Crown Molding Corner

The crown molding corner can show the real skill of a tradesman or do-it-yourself homeowner.  Crown molding adds a distinctive touch to any home by giving an architectural line to the juncture of the wall and ceiling.  Because of its unusual angles, cutting it takes a lot of practice to really master.  And you need to know the tricks of the professionals.

Crown molding is not placed flush against the wall or ceiling like regular trim, which are flat stock.  Crown molding has angled surfaces and a flat spot on the reverse side of the profile, so it forms more of a triangle.  The angled cuts on the back of the piece are at 90 degrees to each other, and one attaches to the wall and the other to the ceiling.

Because of the way the crown molding is angled, cutting it is more complicated than other types of trim.  The piece to be cut should be positioned upside down with the small angled ends held tightly against the vertical fence and the flat table area.  This mimics the exact way the crown molding will be installed.

When you make a test cut of your piece at 45 degrees you will see that the bottom edge of the crown molding is the longest part of the molding.  The top is shorter because it meets the other piece of crown molding at the inside corner. One tip is to put in a filler strip that will fill that space behind the crown molding on the wall.  If this is attached to the top plate, there won’t be a need to find the studs to attach the crown molding.

There are usually irregularities in any construction, and the complicated angles make crown molding corners more difficult.  There are inside and outside crown molding corners and they require different calculations.   One way to do inside corners is to make a straight cut and butt it to the wall, and then cope the other piece running into it.  Outside corners are made with miter cuts.  There are formulas to help figure out any deviations from the 90 degree angle.

A recent innovation that saves a lot of time and trouble is the crown molding corner block.  These are prefabricated decorative corners that can be installed first.  Then the other crown molding pieces can just be cut straight and joined to the corner blocks.  Making perfect crown molding corners can be a challenge but they can be the elegant finishing touch to any renovated room.