Time-Saving Crown Molding Installation Tips and Techniques
Crown molding can add elegance to any room in your home.
And, for the do-it-yourselfer, this beautiful architectural enhancement can be especially economical to install with the right tools and techniques.
Here are some really useful tips! Often, a do-it-yourselfer, starting a crown molding installation for the first time, is surprised by the complexity of the undertaking.
Problems encountered usually relate to the cutting of the crown molding at the correct compound angles to enable it to precisely fit at inside and outside corners.
Fortunately, conceptual difficulties usually clear quickly and cutting proficiency rapidly develops.
Important, also, is the ability to mount the crown molding in a manner which achieves a beautiful result while minimizing waste.
Experience has shown that the following techniques will optimize the installation of your crown molding.
• You will find that butting the cut ends of crown molding together at an inside or outside corner will be significantly easier if you do the following: Cut a small piece of the crown molding, 4" will do.
Since it is small and manipulable, this piece can easily be placed into position quite accurately between the wall and ceiling (visually ensuring that it is flush to both) just to one side of the corner.
Mark the position of this piece by temporarily placing a small length of painter's tape on the wall and aligning it with the lower edge of the piece.
Do exactly the same thing on the other side of the corner (mirror image).
With the tapes serving as alignment guides you will find that the operations of rotating and pressing the ends of the actual crown molding pieces together to form an optimum fit during installation will be straightforward and result in a truly professional result.
• Carefully measuring crown molding prior to cutting it is essential for minimizing waste and ensuring a high quality installation.
But, realistically, long pieces of molding can be awkward to handle and even small measurement errors can result in unsatisfactory gaps at the joined ends.
To achieve a tight fit at all junctions try the following approach.
It may add a bit more time to the project but the results are more than worth it.
To make a piece of crown molding fit exactly between two inside corners simply measure the wall distance as accurately as you can and, then, add, approximately, 1/4" to the length.
Mark the molding to this length and cut it.
Next, fit it to the wall by, first, gently bowing the middle of the piece away from the wall (and towards you) while tucking the ends into the corners.
By repeatedly slicing off very small pieces of the molding from an end (remember, patience!) and fitting it to the wall as described, a point will be reached where, by pushing the bow toward the wall, the molding will just spring flush to the wall.
To achieve this precision fit it will probably be necessary to correct the corners, as described next.
• Virtually all inside corners will have, due to the presence of jointing compound, a small radius where the two walls meet.
To provide clearance for the sharp point at the end of a piece of crown molding to fit into a corner it is, therefore, necessary to remove the radius at this point.
You can clear this small bit of material with a utility knife or chisel.
• Using an ultra fine finish blade in your miter saw (for a 10" blade 80 teeth would be desirable) will go a long way to ensuring tight, precise joints.
• Crown molding can be used in other ways.
It looks great when used as trim over doorways and in archways.
It also nicely dresses up bookcases and kitchen cabinets.
And, for the do-it-yourselfer, this beautiful architectural enhancement can be especially economical to install with the right tools and techniques.
Here are some really useful tips! Often, a do-it-yourselfer, starting a crown molding installation for the first time, is surprised by the complexity of the undertaking.
Problems encountered usually relate to the cutting of the crown molding at the correct compound angles to enable it to precisely fit at inside and outside corners.
Fortunately, conceptual difficulties usually clear quickly and cutting proficiency rapidly develops.
Important, also, is the ability to mount the crown molding in a manner which achieves a beautiful result while minimizing waste.
Experience has shown that the following techniques will optimize the installation of your crown molding.
• You will find that butting the cut ends of crown molding together at an inside or outside corner will be significantly easier if you do the following: Cut a small piece of the crown molding, 4" will do.
Since it is small and manipulable, this piece can easily be placed into position quite accurately between the wall and ceiling (visually ensuring that it is flush to both) just to one side of the corner.
Mark the position of this piece by temporarily placing a small length of painter's tape on the wall and aligning it with the lower edge of the piece.
Do exactly the same thing on the other side of the corner (mirror image).
With the tapes serving as alignment guides you will find that the operations of rotating and pressing the ends of the actual crown molding pieces together to form an optimum fit during installation will be straightforward and result in a truly professional result.
• Carefully measuring crown molding prior to cutting it is essential for minimizing waste and ensuring a high quality installation.
But, realistically, long pieces of molding can be awkward to handle and even small measurement errors can result in unsatisfactory gaps at the joined ends.
To achieve a tight fit at all junctions try the following approach.
It may add a bit more time to the project but the results are more than worth it.
To make a piece of crown molding fit exactly between two inside corners simply measure the wall distance as accurately as you can and, then, add, approximately, 1/4" to the length.
Mark the molding to this length and cut it.
Next, fit it to the wall by, first, gently bowing the middle of the piece away from the wall (and towards you) while tucking the ends into the corners.
By repeatedly slicing off very small pieces of the molding from an end (remember, patience!) and fitting it to the wall as described, a point will be reached where, by pushing the bow toward the wall, the molding will just spring flush to the wall.
To achieve this precision fit it will probably be necessary to correct the corners, as described next.
• Virtually all inside corners will have, due to the presence of jointing compound, a small radius where the two walls meet.
To provide clearance for the sharp point at the end of a piece of crown molding to fit into a corner it is, therefore, necessary to remove the radius at this point.
You can clear this small bit of material with a utility knife or chisel.
• Using an ultra fine finish blade in your miter saw (for a 10" blade 80 teeth would be desirable) will go a long way to ensuring tight, precise joints.
• Crown molding can be used in other ways.
It looks great when used as trim over doorways and in archways.
It also nicely dresses up bookcases and kitchen cabinets.
