How to Install Easy Crown Molding

By: Jennifer Stimpson, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Plaster-coated Foam Molding
Get 10 percent more than you think you'll need, to accommodate offcut.

2. Joint Compound
Lightweight, easy-sanding premixed compound is best. A 1-gallon container will cover about 60 feet of molding.

3. 8d Finishing Nails
To support long runs of larger molding profiles as the compound dries.

4. 150-grit Sandpaper

5. Painter's Tape

6. Primer and Paint

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Miter box with hand saw
- 6-inch and 1½-inch putty knives
- rasp or sanding block
- hammer
- sponge
- angled sash paintbrush
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Product Gallery
Product selections for this project
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Photo: Kolin Smith

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
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11: Mask and Paint

1. Lay Out and Cut the Molding

If you're working with walls that are out of level and plumb, allow your eye, rather than a level, to guide the position of the molding. For best results, focus on getting the crown to look parallel with any neighboring trim. Install it starting at an inside corner and work toward any outside corners.

Hold a strip of molding in place above a door or window casing. Adjust the molding until it looks even with the casing (ask a helper to stand back and look for you). Draw a pencil line to mark this positioning so that you can install the crown at this alignment.