How do I Add a Bottom Cornice on Wall Molding?
A cornice is the point on a wall corner where two pieces of molding meet. This can occur on inside or outside wall corners and can also be found along the top of a wall with ceiling molding or along the bottom, with floor molding. You can cut and install your own bottom cornices but make sure you are extra careful to arrange your pieces exactly as they should be installed and check your cuts before making them or your cornices won't fit the corners in the room. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Floor wall molding
- Miter box
- Saw
- Pencil
- Construction adhesive
- Finishing nails
- Nail gun
- Caulk
- Caulk gun
- Caulk filler
Instructions
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Inside Corners
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1
Place the piece of molding that will be on the right wall of the inside corner into the miter box.
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2
Position the molding so the side that will touch the wall is against the floor of the box and the side that will touch the floor is against the wall of the box opposite from you. All of the molding should be put into the box like this.
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3
Move the molding until the left end is right in front of the saw and make the 45-degree cut. The saw should be pointing up and to the left when it cuts into the molding.
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4
Remove the cut molding and label it with a pencil so you know where on the wall it will go. Put the accompanying molding into the box. This is the piece that will go on the left side of the corner and meet the molding you just cut.
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5
Move the molding so the right end of it is in front of the saw and make the cut. This time the saw should be pointing up to the right when it makes the cut.
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6
Label this molding and repeat these steps for all of the inside corner molding.
Outside Corners
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7
Put the piece of molding that will be on the right wall of the outside corner into the miter box.
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8
Move the molding so you can cut the left end at a 45-degree angle. The saw should be aligned so it is pointing up and to the right.
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9
Label this piece of molding and replace it with the molding that will meet it and run along the left side of the outside corner.
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10
Adjust the molding so you can cut the right end. The saw should be pointing up and to the right.
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11
Label this molding and cut all of the outside corner molding in the same way.
Attaching Cornices
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12
Arrange each of the molding pieces on the floor so they are directly in front of the wall where they will be installed.
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13
Spread a 1/4-inch thick line of construction adhesive along all of the edge of the first piece of molding.
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14
Press the molding into the wall and down onto the floor. Make sure the adhesive is pressed into the wall and floor to ensure a tight bond.
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15
Insert finishing nails along the length of the molding into the wall with a nail gun. This will make sure the molding doesn't fall off when banged into or kicked.
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16
Apply adhesive to each piece of molding and nail them into place so that all of the cornices are installed. Follow the same procedure for both the inside and outside corners.
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17
Spread a bead of caulk from a caulk gun onto the edges of the molding where it touches the wall and spread it out with your finger. You want to make the transition look seamless from the wall to the molding.
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18
Cover each of the nail heads with filling caulk. You can use your finger to apply and wipe away the caulk as needed.
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Tips & Warnings
You can follow the same directions for top cornices; just replace the floor molding with crown molding and turn the molding in the box so the ceiling bedding is touching the floor of the box.
Do not buy exactly as much molding as you think you'll need or you will end up short if you make a mistake.
