How to Install Crown Molding
Purchase your molding., Create a guide fence for your miter saw., Make any necessary scarf cuts., Cut any outside corner joints., Cut any inside corner joints.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Purchase your molding.
Molding comes in different heights and styles, so shop around and find your favorite design.
The angle at which the molding will sit against the wall varies, normally between 38º and 52º, so be sure to measure it before you begin cutting.
This guide uses 45º as a default angle; although this angle is always the proper choice for scarfing, it may need to be adjusted slightly for other cuts.
Since crown molding is generally made of wood, it is prudent to let it sit in the home environment for a few days before installing it.
The wood will expand or contract based on the temperature and humidity in the house; it is better to let it adjust before nailing it in so that it will not crack and warp after the fact. -
Step 2: Create a guide fence for your miter saw.
Because the molding will sit against your wall at an angle, each joint (that is, each place where two strips of crown molding meet) will be a compound angle.
The molding will need to be mitered to achieve the angle, and beveled to fit snugly against each adjacent piece.
Achieving this using 2 separate cuts is very difficult, so this guide will teach you how to cut both of these angles using a single cut.
For this, you need a guide fence, which is a piece of plywood glued to your saw table that helps you position the molding in exactly the same place for each piece.
Place a piece of molding upside-down on the miter saw table.
The side of the molding that will contact the ceiling should be against the saw table, and the side that will contact the wall should be against the saw's vertical fence.
Make sure that the decorative side is facing you, and hold the molding at the same angle at which you will install it.
Secure the molding with clamps to the vertical fence.
Get a piece of plywood or dimension lumber that is just as long as your saw table.
Apply hot glue to the saw table on both sides, and place the plywood against the glue, pressing it snugly against the molding.
When the glue is set, remove the crown molding and use the miter saw to cut away the center portion of the plywood fence at 45º angles. , If any wall in your room is longer than the pieces of crown molding you have, you will need to join 2 lengths with a scarf joint.
Measure the point at which you will need to join the 2 lengths, and then place the first length into the miter saw, upside-down and at an angle as before.
Adjust the blade to a 45º angle and cut through the molding.
Place the second length into the saw and cut it with the blade in the same position, making sure that the piece you need to keep is on the other side of the blade. , When 2 walls form an outside corner (making a 270º angle in the room's interior), the joinery is simple.
Place the first piece of molding in the miter saw against the guide fences you created, and cut it at a 45º angle.
Cut the adjoining piece with the saw in the same position, this time keeping the piece of molding you intend to use on the other side of the blade. , Inside corner joints are a little more complicated than outside corners.
The first length of molding should be cut square, meaning its edge will sit flush against the wall.
The second piece will be cut at a 45º angle as before, but then coped so that it fits snugly over the profile of the first piece.
Cut the first piece of crown molding square.
Place it in the miter saw and cut with the blade set to 0 degrees.
Cut the second piece at a 45º angle, cutting just as you would for an outside corner.
Use a dark pencil to trace along the edge of the cut (of the second piece) along the molded front of the piece.
Use a coping saw to cut away the bevel of the cut edge.
Follow the outline that you drew closely, removing as much of the wood behind the leading edge as you want.
Only the front of the molding will be seen when installed, so the cut can be made roughly as long as you follow the outline. -
Step 3: Make any necessary scarf cuts.
-
Step 4: Cut any outside corner joints.
-
Step 5: Cut any inside corner joints.
Detailed Guide
Molding comes in different heights and styles, so shop around and find your favorite design.
The angle at which the molding will sit against the wall varies, normally between 38º and 52º, so be sure to measure it before you begin cutting.
This guide uses 45º as a default angle; although this angle is always the proper choice for scarfing, it may need to be adjusted slightly for other cuts.
Since crown molding is generally made of wood, it is prudent to let it sit in the home environment for a few days before installing it.
The wood will expand or contract based on the temperature and humidity in the house; it is better to let it adjust before nailing it in so that it will not crack and warp after the fact.
Because the molding will sit against your wall at an angle, each joint (that is, each place where two strips of crown molding meet) will be a compound angle.
The molding will need to be mitered to achieve the angle, and beveled to fit snugly against each adjacent piece.
Achieving this using 2 separate cuts is very difficult, so this guide will teach you how to cut both of these angles using a single cut.
For this, you need a guide fence, which is a piece of plywood glued to your saw table that helps you position the molding in exactly the same place for each piece.
Place a piece of molding upside-down on the miter saw table.
The side of the molding that will contact the ceiling should be against the saw table, and the side that will contact the wall should be against the saw's vertical fence.
Make sure that the decorative side is facing you, and hold the molding at the same angle at which you will install it.
Secure the molding with clamps to the vertical fence.
Get a piece of plywood or dimension lumber that is just as long as your saw table.
Apply hot glue to the saw table on both sides, and place the plywood against the glue, pressing it snugly against the molding.
When the glue is set, remove the crown molding and use the miter saw to cut away the center portion of the plywood fence at 45º angles. , If any wall in your room is longer than the pieces of crown molding you have, you will need to join 2 lengths with a scarf joint.
Measure the point at which you will need to join the 2 lengths, and then place the first length into the miter saw, upside-down and at an angle as before.
Adjust the blade to a 45º angle and cut through the molding.
Place the second length into the saw and cut it with the blade in the same position, making sure that the piece you need to keep is on the other side of the blade. , When 2 walls form an outside corner (making a 270º angle in the room's interior), the joinery is simple.
Place the first piece of molding in the miter saw against the guide fences you created, and cut it at a 45º angle.
Cut the adjoining piece with the saw in the same position, this time keeping the piece of molding you intend to use on the other side of the blade. , Inside corner joints are a little more complicated than outside corners.
The first length of molding should be cut square, meaning its edge will sit flush against the wall.
The second piece will be cut at a 45º angle as before, but then coped so that it fits snugly over the profile of the first piece.
Cut the first piece of crown molding square.
Place it in the miter saw and cut with the blade set to 0 degrees.
Cut the second piece at a 45º angle, cutting just as you would for an outside corner.
Use a dark pencil to trace along the edge of the cut (of the second piece) along the molded front of the piece.
Use a coping saw to cut away the bevel of the cut edge.
Follow the outline that you drew closely, removing as much of the wood behind the leading edge as you want.
Only the front of the molding will be seen when installed, so the cut can be made roughly as long as you follow the outline.
About the Author
Raymond Richardson
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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