How to Measure for Crown Moulding
Crown molding provides the finishing touch to a room. The broad step of edging that finishes the wall at the ceiling can add an elegant flair. The hardest part about installing crown molding is getting the right measurements for it. A room that is truly square is a rarity. Construction inaccuracies and the settling of a house with age will knock a room subtly out of square. By knowing what to look for you can measure for your crown molding quickly and accurately and have the job done in no time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Measure from wall to wall with your tape measure. Each wall must be measured; do not assume that the walls are the same, even if they appear to be.
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Transfer the measurements to each piece of crown molding, adding 1/2 inch to each measurement (this will allow for error when cutting the actual angle). With a pencil, make a mark on each end that is the span of your true measurement. You should have a 1/4 inch more of crown molding that goes past each of these marks.
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Hold your carpenter's square with the base pressed against the wall that you are preparing the crown molding for. Hold the carpenter's square at the same height as where you will be placing the molding. Do not try to measure the angle lower down on the wall because there may be significant variation in the angle between the two locations.
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Use a pencil to measure the angle of the corner. Place the sharpened point into the corner where the walls meet and hold it perpendicular from the corner against your carpenter's square. Note where the pencil falls on the scale of angles on the carpenter's square. The angle in the middle of the pencil body is the angle that you want to set your miter saw to and cut into your crown molding. For example, if your pencil covers 82 degrees to 85 degrees, the angle you will use is 84. Do this for each corner.
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Tips & Warnings
Cut some scrap molding with your angles for each wall and hold them up to see how well they fit and make any adjustments necessary.
Use caution when measuring and installing crown molding, as working overhead can be difficult and strenuous. Use a ladder, not a chair, to reach a comfortable height to work from. Work slowly, and if you experience physical discomfort while holding either the molding overhead for installation or the carpenter's square and pencil to measure the angle, stop immediately; do not risk unnecessary injury.
