Crown Molding-120, Arizona Room DIY (2) Installation

Below I like to install the flat stock cornice on the ceiling first, followed by the anchor on the wall. That's me installing this crown on a 14' ceiling in the active retirement community of Sun City Grand, Surprise, Arizona.


Above It's time to cope. But don't wory, it's really not that tough, just takes a bit of practice to get the feel of it.

Above and Below We're making a right hand cope, so cut a 45 deg. miter like this.


Above Get comfortable, take a deep breath, and tell yourself, "self, I only want to make this cope once--so don't rush it!" Below It helps to remove material in sections like this.

Above We're using a good quality lightweight MDF for this part of the crown. It is easy to cope.

Above Now file the edge of your cope with a fine-toothed file.

Above Here is what your fitted cope should look like.
Note: Homeowners who've hired a Finish Carpenter should expect nothing less than this level of craftsmanship at every step of installation.
Craftsmen: As a professional, this is your only acceptable standard--perfect; "we do our best, then caulk the rest" simply will not do. Your standards must always be higher than your client.

Above Now let's take a close look at a difficult portion of the installation. In a perfect world, wrapping the moldings around this series of corners should be of little trouble. But in an industry where "luxury" homes are slapped together in a few days, sloppy craftsmanship--from grading the lot to framing and hanging drywall--accumulate into a house so cockeyed that quality finish carpentry is an exercise in frustration. The problems are compounded the larger the room and the higher the ceiling. A wall out of plumb 1/8" at the foundation can translate into a 1" offset at the ceiling.
It took me quite a few years as a professional finish carpenter before I stopped shaking my head in disbelief at the building industrie's head-scratching standards of "quality".
My mantra, "Nothing I see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality." -S. Suzuki.
Let's get started.

Above and Below This is our right hand cope from earlier. Use a piece of scrap on the left to hold your right hand finish piece in place until you can can accurately scribe your cut mark.



Above Repeat the previous sequence for your left hand finish piece. Your finished miters should be perfect.

Above and Below Now it's time to gule and tack in place. Don't forget to smear the face of the outside miter at the other end of this piece. Once again, just use a few pin nails to hold it in place for now.

Above and Below With only pin nails holding both pieces in place for now, you have the flexability of adjusting the fit.


Above and Below Now tack these outside miters with 1", 23g pin nails. Only then should you drive your final 18g brad nails for a secure installation.

Above I hate bullnose corners in homes. If it were up to me I'd have them banned from the global construction industry! But we have to deal with them, so just fill the gap a good quality spackling or joint compound.

Above This is my favorite brand for nail holes and the corner bullnose gap (you can get it all Lowes Home Improvement stores). Larger gaps need to be filled with joint compound--less shrinkage, you know. You do know about shrinkage, right?

Above Fill the gap with a liberal helping of spackling. Below Clear the excess with putty knife.

Below Let the filler dry completely and then sand (the color changers from pink to white as the filler drys). If it's not yet perfect, repeat the process.


Above Nail your cornice in place at the opposite ends. Let the outside miters, pictured above, loose until you can mate them and then nail.

Above Nail the these two miters together with 1" 23g pin nails. If you're satisfied with the fit, nail the rest with 18g brads.
Above Here is our installed cornice. Below This ceiling is bowed starting from where I'm pointing. The gap above will be spackled and sanded smooth. What's all of that tan colored goop on the walls? It's where I've wiped the Liquid Nails from my fingertips after smearing the glue on the mating joints.
Below It's not pretty yet, but it will be before long!

Above Note the large crack at the ceiling/wall interface. That's how much these wall move each year. The cracks have been repaired on three separate occasions. Crown molding is not designed to fix this kind of problem, but my installations are so strong that I doubt this crack will ever reappear.

Above That's all for today.
Posted by Ken

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