Cutting Crown Molding Angles: Get it right the first time!

Crown molding is often seen as an addition to stylized homes. It is classed as a piece of architecture that is placed at the top of the ceiling in your room to give a finished, decorator appeal to your home. Crown molding is not only a decorative addition to your room and your home; it can also hide imperfections in workmanship that would be seen otherwise by the naked eye.

Cutting Crown Molding Angles Accurately

When cutting crown molding angles, you must be very accurate to ensure that the corners all meet perfectly. For traditional wood, cutting crown molding angles does not have to be a huge task once you have the basic understanding. You need to ensure that you follow the directions provided within your installation pack completely. By doing this you will avoid any errors and should be left with a flawless finish.

A Great Guide to Help You Install Crown Molding

This is an excellent guide that covers the basic concepts of cutting an installing crown molding. 350 photographs show examples of different materials and techniques, and 30 step-by-step projects show you how to create a wide array of crown molding designs. If I were to buy one book on the subject it would have to be this one. There are other good books on the subject, and if you are the mathematical type you may find that this book is not enough for you. If that is the case then you should probably look into purchasing Crown Molding &Trim - Install It Like A Pro. If you do buythis book, be sure to also get the protractors, as it will be of little use without them.

Cutting Crown Molding Angles According to Measurements

When you have decided on the style of crown molding you wish to place in your home, you need to measure how much material you require. This is essential as measuring each wall incorrectly can result in you cutting crown molding angles to the wrong specification. It may result in you having additional joints on the straight surfaces due to shorter pieces than what is really needed. You may also find that there are gaps where the corners meet or cannot fit within the space if your angles are not accurate.

If you find the task of cutting crown molding angles daunting there is always the option to go for the less time consuming option and purchase the faux wood version. These come pre cut and do not require the use of saws or other power tools, enabling you to simply measure and put in place using adhesive.

Hiring a Finish Carpenter for Cutting Crown Molding Angles

Because crown molding can be an expensive material to work with, if you experience trouble while cutting crown molding angles and just can't seem to get the hang of it - you might consider hiring a finish carpenter to assist you with this leg of your project. Whichever option you choose, once the materials are up you will be free to paint to a style that is in keeping with your home.

There are two ways to cut a crown molding angle. The flat method and the nested method.

The "Nested" Method:

The first method is cut crown molding upside down and at an angle, sometimes called the "nested" method. To do this it is best to make a "stop" to hold the crown firmly in position. Click here to watch a video showing how.

The advantage to cutting crown molding using this method is that no bevel adjustment is required. So, when adjusting the saw for out of square corners, you only adjust the miter, as opposed to both miter and bevel, as when laying the crown flat. In order to keep your crown molding in the correct position you will need to make a "stop" as in the video above, or you can just buy one. There are several products on the market made just for this purpose but there are two that are reasonably priced and very sturdy - the Bench DogCrown Molding Cutting Jig, and the Milescraft Crown Molding Jig for Miter Saws.

The "Flat" Method:

This is by far, a much more difficult way to cut crown. There are very few scenarios that would require you to use this method, however there are times when you must, and when those times arise you will find this crown molding calculator very useful.

Regarding the flat method, DeWalt has this to say:

"When setting bevel and miter angles for all compound miters, remember that: The angles presented for crown moldings are very precise and difficult to set exactly. Since they can shift slightly and very few rooms have exactly square corners, all settings should be tested on scrap moldings."

The following two charts show settings are for all U.S. Standard Crown Molding with 52° and 38° angles, and assume that the angle between the wall is 90°. It lists the appropriate miter-bevel settings for both 52°/38° and 45°/45° Ceiling Wall Crown Moldings with angle-between-wall ranges of 67°-179°."

Crown Molding Installation DVD Tutorial

If you have trouble figuring things out from diagrams and written guides then it is a good idea to watch a professional first hand. I learn best this way and so do most other people. Gary Katz has a great video series covering in great detail all of the things you will need to know and so much more. I highly recommend his crown molding videos, espesially if you are planning on installing more then just one room worth of crown. It is a little pricier than a book, but you re-coup the cost immediately if it saves you from mis-cutting a couple sticks of crown. Here is what one reviewer on amazon had to say:

This DVD set has a lot of great practical material and useful tips for installing crown molding. Be sure to read the PDF files included on the DVD. Most useful for me was learning that the degree markings on my chop saw were all incorrect! Katz recommends tools and shows you exactly how he uses them. I tried doing crown on the cheap but ended up purchasing some of the tools that Katz recommends on this CD (Bosch angle finder, decent chop saw). For me that was the way to get the truly great results that Katz shows you how to accomplish. There are many tips here on general workmanship that you can bring to many other endeavours. I used the information on this CD to restore a 1920's fourplex in grand style. Highly recommended.

With a little practice, a lot of patience and some time you can master the skills required to make angled cuts you need. Good luck!