 16 feet and there is more possibility that these may get damaged or warped. Painting or staining can be done upto satisfaction and allowed to dry. Trimming requires a long bench set up at a comfortable height. The miter saw may be manual or electric. This is used to cut the needed angles for the corners of the trim. The work station has to be set where there is plenty of light and power. A solid working platform facilitates the work. A heavy plank, two sturdy sawhorses or rent scaffolding on wheels may be used. The trimming and joining is done as follows. Imperfect square corners have to be overcome with a coped joint. The first piece of crown molding has to be fitted into the corner. The second piece has to be cope-cut and butted against the face of the first piece. A deep miter box and a fine-toothed saw is used to make a cut that displays the profile of the molding. Then, place this upside down in the miter box. The profile of the molding will be seen after cutting the proper miter. The excess wood along the backside of the molding is cut away. A utility knife is used to get rid of any extraneous material that has been missed with a coping saw. The exposed face of the molding should not be cut. The piece must be held in place and carved if felt essential. Many fittings and trimmings may be felt necessary to achieve the cleanest-fitting joint. One end of every piece of crown molding has to be cut straight and the other end has to be mitered or coped. Scarf joints are used for long runs. At planes where the pieces meet, the ends have to be cut at 45 degrees. The procedure of attaching and finishing is described further. The position of the joists has to be determined. Pilot holes are drilled to avoid the molding from splitting. 6d or 8d nails are attached to the molding, depending on the thickness of the molding. A solid nailing area where the joists run parallel to the molding has to be provided. A beveled cut 2-by-2 renders a surface, at a proper angle, where a molding can be nailed. All nails have to be countersink by using a nail set. Wood putty is used to fill all visible nail holes and cover any small gaps at the joints so that a seamless sight is seen. The nail holes and small fill-ins have to match the rest of the molding.

Cutting Crown molding

In the Non-compound (vertically nested) method, a bevel cut is not needed. To adjust the saw for out of square corners, only the miter system has to be adjusted. Some miter saws have a tall sliding fence to support huge crown molding nested vertically across the fence. In this method, the bottom of the molding lies against fence, while top of the molding against the table. Angled flats on reverse side of molding rests squarely on the fence and base of the saw. In the Compound (flat) method, the molding lies with a broad back surface down flat on saw table. The material has to be flipped around so that both ends of the inside and outside corners are cut.