How to Install Crown Molding

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Ultimate Guide to Crown Molding: Plan, Design, Install

Even novices will be able to install door and window casings, chair rails, crown moldings, and much more like a pro.

1001 Ideas for Trimwork

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How to Install Crown Molding Introduction

Nothing dresses up a room or a cabinet like the regal presence of crown molding. This classical accent defines a project the way a frame embellishes an oil painting. And with such a wide array of profiles available, there's a crown molding made to fit every space. Smaller profiles are used on furniture, casework and cabinetry (like the dentil crown shown at right), while larger moldings are used as architectural trim.

So, why hasn't every do-it-yourselfer rushed to the lumberyard? Well, until now, installing crown molding really hasn't been a DIY project. Cutting compound angles and keeping track of inside and outside corners, all those splices and the molding's various orientations has been such a nightmare that most folks either call a pro, or balk at the cost of doing so.

The biggest problem has always been cutting the angles, rather than the actual installation. There are two reasons for this. Most crown moldings don't actually sit against the wall at 45 degrees, and the corners in your rooms are rarely a perfect 90 degrees.

Two new tools from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware combine to eliminate these problems and make an easy job of cutting and installing crown molding. The first of these, the TRUE ANGLE, is a large acrylic protractor which measures every corner and tells you the exact angle to set your miter saw. (More on this later.)

The biggest news in crown molding installation is the Rockler Compound Miter Jig. By holding the molding on your saw's bed at exactly the same angle that it will be installed on the wall, the jig eliminates all guesswork and confusing math.

Advantages of the Rockler Compound MITRE Jig

1. It eliminates the need to cope inside corners. Until now, trim carpenters often installed one piece of crown molding with a 90 degree cut, then used a coping saw to cut the actual profile of the molding on the second piece so it would fit tightly against the first. Imagine having to make all those complicated cuts, and ruining a long piece of molding with the slightest slip-up. The jig lets you create a true miter in every inside corner: one cut on a power saw does the job.

2. Crown moldings come in so many profiles that few of them sit against the wall at a perfect 45 degree angle. The most common deviation is 52/38 (the top of the molding meets the ceiling at 52 degrees, while the back meets the wall at 38 degrees), but every manufacturer has their own specifications. This has always been one of the biggest headaches in dealing with crown moldings. The jig solves the problem with a single adjustment. Hold the molding in place, slide the fence and lock it. That's it. Do this once for each molding on the job (which usually means once per job) and you can throw away the calculator.  

3. The Rockler Compound MITRE Jig lets you make compound cuts on a single plane saw (such as a radial arm saw or most older miter saws). You no longer need a compound miter saw to install crown molding.

4. It's incredibly easy to set up and use, and requires no expert knowledge.

5. It adjusts in seconds. Once the jig is set up for your molding, there's no need to change it.

6. The old way of installing crown molding was to have two people each hold a piece of the molding in opposite corners, then snap chalk lines around the room. With the Rockler Compound MITRE Jig and a short template that you make from your crown molding, all that work is eliminated.

Continue to Part 2: Crown Molding Made Easy

Crown Molding Compound Miter Jig Now it’s easy to create a distinct, stylish look with crown molding! Our innovative new compound miter jig makes it simple to cut difficult compound miters with a standard miter saw... Crown Molding Compound Miter Jig

 Home Improvement and Woodworking