Crown Molding Tips

newk24

All,

Have helped a friend do some crown molding and would like to start doing some more, but don't really have much experience doing so and would like to know some good recommendations on resources and good ways to get started?!?!

A couple quick questions though...have seen some go with coping corners and others mitering...is there a preferred method to get the best joints in the corners?

Also, the houses here have a lot of cathederal ceilings which makes for some awkard corners where the walls have other than 90 degree corners...and quick tips or advice??

Sorry for lowering the bar here to more basic topics, but any tips and or advice will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks for your help!

newk24

OOPS, sorry for posting twice...was trying to delete thread with no luck. Hope the moderator can delete this thread...thanks!

Sorry again...

Glasshousebltr

Crown on an open ceiling, what fun. The only advice I can give is take the time to do it right.

Check this ceiling out, I did it out of #2 pine, cutting around knots and sanding like the mad man I am.


Bob

Dakota

We have done alot of crown molding the last few years. On crown under 6" we always try to cope when possible. It seems to make a better joint on the small stuff. Last year though we had an experience with 11" crown, this was a challenge. The walls we had sound alot like yours with alot of goofy hallways and different angles. The profile was to time consuming to be profitable coping them so we mitered the corners. There is a good cheat sheet on dewalts web site for setting the angle and bevel of your saw for just about any kind of corner you may have. And some basic tips for installing crown. It says it is for dewalts saw but we used three saws, a makita, a hittache and a dewalt and the setting worked well with each of them.

tips:
Glue your joints if you miter.

When making a joint in a long run a 20 degree miter seemed to work best on the crown instead of a 45.

Pick up an angle finder. I got a cheep one at menards and the ten dollers that I spent on it saved many trips back to the saw to get the right angle.

the web site for dewalt is.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?ID=2

KGM

Home Depot and Lows have a good book on crown. My guys 45 everything. They put two test pieces in the corner, roll them to get as tight to the lid and wall as possible and chalk a line at the botton in yellow. My son and another carpenter can run over 300' on a good day with 6' MDF [the hardest to wook with]. At about a buck a foot for material and 5-6 a foot for labor it adds up fast. Oh, they also make there own feather shims to tighten up corners. Good luck.

newk24

Thanks for the tips...not sure that I know what you are talking about when you say, 'roll them' and where is the yellow line chalked? And how do they use the feather shims??

Apologize for my ignorance here...I will definitely check out the books out there, appreciate all of the assistance!!

Thanks!

Draco05403

A great trick I learned when doing any kind of corner is to not shoot the corner at all. Instead apply glue liberally and then stretch filament tape (packing tape) around the miter. If you take the time to do it right you'll have a beautiful miter with no holes to fill.

jscoob1

Duluth trading has some good instructional vids.

robjhalljr

Crown moulding? Heres one tip. The first thing is to find the spring angle. This is the angle it sits on the wall. How far down from the ceiling will it sit? A typical 3-5/8 crown sits 2-15/16" off the ceiling. Scribe a line around the room at this distance off the ceiling. This is a guideline, It doese not need to be followed exactically all the way down the wall as most houses are not perfect. As you nail your pieces in place do not nail the ends of them, leave about 2 feet loose till the next one is in place. This allows you to tweak them up or down depending on if the cope is a little open at the top or the bottom. Once you have a nice tight fit nail the last 2 feet off. Using the guide line helps get them close to sitting in the right position.