Crown Molding-120, DIY-4 Preparation For Paint

Now that all three pieces of moldings have been installed, it's time to start the preparation for paint process. It takes time and patience, but is well worth the effort.

Above Shove the spackling into the nail holes. Below Make sure you leave a small mound of spackling over the hole. That way if the spackling shrinks as it dries, you won't be left with divit in your molding.

Above Remember this goofy corner?

Above This was the most difficult section of the installation.

Above Here is our scraf joint. The wall and ceiling were so wavy that fitting this joint was tough. The fit was almost perfect, but not quite. We'll have to do a little blending to make it perfect.

Above Here I've done some preliminary sanding. Note where the white primer has been sanded away--on the right side of the joint--that's the high side and will need to be sanded down more if we don't want that joint to show through the paint.

Above See how the primer has been sanded away on both sides of the joint? That means that section of the joint is blended perfectly and will not show after it's painted. Below Now the joint is blended perfectly.

Above and Below Now repeat the process again, but on these other joints.

Above This joint is getting closer to perfection.

Above and Below Using the primer to find out if the joint has been blended to perfection is a great technique to ensure invisible joints.

Above Again, using the primer to indicate when the joint is blended works on all of the joints you'll use. Below The joint on this cornice needs quite a bit of blending.

Below OK, now it's ready.

Above and Below Now that the spackling is dry it's time to sand it smooth. This corner will need yet another coat of spackling before it's ready to prime.

Above Now that all of the holes have been spackled and sanded smooth, it's time to prime all of the moldings--yes, even the pre-primed moldings.

Above I just love using these little cut-in paint trays.

Above One coat of primer is sufficient, except for the places that were the original primer was sanded away, like on this cornise. One more coat on this spot will do the trick.

Above Remember how rough this looked before all of our preparation work. Now it will take a coat of paint and show no defects.

Above Remember we had about a 1/8" gap between the top of this cornice and the cockeyed ceiling? It's been filled and sanded smooth.

Above A bow in this wall creates a gap at the bottom of the crown molding. Below A little painter's caulk will take care of the gap.

Above After running the caulk into the gap, wipe with a slightly wet cloth.

Above And that's how your newly installed crown molding should look after you've prepared it for paint.

Above It's been a lot of work installing this crown molding. But now we're ready for a good coat of Benjamin Moore paint to complete the task.

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Door Surround-115 DIY Project Overview

Victorian/Arts & Crafts

Base SRP $750.00
Base Materials $

Inventory

Special Orders
Appliques for capitals

DIY (1)

iNeedCrown.com for Homeowners Hiring a Craftsman

Step 1
Browse the www.iNeedCrown.com PATTERN BOOK (located on the upper right of your screen) to get familiar with the designs that tug at your heart.

It's been about 100 years since the moldings presented in this PATTERN BOOK have been available to the average homeowner. So take your time, we're not going anywhere without you!

Step 2
Print the pages of the patterns you like best and show them when you interview craftsmen quoting your installation.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard my fellow craftsmen lament the fact that their prospects and clients really don't know what they want. "I can build anything they want, if they could just show me a picture."

Craftsmen With No Portfolio
I know many great craftsman who can build anything they set their hands to; a bookcase, a shed, a house, a Door Surround from the iNeedCrown.com PATTERN BOOK. But few of them think to take pictures of their work.

America is full of highly skilled craftsmen of all sorts. Problem is, they are loosing their jobs left and right as companies replace them with foreign labor. Put them to work in your neighborhood creating the kind of architectural character American homes have not seen for a very long time. So, your local craftsman may not have a finish carpentry portfolio, but can probably build anything you show him a picture of.

Step 3
Review the SRPs (if posted) and match them to your budget.

Most folks don't have a clue what descent finish carpentry costs. That's why I include some SRPs, to get you in the ballpark. Time is valuable, yours and your prospective craftsman's. Most of my clients find that they can afford more than they had anticipated. Knowing this makes defining the scope of your project that much easier.

Step 4
Find a local finish carpenter/craftsman.

Many great local finish carpenters and craftsmen advertise on the pages of www.iNeedCrown.com, so finding a good one is only a click away!

For Local Molding Retailers

For Finish Carpenters/Independent Craftsmen