Paint Crown Molding Before or After Installation?

sirwired

Heh. My brother didn't cope, just hacked away with his fancy compound miter saw. Wondered why it didn't turn out right and gave up on the crown. I guess he figured that all those instructions about coping were some kind of ancient runes passed down from the days before miter saws... I informed him there was a reason there was an entire trade called "trim carpenter".

SirWired

cej22

Yeah, crown can be extremely aggravating if you don't know what you're doing. It's not the simplest of jobs.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/articles/ar...odworking&ID=2

sirwired

If you look at that DeWalt page, you will notice it makes no mention of coping (you sell fewer miter saws if you tell folks they still need to do fine manual work.) With their instructions, it'll look okay if you are real precise at the beginning, but later after the trim changes dimension at all, you'll open up bad-looking gaps. Coping still leaves you with gaps, but they look more "natural".

SirWired

cej22

I think their instructions presuppose that you know you have to cope the joints. It just gives you the angles you need for the crown. This is especially helpful if your crown is large enough that you have to cut it with the trim flat on the saw. It's also helpful is your walls aren't square.

BigJim

When installing ceiling mold wall to wall, I would cut the mold about 1/8 inch longer than the measured wall was. When coped and 1/8 inch longer, the joint looks like it grew there. You will want to bow the mold out in the middle and fit the mold at the coped end and nail it there. Push the mold in at the bow and it will tighten up nice and tight.

gmhut

Thanks for all the great advice!

Another couple of stupid questions:

Is it necessary to use blocking or can you just nail the molding directly to the studs? Without the blocking, does nailing to the wall studs at the bottom of the molding, then to the ceiling studs at the top create any issues from the joists and the studs expanding and contracting separately over time?

Also, I'll be installing crown molding on new kitchen cabinets, the molding will butt against the ceiling, same question for the cabinet molding as above. I have straight 1x2s attached to the top of the cabinets but not 45 degree face on the front side of the blocking, so I'd be nailing the bottom of the molding to the blocking on the top of the cabinets and nailing the top of the molding into the ceiling joists; or, do I need to add additional blocking to the face of the 1x2s to build a 45 degree face on the blocking to follow the back of the crown molding?

I'm guessing I should cope the kitchen cabinet crown molding as well? (I have a corner cabinet with the face of the cabinet at a 45 degree angle to it's adjacent cabinet faces)

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Also, I'm doing all the work by myself (as in one man, one pair of hands). I plan to put a temporary finishing nail at the ends of the wall, hang a loop of string loosely to it, and slip the ends of the crown molding in the loop to be my second pair of hands while working alone—comments about this technique or better ideas are much appreciated.

Any tips for measuring the walls for one person? This may sound stupid, but I'm planning on cutting a long strip of brown paper from a roll (trimmed to a manageable width) to measure with, hoping that because it is light but not super thin, I can tape one end of the paper strip to one end of the wall and pull it relatively tight (assuming brown paper won't stretch) and mark the paper at the other end of the wall. Then use the paper as a template to mark the cut on the molding. I'm considering this because I'm not sure I can find a way to get one end of a tape measure securely attached to the end of the wall I'm not holding, or be attached securely enough to pull the metal measuring tape taught enough to get an accurate measure without detaching it from the wall opposite the one I'm measuring to. Any tips better than what I'm planning with the paper template would be much appreciated (unless you think that will work).

cej22

You only need blocking if your joists run parallel to your wall and you don't have anything to nail into at the ceiling.

I've always relied on a tape measure. The Stanley Fat Max has a pretty long standout.

As for installing, get your length of crown snugly in place and nail it in the center first. It will stay in place while you nail in the rest.

Crown is a job where I definitely prefer to have a helper, but it isn't impossible to do alone.

adeyoe

I am avid about priming and painting before hand myself. I am getting to really enjoy the use of the new adhesives out there that are nailess for such items as Crown molding. (which I am not apt to replace anytime soon). I also like the use of a coping saw, and will often use my disc/belt sender for a smooth fit on edges. this takes some practice to make sure you don't over do it. Once installed, if necessary, I fill any gaps and if nails were used, with a light spackle putty which can be lightly sanded, and then touch up with paint for a smooth blend (also a nice cover for being lazy in my own home when I am tired of messing with "weird angles".. If those are your pics so far, they look good. I like to work top to bottom. I just have a tendency (per the wife) to get carless in my home carrying things.. I find it a means to buy more tools. ~!

charlie C

I have had good luck with crown and base molding. Prime and paint prior to cutting and I always cope inside corners. Suggest you check for 90 degree angles with a square. Mark the bottom edge of where the molding is to fit all around the room and if a good 45 or 90 degree angle it will work fairly good. By all means use a brad nailer and use a helper to hold the molding in place. It is also a good idea to mark where the studs and rafter are to save time when attaching the molding. caulk the corners and brad spots. Maybe touch up with paint on those spots if needed.

jordy3738

Prime first and finish paint after the crown is installed.