Crown molding installation question

I am about to install crown molding in my house but I have never done that before. I think I got the cutting part down but I am not sure about the installation part. Any one has ideas about what the best way to install them? Is it better to nail it from the corners in or from the center out? On the mitered corners will nails be enough or should I glue the corners as well (regular wood glue is good for that)? If anyone can help I will appreciate it.

Thanks.

Reply to
Silk
Loading thread data ...

I am about to install crown molding in my house but I have never done that before. I think I got the cutting part down but I am not sure about the installation part. Any one has ideas about what the best way to install them? Is it better to nail it from the corners in or from the center out? On the mitered corners will nails be enough or should I glue the corners as well (regular wood glue is good for that)? If anyone can help I will appreciate it.

Thanks.

Reply to
Silk

I assume you're using coped joints on the inside corners. Nail it in the center, and leave the butt end with a little give. When you join the butt end with a new coped piece on the inside corners, you'll be able to marry the 2 pieces if the butt end has a little give.

Reply to
Buck Turgidson

I will not be coping the inside corners. I will be using a regular miter cut.

Reply to
Silk

Using mitered inside corners for CM is an amateur's mistake. You'll get far better results if you learn to cut a coped joint. It will take about an hour investment.

Marrying a coped joint is actually a lot easier than getting a mitered joint to fit, and that joint won't open up on you over time. They are also more forgiving and adjustable if you corners aren't square and plumb. Coped joints also give you more structural integrity.

If you're not convinced by now.....

Reply to
Buck Turgidson

He's right Silk. A small cost for a coping saw (type of hand jigsaw) and you'll be able to make crown molding corner joints that look great. When people come into your home and see the crown molding, the corners are the first thing they will look at. And it is a very small investment of your time to learn how to do it properly. There's a number of small tricks you can use to speed up the process like scribing with compass.

Reply to
Upscale

Take some time and a few lengths of scrap, and learn to cope the molding joints. It's frustrating practice at first (you'll probably ruin several feet), but the final product is well worth the effort.

Reply to
Oriole1
  1. Cope the inside joints (mitering is fine for outside joints).
  2. No need to glue the corners if they're properly cut. You *might* have to use a bit of putty to fill in any gaps (assuming you're painting afterward).
  3. Get another person to assist you in holding the molding up for a test fit. Then it won't matter so much about center-out/corners-in nailing. Just make sure you know exactly where your wall studs and ceiling joists are -- they are your friends!

I put up crown mold> I am about to install crown molding in my house but I have never done

Reply to
Oriole1

I'll third that emotion. Learning to cope isn't all that difficult and you'll (the OP) be proud of your work. Mitered joints will open up.

Dave

Upscale wrote:

Reply to
David

Ah, but what some don't tell you about coping is the importance of the coping saw blade. Go to a real hardware store and get a coping saw blade from Vermont American. They have a narrow very high tooth count blade that is great for coping. Metal cutting blade, and mount so cuts on down stroke.

Also check out Amazon tools:

formatting link
{watch out for line wrap.) Vermont American 48579 6-3/8" x 32 TPI Coping Saw Blade 2 Pack

Oh, and one last suggestion, which I am sure you know and I am only reminding you about, take room measurements WHERE THE CM IS BEING INSTALLED. Don't assume the measurement at waist high is the same as the ceiling. And use the exact same measuring tape you measured the room to also measure the cuts on the wood. Trust me, too short by 1/8 inch is noticeable in CM, and your error will be visited upon more than once over the years by she who never forgets.

Phil

Reply to
Another Phil

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will give coping a second thought. I talked to a few people who told me to stay away from coping since it's simply too much problems and that's why I decided to miter my corners. I see that there is a different view on this issue here.

Reply to
Silk

Everyone has given you good advice and I agree with the suggestion to cope the inside corners. For some reason (being right handed) I find it easier to cope the left end of my pieces. So I will work around the room from left to right and will have only one cope from the other direction if the room is a simple square If the room has an outside corner, I will probably end there because I can hold the coped piece up and mark the outside corners from each direction. Starting to nail from the middle and leaving the ends loose is a great suggestion and allows you to move the piece up or down in the corner if needed. I always glue and nail the outside corners. Depending on how big the crown is, you may be able to nail near the middle of the crown and hit the top plate of your wall. Nailing near the bottom will allow you to hit the wall studs. Nailing through the top of the crown will let you hit the joists or trusses on the two walls where you have them.

Mike O.

Reply to
Mike

And what about what to nail too? For example, for the vertical wall there are studs every 16 inches (we hope). But how about the ceiling. Some joint run perpendicular to the wall and some parallel. Will there be a place to nail to for the wall with the parallel ceiling joist?

Darrell

Reply to
Darrell Dorsey

So, what did you do for the ceiling joist that ran parallel to the wall?

Darrell

Reply to
Darrell Dorsey

What do those "few people" do for a living or a hobby??

Dave

Silk wrote:

Reply to
David

Bear in mind that a "regular miter cut" for crown molding is not what you may think it is if you've never done it before- you can't just lay it flat and cut a 45" angle. You need a compund miter saw, and it won't be as good as coping in any case.

Reply to
Prometheus

Reply to
Tina

I talked to a guy who does that for a living as well as a few guys who just did it in their home. They suggested that since I am an amateur (new homeowner so I am new to all these DIY stuff), I should not try to cope. My understanding from them is that a good mitered corner looks like a good coped corner. I played with some scrap until I got the angles right. The main problem for me was doing outside bull nose cuts, but I got that right by trial an error. All the tips I got from you guys are good. If you can think of any more little secrets of the trade I am willing to learn. As I said I am still new at this but it is a lot of fun.

Reply to
Silk

The guy who does it for a living is trying to bolster his image, that's all. I'm not a "pro", but I got "pro" results my first time out with crown molding. Just practice on scrap! "Amateurs" can cope unless they have no manual dexterity and no guidance (on site, or from reading text and illustrations).

Dave

Silk wrote:

Reply to
David

additional info: for tools, all you need is a coping saw and round and flat files. a dremel tool can get away from you. a SMALL plane can also be used on the straight portions of the profile to adjust the bevelled edge to clear the adjacent board.

One book that's handy on the subject: Finish Carpentry - best of fine homebuilding.

Dave

Silk wrote:

Reply to
David

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.