Using A String Line To Install Crown

Mrmac204

I've not seen this before. the job that I am on the gc wants us to put up a plywood strip (3/4) on the wall at the bottom of where the crown will sit- ie:the crown will be flush to the bottom of this strip. Ok no prob. then he says that he wants it shimmed out so its absolutely straight. Again no prob, but wow- takes time! we set up a string line one end to the other, then went along every 16" or so and measured, put in shims etc. (When this is done, another strip of moulding will butt up against the bottom of the crown/strip)
its fun work, enjoying it- but I gotta wonder just how much the GC is getting- so much time spent to get it perfectly straight- I like that!!!! its gonna make the crown easy to install, but wow- the time! gotta be a big cost there.
anyone else run into this technique? they also want us to do the same when we get to the baseboard.

send_it_all

Never mind how much the GC is getting....What's important is how much you or your boss is getting. That has t&m written all over it. How would you bid that?

Mrmac204

well I'm getting 28/hr, so its a pretty good gig as far as being a company goon goes I hated to go and work for someone else, but it was/is an economic necessity right now- doing side jobs in the evening and on weekends, that's starting to pick up
I'm doing a take-off for a bid this week - going to charge 4 bucks a foot for crown, 10 bucks per corner - buck and a quarter for the base, 5 bucks a corner
I'll let you know if I get this job.

WNYcarpenter

$28 an hour .....Jeezus, I've got to get outta here As project foreman I'm making $16!!!! The currently charged man/hr is $35 by our GC. We still get under bid! Man.........to hang crown with shims.....no headaches......wow!!

In_Mexifornia

I've done moldings(base and crown) where the wall either had a bad bow in it or was really wavy and had a GC tell me to put it on straight and leave gaps between the wall and the molding. He then paid the drywallers to float the wall with more mud to get it straight. Seems like it would have been easier and cheaper to use drywall shims and make it straight in the first place.

tcleve4911

That's a BS method!!!
Even if the walls are out, Crown can be run on it. If the wall are out THAT much, the molding underneath the crown is gonna show the imperfections too.
BS - Do it right the first time

__________________
Back in Maine
Dubbin' Around
Doin' good stuff ......

WNYcarpenter

This works with new construction. Short of dozing the entire home which is impossible in historic districts, you get what you get.

We try to compromise where we can and get creative. The most respectable carpenter is the guy who walks into any situation, does whatever it takes, makes his work look great and doesn't complain.

hrscammisa

Thats a good point if the crown is held off the wall what happens to the moulding under it will it be off the wall also to match ?

Mrmac204

its about the going rate- I've got a standing offer from another const. company for 32/hr -I might take that, soon as they get to lock up

remember this is Canadian funds- so its gonna be at today's exchange rate 28 - 14% (roughly) 24.08 US per hr.

I'm earning it- I'm in coping hell six inch crown, we have to hand cope every inside corner. I just keep thinkin bout payday LOL

Mac!

Mrmac204

holy cow- ok, so the GC I'm workin for insists that all inside crown corners must be coped- (6 inch poplar, with a white prime coat) sheesh! I tried to talk him into miters, but nope- they've done it this way for 20 + years and that's how its gonna be done - ok then

so I haven't hand coped since.... ?? high school shop? so I struggle, for two days.. almost quit yesterday! so this morning the GC and the foreman call me and two others over, and says we're gonna have a coping lesson - so we do our thing for 1/2 an hour I can still learn! whooohooo! seems that they do this to all the new guys, and they have a good laugh over it all - jokes on me! LOL I was so worried, but I guess they've found out over the years that no one does this and they pretty much have to train the new guys....

all I want for christmas is a copemaster......

Mac!

Mrmac204

I cut the shims long so they stick down 1 1/2" inches, so the moulding under will sit at the same "plane" as the crown. Their aim is to have a 1/8" reveal on the bottom of the crown.

after all this is done, they will get the drywall guys to come in and float some mud on to cover the gaps.


the saws? sigh..... 8 1/4" hitachi's that only tilt one way. brand new. ripping blade.

it works, sorta- but its limiting, and slow. BUT! they've done it this way for yada yada....

what the heck, I made it work anyhow

tcleve4911

We call it Seamless Creativity

__________________
Back in Maine
Dubbin' Around
Doin' good stuff ......

Teetorbilt

I cut cleats matched to the rise and run. This allows you to hit studs with the cleat and then nail anywhere with the crown. You could also shim the cleat to a string.

Honestly, in today's world, something ain't going to match. Pick your choice, wall or ceiling.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Mrmac204

Teetorbuilt, I totally agree! I did try to talk him into putting up some backing, but nope- so then here he is later on trying to push the crown up to touch the ceiling in a couple of places - of course the nails are not holding...
fortunately before hand I went along with my stud sensor and marked them on the walls... he finally said "we'll get the drywall guys to mud this"

WNYcarpenter

Coping molding is a right of passage, you're not a finish carpenter until you can cope pre-finished hard wood cabinet crown.

lawndart

AMEN WNY. I tell my guys that same exact thing... My wood rasps come in real handy on those tricky profiles.

Chris G

Speaking of which, when it comes to 45 degree corners, do you guys mitre, or cope?

Teetorbilt

An age old argument. I was taught to miter and do it 99% of the time. I also know how to cope but find it time consuming. I guess that if your really good at it, you can cut faster than a SCMS. I'll never be that good.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

WNYcarpenter

On-site applied moldings are always coped! Personally, an inside miter that's pulling apart looks much worse than a coped joint that is gapping... a bad miter looks lazy. A bad cope shows effort, or atleast an attempt at craftmanship.

Teetorbilt

Agreed! But when repairing or altering a wall section where the trim has been coped, it gets dicey.

I'm working on wall A and the trim comes down fine on the left (coped end). Unfortunately, the right end is trapped by the cope at that end. Now I'm into wall B and have to spring enough trim there to release the trim on wall A.

In most long circumstances you can spring out of a miter without bothering the other walls.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein