www.iNeedCrown.com: June 2008

Crown Molding-120, Arizona Room 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.

DIY (1) Room Prep. and Layout

DIY (2) Installation
DIY (3) Flex Trim Installation
DIY (4) Preparation for Paint

DIY (5) Flex Trim Prep for Paint

Return to Crown Molding-120

Door Surround-115 DIY Project Overview

Victorian/Arts & Crafts

Base SRP $750.00
(I'll be adding the rest of the info soon, so check back often.)

Base Materials $

Inventory

Special Orders

Appliques for Capitals

iNeedCrown.com for Homeowners Hiring a Craftsman

Step 1
Browse the www.iNeedCrown.com PATTERN BOOK (located on the 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."

I also 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. That's OK. Just print the pages of the iNeedCrown.com Patterns you like the best and show them to your favorite finish carpenter. He'll thank you for it!

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 finish carpenter. 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! Here is my new (and very incomplete) list of links to Local Finish Carpenters who's work I like.

Cheers, Ken

For Local Molding Retailers

You want to sell your inventory of moldings and iNeedCrown.com wants to help. You probably already stock most of the classic molding profiles your customers need to build the patterns in the iNeedCrown Pattern Book. So spread the word, tell your regular finish carpenters and DIY homeowners about all of the free patterns at iNeedCrown.com and I'll show them the potential just waiting to be released from your molding inventory.

Chees, Ken

iNeedCrown.com For DIY Home Owners

You have a house with no proper moldings, a garage full of tools, a limited budget but lots of ambition. You, my friend, now have a problem. Because once I show you how easy and affordable it is to rip out those old "why bother" moldings and replace them with grand, historically inspired architectural details, your free time will never be the same!

Over time I'll be adding hundreds of DIY tips on the design, installation and painting of the architectural details you find in the iNeedCrown.com Pattern Book.

If you have any questions or need clarification on some aspect of design and installation, or you just want to share your project with all of us that visit iNeedCrown.com, then don't hesitate to
contact me or post a comment. That's why I created iNeedCrown.com as a blog rather than a static website. Interaction with others who love classical architectural details as much as I do is the primary purpose of this site.

Good luck with your next molding project!
Cheers, Ken

Crown Molding-120 Installation Details

Victorian/Traditional

Dimensions Drop 6-1/4"
Projection 5-1/8"
Base SRP $18.00/lf
Base SRP/corner or return $20.00ea.

Inventory
FS-100 Flat Stock Cornice
CM-102 Cove Crown Molding
LM-101 Anchor
Total Material Cost/ft

Special Orders
Radius moldings from FlexTrim

Arizona Room DIY!

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.

DIY (1) Room Prep and Layout
DIY (2) Installation
DIY (3) Flex Trim Installation
DIY (4) Preparation for Paint

DIY (5) Flex Trim Prep for Paint
Return to Crown Molding-120

Crown Molding-120, Arizona Room DIY (1) Room Prep. and Layout

Above The crux of this crown molding installation will be the FlexTrim on this curved wall. The materials, including the FlexTrim, have been ordered and will arrive shortly.

Above This open floor plan includes a very nice kitchen, a dining area and a family room. Locally this layout is called an, "Arizona Room."

Above I always cover electronics with plastic tarps.

Above After the plastic tarp is up I throw a heavy canvas tarp on top, just for an extra measure of protection--Murphy's Law you know!

Above The fine dust from sanding warrents tarps on the furniture, too.

Above I always make a mockup of my crown molding buildups. It allows me to play with the proportions until I'm satisfied with the look of the crown molding. It also allows me to accurately scribe the drop and projection on the wall.

Above The mockup also allows me to check any limiting factors like these built-in stereo speakers. This client didn't want to move them, so we'll just notch the flatstock cornice around the speaker flange.

Above Cut a block to the length the crown molding "drops" down the wall from the ceiling. Use the bottom edge to guide your pencile as you scribe a layout line. Note To Finish Carpenters: Each time you install a crown molding pattern, mark each one with it's pattern number and save them for the next time you need them.

Above Make a "projection" block to scribe your line where your crown molding extends out from the wall accross the ceiling.

Above Use a strait edge of some sort to finish your scribe line on outside corners where your projection block won't reach.

Above Always locate your studs with a good quality stud finder. Never, ever assume that once you find the first stud on a wall that you can simply measure from stud center to stud center. If you do, most of your crown molding will be nailed to drywall and not studs!

Above Marking the studs above the drop scribe line helps keep your wall clean if you're not going to do a complete repaint, but touch-up only. Below Now flag your stud locations with a piece of blue tape. Keeps the wall clean and really helps you find your studs quickly when your holding crown molding in place with one hand and shooting nails with your other hand.

DIY (1) Room Prep and Layout

DIY (2) Installation

DIY (3) Flex Trim Installation

DIY (4) Preparation for Paint

DIY (5) Flex Trim Prep for Paint

Return to Crown Molding-120

www.iNeedCrown.com

Crown Molding-120, Arizona Room DIY (4) Preparation For Paint

Door Surround-115 DIY Project Overview

iNeedCrown.com for Homeowners Hiring a Craftsman

For Local Molding Retailers

iNeedCrown.com For DIY Home Owners

Crown Molding-120 Installation Details

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

Crown Molding-120, Arizona Room DIY (1) Room Prep. and Layout

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