Installing Crown Molding

Crown molding is the final elegant touch to any room if it is installed correctly, not installed correctly the room will look very weird. Crown molding is the finish that is installed where the walls meet the ceiling and needs to go completely around a room to give a finished look. Crown molding is a very old room finish, seen in almost all of the great 18th and 19th century homes in America and Europe.  Today crown molding is installed in mid-priced homes as well as mansions in America; it has the same finish value as granite kitchen counters in perceived value.

Crown molding comes in many different materials, sizes and configurations. The simplest being a single piece of wooden crown that is installed at the ceiling and wall juncture.  Narrow crown tends to get lost if the room has any size or height, the wider the crown the better. Stacked crown is the process of installing a backer board (a 1×8 backer is an ideal size) and then the wooden crown is installed on top of the backer board (5 inch crown is ideal); this gives the finished crown a greater depth and mass. There are many ways to stack crown molding, stacks can have as many as 12 pieces in the installation, but this is very difficult if you are not a skilled finish carpenter.

Today’s market has crown moldings made out of plastic (fypon) that can be painted to look like large plaster moldings.  Believe it or not there are still skilled plasters that can make and install plaster crown moldings, they are very expensive installations and only a professional should attempt this.

Installing even the simplest crown molding requires skill and the right tools, a hammer, nail set, miter box, and a coping saw (for cutting the back of the crown where it is joined, this is called coping in the trade). More complicated crown molding installations should be installed by a professional contractor and their skilled finish carpenters.

To nail crown you must find the studs or top plate, never just nail into the dry wall. Almost no wall is perfectly smooth and caulking of some sort will be necessary before painting or staining and this has to be done correctly or you will have very rough looking finish.

If a crown molding is to be stained the crown and stack boards need to be number one lumber, lightly sanded and nailed gently and carefully, no hammer marks. If the crown is to be painted you can use a cheaper grade that will probably have glue joints, glue joints do not stain very well.

A fantastic crown molding job can only be achieved if the crown is cut or coped properly so the back joints fit together perfectly. Perfect is the only way to go!

Cutting, nailing, joining, and finishing crown molding is best done by professionals. The work is slow and tedious and goes together one piece at a time and hurrying will lead to disaster. There are no short cuts (no pun intended) and the skilled finish carpenter will not waste expensive material and will give you the finished look you want.