Crown moulding and drywall (to tape or not to tape?)

gspck

Some backround.. I have a 14' x 12' room with the original plaster walls intact and the plaster ceiling and lathe stripped down to the ceiling joists. I plan on drywalling the ceiling with 5/8" board perpedicular to the joists and backblocking the three butted seams I'll encounter. Crown moulding will be installed, and the original plaster walls (which are smooth) and the ceiling will both be given a light to medium skip-trowel plaster texture to match the rest of the house. My father in law has been a professional plasterer since he was young, so he will thankfully be doing that part of the work..

My concern relates to what to do with the corner where the new drywall ceiling meets the old plaster wall.. Can I skip taping the corner seam since it will be covered with crown anyway, or will this affect the drywalls structural performance?

I'd like to get the crown up before the final texture is applied to provide for a smooth flat surface for the crown to sit on and to ease installation. I realize as it is I will need to coat the factory tapered edges to level them out before installing the crown.. Does the compound and drywall need to be primed before installing the crown or should I just tape, mud, fasten the crown, then prime/texture/finish?

Thanks!

oldrivers

my belief is to always atleast put 1 coat of firetape on it . id personally pre-fill it and then tape it . yes it should help with some strenght making everything tight . will anything happen if you dont probably not .

1910NE

i recently did the same project in a couple of rooms. i did not tape the wall/ ceiling joint. not saying that is the right way to go....

firehawkmph

I always tape the seams even if they are going to be covered with crown or cabinets, or wood trim of some sort. I use the nylon mesh tape. Some people don't like it, but I do. They make a thinner version now which makes things a bit easier. If it's being covered, I just do one coat with a product like easisand, which is a dry mix compound. This compound is ideal for filling the tapered areas or anywhere you have a gap. It sets up quick and dries harder than premix joint compound. I wouldn't worry about priming the area under the crown.
Mike Hawkins

bjbatlanta

I always tape angles even if crown is to be installed. Just personal preference, though. Not an absolute necessity....

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