The base molding (two inches high) at an inside corner has about a 1/8" gap at the inner edge (as though both miter angles are a few degrees less than 45 degrees). The mitered ends (along with the rest of the molding) were primed and painted before being nailed in place. What should I use to fill the gap? The choices are wood filler, caulk, and spackling compound. The filler will be painted.
Thanks,
Ray
That's the reason for using the cope method for inside corners. Use paintable caulk water soluble.
I can make 20 perfect inside corner joints on a decent power miter saw in the time it takes you to make one coped inside corner joint (if you're lucky and don't screw up the coping).
If I want to make adjustments of a fraction of a degree, I use folded paper on the backside of the molding in the appropriate spot.
But I agree on the caulk if this is painted molding.
Yeah, but they won't stay being a perfect joint after the wood shrinks in the winter or swells in the summer.
Ken
I've never had that problem.
shrinks
Coped joints don't shrink in the winter or swell in the summer?
Paintable caulk. It needs to be flexible so expansion and settling don't cause the joint to open again. Same applies and is standard for cracks at wall joints.
Thanks everyone. No disagreement that paintable caulk is the way to go.
Ray
You're not thinking in three dimensions. Hint: wood doesn't change in length.
R
Ummm, no, you couldn't. Please don't try to equate a coped joint with a mitered joint in all situations. Mitered joints, and caulk, have their place, but both bring additional problems.
You mean you've either never noticed the problem, never used large enough trim to make you notice the problem, or you don't see the point in spending more time in working on your craftsmanship when a little caulk will make it look good for a while.
Post this question in rec.woodworking and you won't get too many "Ah, a little caulk'll do ya fine" answers. There's a lot more woodworking experience over there than on this newsgroup.
R
Let's investigate this a bit. So instead of adjusting your cutting angles to make the mitered trim fit the corner, you shim the molding away from the wall to make it fit your miter? What you're saying is that you are going to caulk no matter what you do.
Caulk is a band-aid, not craftsmanship.
R
Uh, you misunderstood what I'm talking about. I can make adjustments to my cut WHEN USING THE SAW in fractions of a degree by placing folded paper between the molding and the saw guide where appropriate.
Ah, right, that wasn't clear.
One major advantage of a coped joint is that you only have to use precision on one piece, the other is just a straight cut.
Another major advantage of a coped joint is that it is not very sensitive to the corner's angle. The coped piece is backcut and gives a fair degree of flexibility - probably on the order of a couple or three degrees. It actually makes it easier to achieve a tight meeting between the two pieces.
One of the fallacies of using a miter saw is that the smooth face of the cut provides a better fit. It doesn't matter in a coped joint. The back of a coped piece looks like a beaver went at it, but the face only shows a tight line between the two pieces that is not affected nearly as much by swings in temperature and humidity as a mitered corner. Old time woodworkers wouldn't waste time on getting precise fits on things that were hidden that didn't affect longevity or function.
R
LOL!!!!!!!!!! Oh WOW! What an impressive hack!
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