Crown molding installation question

[Jim]

Always nail into a stud or rafter. Wallboard has no strength. There may not be a place to nail into a rafter if the rafters are parallel to the wall. Such is life. Jim

[Buck Turgidson]

Some coping instructions will tell you to cut right on the line with the saw. I get better results by cutting just shy (e.g. 1/32") of the line, and then taking a very sharp Stanley knife and trimming up to the line. Then the resulting profile is very sharp. Otherwise the saw blade can leave a ragged edge.

If I can, I hang the pieces making up the outside corners first, since I find them to be more exacting.

If you have a long run and need to splice 2 pieces, read up on scarf joints.

[Buck Turgidson]

A couple more things: Take the time to clearly mark your studs and ceiling members, and try and figure out where your electricity runs. Hit the former two with nails and avoid the latter.

Also, I like to mark with a pencil along the wall and ceiling every few feet and at the corners where the CM should lie (the spring angle). Otherwise it can wander up or down and twist on you a bit if you're not careful.

[Patrick Conroy]

"Silk" wrote in news:1118768227.536693.81200 @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Sure coping is harder than cutting miters. But learning to right a bicycle is tougher than learning to cut copes.

If you're going to goop the joints with caulk and paint, and if you pick material less prone to movement and if you live in a house that's fairly stable, then your mitered joints will probably be just fine.

I need to do CM in my house and I can pass most of the above caveats. My approach is going to be to give coping a try for a hour or three. If I still can't get the hang of it, then I'll miter and goop and paint.

[David]

Actually your plan won't work long term. seasonal movement will open up the caulked joints, big time. Even if they look good short term, they'll look like hell with a season or two.

Dave

Patrick C> "Silk" wrote in news:1118768227.536693.81200

[Mike]

Actually you don't need a compound saw. As long as your crown is not too big for your mitre saw you can cut it with the blade straight up and down. You can even cut it with a hand mitre box if you have the time. IMHO the easiest way to cut crown (inside corners or outside) is to place it upside down on your miter saw with the crown laying at the same angle as it will lay on the wall (except upside down), turn your saw to a 45 and cut. A left or right outside cut will do the outside corners and a left or right inside cut for your copes depending on which direction you are running. Once you get used to cutting crown this way, you won't need to lean that saw over very often. Now if the crown is too large for the mitre saw then I will lay it down and use the compound but I don't have to do that unless the crown is larger than about 6".

Mike O.

[loutent]

Hi Silk,

I have done quite a lot of crown for myself and friends/relatives- I am not a pro.

If you do not cope the inside corners, your work will look like an amateur did it. It will look ok, but 'cheesey'.

Cope, cope, cope.....it's worth the time and little extra expense (in waste).

Lou

[Another Phil]

Mike:

Thanks for posting that. I was going to post something like that, but I couldn't get my brain and fingers to work together to explain what I wanted to say. A photo would explain it real simple, but putting it to words....

You did good.

Phil

[Patrick Conroy]

David wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Agreed - but (a) we live in a low and fairly constant humidity environment and (b) if I'm going to paint, I'd probably try some non-solid-wood CM stock.

[David]

That should mitigate the problem.

Dave

Patrick C> David wrote in

[Buck Turgidson]

Choice of caulk matters. Look for "elastomeric" caulk at "your local home center".

[Silk]

Is caulking the corners better than spackling? I assumed spackling is better since you can sand it.

[Buck Turgidson]

I think elastomeric caulk would be much less prone to cracking than spackling.

This is what I use:

[TBone]

You really don't want to spackle the crown molding, especially in the joints. They WILL crack. Use a good caulk and you can shape it as you apply it. If done correctly, you should need very little and running your finger along the joint will set it perfectly.

[TBone]

You can buy a jig for that as well and it makes cutting them a piece of cake.