Paint the walls and ceiling. Prime and paint the crown before you install it. I always paint before I cut and fit molding. Once you have it up it often only takes a little caulking to finish it up.
Rege
Rege
Paint Crown Molding Before or After Installation?
Painting interior and installing new crown molding (walls are one color, ceiling and crown molding another). Is it better to paint the walls, cut molding to measure, paint new crown molding, install crown molding, touch up; or is it better to install the crown molding, paint ceiling and crown molding, tape, paint walls.
I imagine there will be caulking involved at some point that will need to be painted one of the two colors at the edge of the two-tone paint transition?
I imagine there will be caulking involved at some point that will need to be painted one of the two colors at the edge of the two-tone paint transition?
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
Every "how too" article I've read strongly suggests using a coping saw for one of the pieces when fitting the corners. This seems like a time consuming pain, although I've never done it, so maybe it's faster and easier than I imagine it to be.
How important is using a coping saw to cut the matching profile of one end of a piece butted to the uncut end of another vs. just cutting each piece at a 45 degree angle with a chop saw?
Do most professionals use the coping method as the articles I've read suggest, or is that not as prevalent as the "how to" articles seem to imply?
Does using the coping method impact the "paint before cutting" method as far as marring the paint around the coped cut?
Is the priming on pre-primed molding from HD enough, or should I prime it myself anyway?
How important is using a coping saw to cut the matching profile of one end of a piece butted to the uncut end of another vs. just cutting each piece at a 45 degree angle with a chop saw?
Do most professionals use the coping method as the articles I've read suggest, or is that not as prevalent as the "how to" articles seem to imply?
Does using the coping method impact the "paint before cutting" method as far as marring the paint around the coped cut?
Is the priming on pre-primed molding from HD enough, or should I prime it myself anyway?
I am just this week learning how to do this sort of stuff. Here's my $.02:
- Prime, but don't paint before installation - you're going to have to paint after you caulk anyway.
- Coping is WAY easier than you think. Get a coping saw and go for it. I found it much easier if I clamped the molding within 6 inches of the end being coped. My first few weren't picture perfect (I chose less visibly conspicuous corners for my novice attempts). By my third or fourth it was fairly quick and easy.
Give it a go!
- Prime, but don't paint before installation - you're going to have to paint after you caulk anyway.
- Coping is WAY easier than you think. Get a coping saw and go for it. I found it much easier if I clamped the molding within 6 inches of the end being coped. My first few weren't picture perfect (I chose less visibly conspicuous corners for my novice attempts). By my third or fourth it was fairly quick and easy.
Give it a go!
The seasonal changes really show an open miter, but not so much a coped, because of the area of end grain when they shrink opposed to a thin line on coped.
Check out the homemade tool: http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuil...arpenter/coping-crown-molding-techniques.aspx
And complex: http://books.google.com/books?id=7XUs4lCZhfEC&pg=PA146&dq=crown+moulding Be safe, G
Check out the homemade tool: http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuil...arpenter/coping-crown-molding-techniques.aspx
And complex: http://books.google.com/books?id=7XUs4lCZhfEC&pg=PA146&dq=crown+moulding Be safe, G
Crown, casings, base, and doors are in progress right now on our remodel. Here is what is working out really well for me. Pre-primed MDF moldings, pre-paint with SW waterborne enamel, install, caulk, minimal touch-up needed. The pictures are before touch-up.
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Looks good from here. Personally, I would prime first and do the finish coat(s) after nailing and caulking.
Paint Before you Install
It's always a good idea to paint your ceiling, walls and crown molding before you install it. This way you don't have to try to paint around the various components. After you paint everything separately and install it you are done.
TJ
It's always a good idea to paint your ceiling, walls and crown molding before you install it. This way you don't have to try to paint around the various components. After you paint everything separately and install it you are done.
TJ
Coping helps to disguise the joints better as they expand and contract with the changing seasons. If you perform a simple chop, the gap between the pieces will be twice as large, and probably too big to reliably bridge with caulk.Every "how too" article I've read strongly suggests using a coping saw for one of the pieces when fitting the corners. This seems like a time consuming pain, although I've never done it, so maybe it's faster and easier than I imagine it to be.
How important is using a coping saw to cut the matching profile of one end of a piece butted to the uncut end of another vs. just cutting each piece at a 45 degree angle with a chop saw?
Do most professionals use the coping method as the articles I've read suggest, or is that not as prevalent as the "how to" articles seem to imply?
Does using the coping method impact the "paint before cutting" method as far as marring the paint around the coped cut?
Is the priming on pre-primed molding from HD enough, or should I prime it myself anyway?
SirWired
I'm sure I'm "old school" but I learned under my Grandad and now I'm 60. I have friends who do trim carpentry who are my elders. One thing I have learned is to prime and paint crown and base before even starting the project.I believe it makes things go easier in the long run,just a little touch-up. As far as coping, it's the only way to go for me. Thanks, David
I have never painted a ceiling or wall before I put it in :thumbup:It's always a good idea to paint your ceiling, walls and crown molding before you install it. This way you don't have to try to paint around the various components. After you paint everything separately and install it you are done.
TJ
Generally if you have nice true walls and ceiling then you can paint the trim before putting it up. If you forsee a lot of caulking, prime it first, then paint it after it is up.
For some reason I just assumed you caulked the edges automatically. Is it the case that you only caulk if the walls are wavy enough to need cosmetic surgery at the with a calk gun?
I have never been lucky enough to have 4 walls in a room not need to be caulked with painted trim. Even casing which tends to pull tight to the wall can use a little caulk to fill in gaps most of the time. I have installed stained trim that looked pretty good but I ended up taping the trim and filling in with caulk and it looked even better...
Rege
Rege
The thing about caulking is that if you caulk after it has been painted, dirt will penetrate the caulk a lot more than the painted trim so it will discolor. Same goes for smoke if you are a smoker. If you have painted over the caulk it won't do that.
1. Pre-prime and paint your trim (not required, but saves time in the long run)
2. Absolutely cope your joints. Don't even consider not doing it.
3. Spackle and sand nail holes. Prime the spackle if your paint calls for it. Caulk all seams.
4. Paint ceiling
5. Paint an entire coat on your crown (don't skimp by just trying to touch up caulk and spackle)
6. Paint your walls
2. Absolutely cope your joints. Don't even consider not doing it.
3. Spackle and sand nail holes. Prime the spackle if your paint calls for it. Caulk all seams.
4. Paint ceiling
5. Paint an entire coat on your crown (don't skimp by just trying to touch up caulk and spackle)
6. Paint your walls
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
SirWired
Yeah, crown can be extremely aggravating if you don't know what you're doing. It's not the simplest of jobs.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
http://www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?Site=woodworking&ID=2
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
SirWired
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.
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.
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