How to install crown molding, part 1 of 5
What is Crown Molding?
Crown molding is a member of the group of wall treatments commonly referred to as trim, or decorative trim. Crown molding has also been called architectural trim, for its obvious and ornate flourishes, and perceived re-structuring of the dynamics of any given room. The juncture of the walls and the ceilings in a home has been called the “crown” since antiquity, it has many different names now, but crown will suffice for us. Thus the name crown molding, literally a molding for the area where the walls and the ceilings meet. Crown molding is a molding that is designed to start flat on the wall, and move up the wall and out into the interior of the room until it forms a graceful flare where it meets the ceiling. The length of travel up the wall, and the amount of flare at the top of the molding piece are dependent on the wishes of the home owner and their designer.
Brief history of Crown Molding
Crown molding has been in use in the building and finishing of homes for hundreds of years, the precise date of the origin of crown molding is not known. Typically crown molding was reserved for the homes of the well-to do, in other words; those that could actually afford to have it created, cut, and installed. More recently there has been a large upsurge in interest in crown molding, and it is much less expensive and easier to install than ever before.
There are some different manufacturers of crown moldings out there, with different pricing structures
While crown molding has never been inexpensive, there are several alternatives to the traditional wood crown molding today; these are less expensive, and depending on which ones you choose, they can have limited or unlimited usability. MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is a product which is made of wood fiber and resins, in particular PVC resins, it is easy to cut but quite heavy, because it is so compressed. MDF does not resist water and humidity particularly well, so not a good choice for a kitchen or a bathroom. It generally comes pre-primed, is easy to paint, and comes in multiple styles. Styrofoam (yes I said Styrofoam) is another material out of which crown molding is being made, but bear in mind this is not your average Styrofoam. This is a highly compressed and condensed Styrofoam that has fiber and some resins added to it in order to stiffen and strengthen the product, while allowing a slight amount of flex for ease of use and installation. Styrofoam cuts and handles well, is quite inexpensive, and paints beautifully. It is entirely water resistant, so not limited in the rooms it can be used in.
There are many different styles and shapes of crown molding available, know what you want before you get started.
Know what you want before you jump into this process, you will save yourself time, heartache and money in the long run. Crown molding has been around for a long time, and comes in a huge range of styles and different designs to choose from. If you are confused about what will work in your house, snap some pictures of the rooms you want to install the crown molding in, and then show those to the clerk at the lumber store. They can help you, and believe it or not, they will often make cuts and corner cuts for you, but more on that later. Browse some online catalogs, or architectural digest, you will get an idea of the huge numbers of different styles out there. Take your time, get the style you want, and let’s get going installing that crown molding.
Next is part two, where we begin with the absolute basics of installing crown molding.
How to install crown molding, part 2 of 5
Installing the crown molding, the absolute basics.
So you have picked the types and style of crown molding that you want, and are ready to roll up your sleeves. Great, let’s get going. Start one room at a time. You have to measure every linear foot of the surfaces you want to cover with crown molding, so for this part of your installation process you will need a ladder and a measuring tape, some graph paper, a ruler, a pencil with a good eraser, and a lot of patience. In order to make this process effortless and straightforward, you should draw a diagram of the room you are measuring first. Your diagram can be a very simplified floor plan, but use the graph paper to help you get the dimensions correct. It does not have to be perfect, but it is a tool to help plot out a map of the ceiling and walls. After all, the walls and ceiling follow the line of the floor almost exactly, don’t they?
The measuring process
You are measuring linear feet, so get up on your ladder and start measuring the wall from corner to corner, approximately one foot down from where the ceiling and the wall meet. Each measurement can be logged into your graph paper “floor diagram” to help you remember which sections of the walls measured in at exactly how much. This diagram will also help a lot when you go to the store to purchase crown molding, you can show your diagram to the salespeople in order to better illustrate what you are asking for. So for each section of wall jot the linear measurement down on the corresponding wall section on your diagram. Once you have measured all of the walls in one room, you will add that amount up to come up with a total linear foot number. Always add 20 per cent more to your linear footage totals, to incorporate loss, wastage, or error. For example, if the linear footage of your dining room is 86 feet, add 20% more (20% of 86) in order to be on the safe side. 20% if 86 is 17 feet+-; so you will be purchasing 103 feet of crown molding for that room.
Watch your corners, please!
You need to be aware of how many inside, and outside corners there are in the room. An extremely simplified explanation would be where the inside corner is a typical room corner where to walls join together to make a corner. The crown molding will be cut to fit inside the corner. An outside corner is a corner of the room where the crown molding will be cut to fit outside the corner joint. Still don’t get it? Try this. Put your fingertips together, palms facing one another and form a 90 degree angle with your hands. Your fingertips are going to be the “corner” as it were. The corner that is facing you (where you can see your palms) is called the inside corner. The outside corner is where your fingertips meet on the other side that is your outside corner. Each corner type requires a specific type of cut, but you are just counting cuts for now. Once again, it is best to write down all your measurements and inside/outside corners. Once you get all of that squared away, it’s off to the lumber store for you!
Next up is part three, painting and prepping for install
How to install crown molding, part 3 of 5
Let’s get those corners cut before we start prepping and painting the crown molding
Before you paint, let’s go ahead and cut all the corners for your room. You have a couple of choices in what types of tools to use for the corner cuts; I recommend a power compound miter saw. If you don’t have one, you can rent one, and believe me, it will make your job much easier. Once you have everything in place, cut all your crown molding pieces flush to the exact dimensions you measured earlier. When you cut flush or square, you are making a simple and straight cut, nothing fancy or difficult. Do not cut crown molding flat when using a power saw, always stand it up on edge against the fence of the table saw, and the floor of the table saw in order to cut it. This works much better with the more rigid types of crown molding, but you can make it work on all the materials crown molding comes in. Now that you have all your pieces cut to the measurements of the room, let’s go ahead and discuss how to cut the corners with your compound miter saw.
Never cut your crown molding flat!
We will be cutting two 45 degree angles. These will be the inside corner angles, two 45 degree cuts make one 90 degree angle in its entirety, and will fit against one another when the molding is assembled together after the cutting. First things first, you never cut crown molding flat. When using your power miter saw, you will place the 1st piece of crown molding against the saw “fence” or cutting back-stop with the bottom up. What that means is that the edge that will be closest to the floor on the molding once it is installed is the bottom or the bottom bevel; therefore, you place the “bottom bevel edge” first, or closest to the blade of the saw when cutting. Once you have the bottom edge aligned against the saw fence, make sure that the top bevel or top edge sits square against the flat surface of the area of the saw that you move materials across in order to cut them. Basically you are cutting the crown molding “upside down” from the way it will sit when it is finally mounted on your wall. Make your first 45 degree angle cut. With the second piece of the inside corner, you will place the crown molding against the miter saw fence or backstop in the upright position, not upside down, and make your 45 degree angle cut. Now your two pieces of molding should fit perfectly against one another in the corner. For outside corners, the process is the same, as long as the outside corner is also a 90 degree angle.
If this is all terribly confusing, never fear, you can get help.
If this is a little bit overwhelming, you can get help. Your local lumber store, flooring store, or hardware store can and will make the cuts for you, based on your diagrams and dimensions. If you decide you cut the molding yourself, ask for some scrap pieces of molding and practice on those before you go all out with the molding you will be installing.
Priming and painting the molding before it goes up on the wall.
Most people like to prime and paint their molding before it goes up on the wall, and I am one of those people. At least prime it all before installing, you will spend a lot less time standing on ladders and being precariously positioned if you paint your crown molding before installing. You do not need to prime or paint the surfaces that go up against the ceiling and the walls, or the flat surface. If you are using any kind of a Styrofoam molding, do not use a spray gun. Allow all paint and primer to dry thoroughly before installing.
Next up is part 4, installing the crown molding.
How to install crown molding, part 4 of 5
And now we start the fun part, getting the crown molding up on the wall
So we have gotten through the toughest parts of the crown molding process, and now we get to start putting that attractive and excellent trim up at the juncture of the wall and the ceiling, and bask in the glory of the fact that wew were able to do this on your own. Congratulations on all of your previous successes, but you are not quite finished yet. Let’s tackle one of the final processes in the crown molding installation with the preparation and readiness we have exercised in all the previous steps.
The things you will need with wooden crown molding, or mdf
Depending on the type of crown molding materials you used, you will be using different techniques and materials to install them, so let’s have a look at what those are. If you used wood crown moldings or the mdf crown moldings, you will want a high pressure finish nail gun, or angle finish nail gun. Get one of the battery powered ones that you can adjust nail depth on, it cuts way down on noise levels, and is easy to control the depth that the nail sinks to. If you don’t have a nail gun, or do not want to buy one, you can use 8 penny finishing nails and a finishing hammer. Or again, you can rent the finish nailer from a tool rental place Whatever type of nailing device you use, you want to nail the wooden crown molding to the wall in the exact center of the molding. With the longer pieces it is essential that you have someone on another ladder helping you to hold them up while you attach them. Also, with the longer pieces, it is important to start at the outside of the piece and work your way toward the joint or the corner, in order to be able to work the joins as you nail the piece. If you pre-painted the pieces, not to worry, it is easier to repair these marks and dings from nailing than it is to paint the entire molding when it is up on the wall. Sometimes a piece of crown molding will not fit against the roof as snugly as it should, go ahead and tap it with the base of your hammer or a rubber mallet gently to snug it against the ceiling, and then nail it.
The materials you will need with non-wooden crown molding
The majority of the Styrofoam or light synthetic crown moldings can be affixed without nails or staples. Once the moldings have been cut and dry fitted to perfection, you simply squeeze an adhesive caulking on the back of the crown molding and set it gently and evenly into place. Again, you are going to want a helper in this stage, in particular for the longer pieces. Keep an eye on where the joins and seam are for later attention. Always start from the center or outer most part of the molding and move toward the corner in order to be constantly readjusting the molding for the proper fit and snugness. Some of the adhesives are longer drying than others, in case of an emergency you can shift the piece of molding a lot until the adhesive actually dries, which gives you more leeway in adjusting the piece of molding. Don’t rush this phase, make sure everything is fitting well and looks correct. It helps to have a third person as a spotter, one who is not standing on a ladder, but on the ground, and can assist in the process of making sure the molding is going up correctly from a distance.
Next up is part 5, the final phase; seams, touch-up and clean up
How to install crown molding, part 5 of 5
Finally, the end game, seams, joins, touch-up, and enjoyment
So basically the crown molding is up, and is painted, or if not painted, it is at least primed to be painted. If you had to nail or mechanically attach your crown molding to the wall, here are the basics for making the final touch-ups and clean ups for your crown molding. You will need a caulking gun, caulk, matching touch up paint and primer, wood filler if your crown moldings are wooden, ladders and patience.
Get those seams, joins and nail holes caulked!
That is correct, everywhere you have a corner join, and everywhere the crown molding abuts against the ceiling, you need to caulk. Make sure that you have chosen a caulk that is both moisture resistant, and can be painted over. When you cut the angle on your tube of caulk, make sure you are doing a very small cut for a small bead of caulk, these are not huge gaps, and should not be caulked as if they were. Carefully run your caulking gun down the intersection of the ceiling and the crown molding for about 2feet, then slowly release pressure on the trigger of the caulking gun, and pull the caulking gun away from the crown molding and place on the shelf of your ladder. With one finger, run your fingertip down the “bead” of the caulk you just applied and with steady, even pressure; gently force it into the seam between the ceiling and the crown molding. Applying gentle and even pressure is the key here, you are trying to push the caulk into the seam, and flatten the caulking bead for further sanding and painting. Don’t be overly aggressive; you will end up with a mess on your hands. Repeat the process for the entire area that has crown molding. If using any other material than wood, fill in the nail holes with caulk and your fingertip. If you are using wood, you want to use the wood filler to fill in the nail holes. Don’t worry too much about a lack of perfection in the seam and whole filling process, you can sand those down to perfection quite easily.
Don’t forget those corner seams before the final paint job.
Every place a corner joint occurs also has a seam, again, if you are using wood crown molding fill that seam with wood filling, if not using wood, you can use caulk. Make sure again to smooth and flatten all the caulk and wood filler with your fingertips. Allow all caulk and wood filling to dry for at least 24 hours, then lightly sand and blend to a smooth finish, using fine grit sandpaper. What you are doing now is prepping for the final paint job, and touch-up paint job. Thoroughly clean all areas to be painted, and the carefully and evenly apply your paint. You will not use a roller with this paint job, so be sure to use your brush correctly when painting over the seams and joins. Apply steady, light pressure with short brush strokes, and if you have to do an entire paint job on the crown molding, be sure to tape off the area where the wall abuts the crown molding. Never get too much paint on your brush, or you will have a mess on your hands, and be sure to put paint drop cloths on the floor and furniture when you paint. Allow all pain to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before inspecting the paint job. You have pretty much finished the crown molding installation on your own, so congratulate yourself, and let’s move on to the next project!
Article is written by Laurie Krebs
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