How to Install Kitchen Cabinet Crown Molding

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva produces tight-fitting mitered corner joints on crown molding.

Steps for installing kitchen cabinet crown molding:

1. Carefully remove existing molding using hammer and flat pry bar.
2. Hold two short 1x4s flat against ceiling, overlapping at cabinet corner.
3. Mark a line where the overlapping boards meet at outside corner.
4. Use a combination square to draw a line across one board connecting the inside and outside corners.
5. Stack the two 1x4s on the miter-saw table and adjust the blade angle to cut along the pencil line.
6. Measure across the cabinets from one inside corner to the next to determine the length of the crown molding.
7. Set the saw-blade miter angle using the 1×4 guide block.
8. Cut the left-hand miter joint, mark the crown molding’s length, then use the other guide block to set the saw blade and cut the right-hand miter.
9. Hold the crown molding against the cabinet and tight to the ceiling, then nail it to the cabinet using a pneumatic brad nailer and 1¼-inch brads.
10. Cut a mating angle on the next piece of crown, then apply carpenter’s glue to end of molding.
11. Hold the second piece of crown tight against the first piece, then nail it to the cabinets.
12. Repeat for the return piece of crown the goes back to the wall.

Pro Tip: Craig Tolmie of Tide Mill Restoration recommends building a hardwood frame that sits on top of the cabinets as a base for fastening the crown: “Using a frame allows me to do the detail work on a bench—much easier than from a ladder—and I can attach the crown from the back side, so there are no nail holes to fill. Once the frame and crown are attached, you install the whole assembly in one go.”

Technique Detail: To ensure accurate miter cuts on crown molding, flip the crown upside down in the miter saw so the wall edge rests against the fence and the ceiling edge sits flat on the saw table. Then glue guide blocks on each side of the saw blade to hold the crown in the correct orientation every time you make a cut. This keeps the molding firmly in position and produces much more accurate miters.

Pro Tip: When working with corner cabinets, keep in mind that walls don’t always meet at exactly 90 degrees, which can throw off your miter angles. As demonstrated on Ask This Old House, rather than assuming a 45-degree cut at corners, use 1×4 guide blocks to find the actual angle where your walls meet, then set your saw blade accordingly. Starting from the corner and working outward gives you more room to adjust the fit on the longer, more visible runs.

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