How To Hang Crown Molding on Kitchen Cabinets

*Cost information in this article sourced from Angi.

Crown molding can transform the look of your kitchen cabinets, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication. While the process may seem daunting, with the right tools and techniques, you can achieve professional-looking results.

This Old House expert, Tom Silva, demonstrates the step-by-step process of installing crown molding on kitchen cabinets, providing valuable insights for homeowners looking to enhance their kitchen’s aesthetic appeal.

Understanding Crown Molding Installation

Crown molding is typically installed at an angle, connecting the top of the cabinet to the ceiling. However, your cabinet type will affect the installation method. 

Types of Cabinet Doors

The type of cabinet doors you have will influence how you install crown molding. Understanding these differences can help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a seamless installation.

• Full overlay doors: These completely cover the cabinet frame, providing a sleek, modern look.
• Inset doors: These sit flush with the cabinet frame, requiring a different approach for crown molding installation.
• Overlay doors: These cover the cabinet frame partially or fully, allowing for a more straightforward crown molding installation.

Pro Tip: Craig Tolmie of Tide Mill Restoration notes that “a lot of upper kitchen cabinets these days don’t have enough material above the doors on which to mount crown molding.” His solution: build a hardwood frame that sits on top of the cabinets and use it as a base for fastening the crown. This approach lets you do the detail work on a bench rather than from a ladder.

Preparing for Installation

Here are the essential steps to follow when preparing for your crown molding project:

1. Measure your cabinets accurately
2. Select appropriate crown molding
3. Gather the necessary tools and materials
4. Plan your cuts and installation strategy

In the video, Silva emphasizes the importance of careful measurement and planning before cutting. Following these preparatory steps will help you avoid mistakes and ensure a professional finish.

Cabinets With Inset Doors

If your cabinets have inset doors, open them, position the augmented crown on the ceiling, and clamp it to the cabinet’s face frame. Trace a pencil line on the ceiling where it meets the scribe strip, then reclamp the crown so it sits flush with the bottom edge of the face-frame top rail. Draw tick marks across this joint to help you align the crown after scribing.

Set your compass legs to match the widest gap between the crown and ceiling to make the scribe line. Keep the legs aligned vertically as you run the compass point along the line on the ceiling and the pencil along the scribe strip. The pencil line will show the ceiling contour.

On cabinets with overlay doors, which have hidden face frames or no frames at all, you’ll have to mount rabbeted filler pieces to the cabinets’ tops to give you something to nail the crown to.

The fillers above the doors should sit flush with the door faces; these fillers are held in place with screws driven through the tops of the cabinets. The side fillers sit inside the cabinet frame, flush with the sides. They’re fastened to the cabinet with a combination of superglue gel, wood glue, and pin nails.

Steps for hanging crown molding:

1. Cut strips of the 5/4-inch pine to length and width based on the size of the cabinets. These will be the filler pieces.
2. Make rabbet cuts on the filler pieces so that the piece fits tightly on the top of the cabinet and over the door of the cabinet.
3. Once the cuts are all made, spray paint the filler pieces to match the color of the cabinets in case they show through.
4. Mount the filler pieces to the cabinets using super glue to hold them in place and wood glue to bond them more permanently.
5. From the sides of the cabinet, nail the filler pieces in the place. For the front filler piece, drill from underneath the inside of the cabinet and then secure that piece with wood screws.
6. Hold up the crown molding on the sides of the cabinet. Be sure the pieces are tight against the wall. Use a pencil to mark from the inside the correct measurement to cut the crown molding. Draw an arrow on the interior to help determine which angle the miter cut should go.
7. Hold the crown molding upside down and backward so that it presses up safely against the fence of the miter saw. To keep it from slipping, you can use some of the clear polyurethane glue and a couple of small pieces of wood to glue on the base of the saw to act as stops.
8. Turn the miter saw to 45 degrees based on the direction of the mark drawn on the crown molding during measuring. Cut the piece.
9. To make the sister cut on the opposite piece of crown molding, turn the saw to the opposite 45-degree angle and cut it again.
10. Nail the two pieces together using the brad nailer and then hold the crown molding back up to the cabinet to get the next measurement. Measure and mark the front piece of crown molding. Be sure to also mark the direction of the angle for the crown molding like before.
11. Make the miter cut for the front piece of crown molding. Then, make the sister cut for the following side like before.
12. Mount the crown molding to the cabinet using the brad nailer. Repeat this process with the rest of the cabinets with outside corners.
13. For any cabinets with an inside corner, cut the miters with the opposite 45-degree angle so that the miter angles on the crown molding cut into itself.
14. Fill in all the nail holes with wood putty.
15. Caulk around the crown molding where it meets the ceiling to give it a finished look.

When positioning the crown molding in the miter saw, think of the saw’s fence as the wall and the saw’s base as the ceiling. As This Old House general contractor Tom Silva demonstrates, flipping the crown upside down so it’s tight to both the fence and the base ensures the cut will be really accurate. Gluing two small blocks—one on each side of the saw blade—keeps the crown in the correct orientation every time you make a cut.

Tips for Successful Crown Molding Installation

Installing crown molding on kitchen cabinets can be a complex task, but the following tips can make the job easier:

• Label your pieces: Mark and label each piece to keep track of their positions and ensure accurate installation.
• Practice on scrap pieces: Before making final cuts, practice on scrap pieces to get a feel for the angles and measurements.
• Take your time: Rushing through the installation can lead to mistakes. Take your time measuring, cutting, and fitting each piece carefully.
• Use a high-quality miter saw: A precise miter saw ensures accurate cuts, which are crucial for a seamless fit.

Pro Tip: Norm Abram of This Old House recommends marking your walls and ceiling before installing crown molding to keep joints aligned. As he explains: “The easiest way to keep crown in line is to mark the walls and ceiling before you install the molding. That way, you can see where its top and bottom edges should land.” His trick is to cut a simple block of wood to match the crown’s dimensions and use it to transfer reference marks along the wall and ceiling. “Don’t worry if the molding doesn’t land on each mark exactly because of a bulge or dip in the wall; the crown should still come out fine overall.”

Add Blocking for a Secure Hold: According to This Old House Magazine, Tom Silva installs blocking made from 2- or 3-foot lengths of 2×4 lumber, ripped on a table saw at the same angle that the crown runs from wall to ceiling, to provide an additional nailing surface between studs and joists. Apply construction adhesive to the back of the block, then nail or screw it through the drywall into the top plate with 8d finish nails or 2- to 3-inch screws. When the molding is placed on the wall, there should be a gap of about ⅛ inch between the back of the molding and the face of the block.

Our Conclusion

While it requires careful planning and precise cuts, installing new crown molding is manageable for many DIY enthusiasts. By following the expert techniques demonstrated by Silva, you can achieve professional-looking results and add lasting value to your home.

Shopping List

• 5/4-inch pine
• Brad nails
• Fast-drying spray primer
• Paintable caulking
• Pencil
• Super glue
• Wood glue
• Wood putty
• Wood screws

Tools