How to Install Crown Molding

Want to add elegance and flair to a room? Crown molding will do the trick in a hurry. Working overhead can be tiring, but the results are dramatic. Try adding crown molding to your home and see what it can do for you. Maybe it's just the final touch that is missing for the perfect home.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Utility Knives
• Coping Saws
• Measuring Tapes
• Wood Putty
• Finish Nails
• Miter Saws
• Hammers

Prepare the Job

1. Take measurements to get the linear footage needed to span the distance to be trimmed out. Add 10 percent to this figure for waste and mistakes.

2. Select the style and finish you want for your new crown molding. There are many shapes and sizes available.

3. Pick a style that suits your decor and personal taste. The finish that you put on should be purchased and applied before you start any cutting and fitting.

4. Try to buy your trim in lengths that will need as few splices as possible. In some cases splices are unavoidable but the fewer there are the better the finished job will look. (Very long walls may have to be spliced ― 14 to 16 feet is about the longest you will find in most trim pieces and these longer pieces are more susceptible to warping and damage.)

5. Stain or paint all the molding then allow it to dry thoroughly.

6. Doing trim work is easier and more accurate with a comfortable place to work. This should consist of a long bench set up at a comfortable height. Note: This can be as simple as several long 2-by-4s laid out on top of saw horses. This will hold your miter saw (electric or manual) and support the trim as you work on it.

7. Cutting the needed angles for the corners of your trim is handled most accurately with a miter saw.

8. Set your work station where there power readily accessible and plenty of light.

9. Working over your head is tiring and awkward; a solid working platform makes the work much safer and easier. Use a heavy plank and two sturdy sawhorses or rent scaffolding on wheels to use as a platform to stand on while installing the molding.

Trimming and Joining

1. Overcome not-quite-square corners ― and most of them are not square ― with a "coped" joint:

2. Run the first piece of crown molding tightly into the corner. Cope-cut the second piece that will form the other leg of the corner angle in the shape of the profile of the molding so that it can butt neatly against the face of the first piece. Here's how:

3. Use a deep miter box and a fine-toothed saw to make a cut that reveals the profile of the molding. Position the molding so that it is upside down in the miter box. The face of the molding that goes against the ceiling will be on the bottom of the miter box. Remember, for inside corners, the bottom of the crown molding will be the longest edge.

4. Cutting the proper miter will reveal the profile of the molding. Cut away the excess wood along the backside of the molding following that profile line with a coping saw. Err on the side of removing too much rather than too little; only the outermost edge of the coped molding will be seen.

5. Use a utility knife to remove any excess material you missed with the coping saw. Be careful that you do not cut into the exposed face of the molding. Hold the piece in place to test the fit. Take it down and do more carving if necessary. This will sometimes take several fittings and trimmings to get the cleanest-fitting joint.

6. Planning out the job will help save work and material. Work out a pattern in which one end of each piece of crown molding will always be cut straight and one end will be mitered and or coped. Use scarf joints for long runs (where the pieces meet, cut the ends at 45 degrees so they will overlap). Layout the work so joins are on top of studs. Save the most visible parts of the job for last, when you've honed your coping skills.

Attach and Finish

1. Determine the location of the joists. Drill pilot holes to keep the molding from splitting.

2. Attach the molding with only a few nails. (Use 6d or 8d finish nails for this, depending on the thickness of the molding). Take a good look at the positioning before completing the nailing.

3. Provide a solid nailing area where the joists run parallel to the crown molding by using a 2 x 2 cut on a 45-degree bevel. Cut the 2-by-2 to length then screw it to the wall so that it's in the corner where the ceiling and wall meet. The 2-by-2 provides a solid surface sitting at an angle, to which you can nail the molding.

4. Countersink all nails using a nail set.

5. Use wood putty to fill all visible nail holes help cover any small gaps at the joints to give things a more seamless appearance. Wait for the putty to dry and sand it smooth with fine sand paper.

6. Finish the nail holes and small fill-ins to match the rest of the molding, and enjoy your new look.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect all materials carefully. You want them to be straight with no warps or twists. Avoid knotholes, dings or rough spots.

• More and more styles of crown molding are being offered, and many are being offered made from composite materials, which gives a much more stable product to work with.

• Keep the work area fairly clean. It protects you from injury and helps keep your materials from getting dirty and scuffed as you work.

• Getting a friend to help hold molding in place while you measure, position and fasten them is also a great way to insure a quality job.

• The best results are achieved by careful fitting, which takes time and patience.

• On fancy rough-surfaced molding, your finger is often the best tool for applying putty to holes and joints.

• Use caution and common sense when using a power miter saw. Keep your fingers well away from the blade when making tricky cuts, and always wear safety glasses.

• Installing crown molding is one of the most demanding and potentially frustrating projects a DIY'er can take on. You are working with walls that aren't "true" and angles that are different at every corner. Installing crown molding demands accuracy and skill in measuring, cutting and installing. Mistakes are obvious and can be expensive. It is not a job for an inexperienced person.