Installing Crown Molding

CROWN MOLDING INSTALLATION 101

Use these tips to make sure your crown molding project beautifully displays your distinctive style.

Proper installation of crown molding is essential in ensuring the overall beauty of the tone and style of a space or room you are working on. Installing crown molding in a space shifts the eyes upward. It is an embellishment that has become an important aspect of home improvement. Whatever your personal taste is, you will surely find the molding that will fit your style.

Here are some useful guidelines for installing crown molding.

1. CHOOSING THE DESIGN OF YOUR CROWN MOLDING

When browsing for the design that you will use for your crown molding, remember that smooth surfaces can be highlighted by intricate molding while textured surfaces can be highlighted by smooth molding. Also, make sure that the molding is proportional to the space you are installing it in. Having a large crown molding can overwhelm a relatively small area. 

2. CHOOSING WHICH MATERIALS TO USE

Selecting the suitable material grade will rely on whether you will choose to stain or paint your crown molding. Paint grade materials that are most commonly used are poplar, pine and MDF or medium-density fiberboard. MDF has actually been the top choice of many as it comes in a wide range of profiles and sizes. It also more stable and is able to resist contraction and expansion resulting from humidity and temperature changes.

With paint grade materials, minor defects at the joints may be fixed through caulking. On the other hand, caulking cannot be done with stain grade materials so if you will choose to use them, precise cutting is vital. The common choices are ash, mahogany and oak.

Watch these videos on the proper installation of crown molding.

3. IDENTIFYING THE HIGH AND LOW AREAS OF THE WALL OR CEILING

Prior to the actual installation of your crown molding, identifying where the low and high areas of the ceiling and wall is necessary. Identifying these will have a big effect on your molding’s length and cut. An easy way to handle these flaws would be by skim-coating the walls and ceiling using plaster and joint compound after installation.

4. CUTTING THE CROWN MOLDING

Precision in cutting the molding is probably the hardest step in crown molding installation. Precise cuts can be done through measuring accurately and keeping track of the edge that is on top of the crown molding. Visualize how your crown molding will look once installed.