How to Put In Crown Molding
By , This Old House magazine
- Time: 6 to 8 hours
- Cost: $100 to $150 for an average room
- Difficulty: Moderate
Shopping & Tool Lists
- Supplies You Will Need:
- 1. 4d, 6d, and 8d finish nails
2. 1/16-inch drill bit
3. Wood puttyfor filling nail holes
4. Acrylic or other flexible caulkto seal gaps between molding and walls and ceiling
5. Carpenter's gluefor adhering outside corners and returns
- Tools You Will Need:
-
1. Power miter saw with 10-inch carbide-tipped blade
2. Drill/driver,
for drilling pilot holes for nails
3. Tape measure
4. Pneumatic finishing nailer with 1½- to 2-inch finish nails,
to fasten molding to wall
5. Framing square,
for laying out molding on walls and ceilings
6. Chalk line,
for snapping installation lines on the wall
7. Coping saw,
for coping molding at inside corners
8. Utility knife,
for trimming coped joints
9. Wood rasp,
for fine-tuning coped joints
10. Electronic stud finder,
for locating studs and joists
11. Hammer
Introduction
Modern crown molding can be traced to the late Renaissance, when designers adapted elements of Greek and Roman architecture to ornamental plaster and wood cornices used to disguise and beautify the juncture of ceiling and wall.
The cornice's curves, referred to by classical names such as scotia, cyma, and ovolo, add sculptural definition and visual interest to an otherwise characterless space. The molding used can be simple stock, like the single-piece crown installed here by This Old House general contractor Tom Silva, or elaborate pieces built up from separate lengths of various profiles.
Installing crown is only slightly more complicated than running baseboard. The variety of different joints and saw cuts, including a coped corner joint, an outside miter, a square cut, and a scarf joint, are best done with a coping saw and power miter saw. With practice, you should be able to make tight, long-lasting joints.