Installing Crown Molding

Making Crown moldings with square cuts
These are the simplest cuts which are used for making butt joints. The cut ends of this type of moldings will fit at the same level as the molding. To achieve this, set the miter saw to 0° and create a butt joint.

crown molding

Making Scarf joints on crown molding
Scarf joint cutting is made when the wall is longer than the length of a single piece of crown molding and requires a connection made of two pieces of trim. This is achieved by cutting two trims at 45° opposite angles and joined by overlapping as a splice.

Making of outside corners
Outside corner crown molding is required when the room has more than four corners. This can be the tall windows, an entryway or a chimney which prevents the crown molding from outlining a rectangle or square on the ceiling. Tor these, the moldings are cut to create a shape like a shipâs bow.
Making of coped joints for inside corners

When you use coped joint you can create a tight seam for inside corners of crown molding. This can be created by using a handsaw called coping saw. This removes the molding material from the back of the moldings leading edge. The need for doing this arises when there are gaps in the joints of wall corners which leaves an unfinished look. On scraping the molding material only the decorative front profile is left which will then fit perfectly against its matching piece in the corner.
You can also make use of pre-cut decorative corner blocks on the area where wall corners meet the ceiling. These will eliminate the need for making any angle cuts using miter saw. Using sandpaper to smoothen out any high spots on cut ends will ensure tight joints.

Attaching of molding
After cutting the crown moldings in the corners snap it firmly into place and then fix using nails or constructive adhesives. When attaching cut moldings ensure that the corner edges overlap perfectly to avoid visible gaps.

Cleaning up after installation
Once the installation is complete you should clean up the outside corners by using sandpaper to smoothen out the line created by joining pieces. You should use caulk for gaps formed in paint-grade molding installations. Also, remember to use lightweight spackles to fill nail holes instead of caulk which tends to shrink on drying.
Following this guideline while installing crown moldings will save you lots of time, frustration and money. Crown molding installation can be done by yourself if the material used is not too demanding. Crown molding helps in creating a feeling of the high ceiling in the rooms in which it is installed.