Hillman Carpentry
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Crown Molding

• Crown Molding is a trim detail applied to the top of a wall at the intersection of the ceiling. It can be one single molding or several put together giving a deep ornate feeling. 

• Crown is a classification of moldings that cover an infinite number of styles and forms.  All with the same function of terminating a wall into a ceiling.

• Crown molding should complement the room and style of the house. Colonial style molding in a Victorian home looks out of place and can be distracting. There are pattern books available for every motif. These books can help guide you to the right style for your home.

• Choose the crown carefully.  Large crown in a room with low ceilings can make it seam smaller and squat.  Small crown in a large room  will get lost.

Tague lumber has one of the areas best selections of moldings and samples of crown moldings. 

Installing crown molding

If you have never used a Miter saw please have a professional show you and  refer to our page on its use "Miter saw"

• There are two different angles that crown is install, refured to as "spring angle".  The most common is 38 degrees.  the other is 45 degrees.  It is important to know the angle of your molding before you cut.

• Crown can be cut "in place" or "on the flat". 

   In Place (movie crowninplacefin- The crown is cut on the saw with the bottom on the molding against the fence of the saw and the top of the crown on the bed of the saw.  It is important that it is sitting at the correct angle and each piece is set in the saw the exact same way.

  On the Flat (movie here)  - The crown is cut with the molding lying flat on the bed of the saw.  The miter and bevel of the saw are set a the proper angle to cut the compound angle (this is a two dimensional angle sloped both vertically and horizontally.)  for 38 degree crown the settings for a 90 degree corner is 31.6 for the miter and 33.8 for the bevel.  Most saws have these points marked on their bed.

Laying out the Room

• Determine how far down from the ceiling on the wall your crown  extends.  You can do this by cutting a small piece and setting it on the wall.

• Mark this measurement at each corner of the room and several locations on longer walls.

• Using a chalk line strike lines around the room.  This will ensure that the crown installs straight and at the proper angle.

• Start by installing the crown on the longest wall. (I do this incase I make a wrong cut, I can always the the miss cut piece on a shorter wall.) This first piece will run full length. don't bother to cut angles on the corners.  the pieces that ajoin will be coped.

• Determine the main veiling point of the room.  This is the area most used.  It could be the main door way, a sitting area, in a kitchen it could be the island.  From this point you want all your joints and splices going away from. This will help hide them. The wall that you will most often be facing from this point is the main wall.  This should have the fewest number of joints and run full length with the  adjoining crown copped.

Copping

• Movie here. First cut an inside miter on the crown for a normal wall this will be a 45.  This can be done by cutting in place or on the flat.

• When measuring the wall, I like to add 1/16 to my cut length.  The molding "springs" into place on the wall making a tight joint.  This also helps prevent the joins from shrinking and opening.

• With your coping saw cut along the line formed by the miter cut and the face of the crown.  Be sure to cut at a steep back angle.

• With the the molding coped, put it against the wall and pop it into place.