How To Install Crown Molding

The installion instructions and tips below are based on our polyurethane crown molding, but most of the instructions can be universally used with any type of crown molding you are installing.

Crown Molding Installation: A Step by Step Guide

This tutorial takes you from the beginning phases of a project all the way to the final touches. Learn how to measure your walls and calculate the number of crown molding pieces you need. This article also teaches you how to cut crown molding for inside and outside corners for many different angles. The kitchen opened up into a family room so this project also discusses how to make a return to your wall and also how to make your cuts around bullnose corners. Read Crown Molding Installation: A Step by Step Guide.

How to Cut Crown Molding

This article discusses three different methods on how to cut crown moulding. The method that is most commonly used is include in our Crown Molding Installation Instructions page. If you are new to installing crown molding it will be very handy to print and keep by your miter saw. If you are installing a large crown molding you will want to view our instructions on Building a Miter Box. Read the full article on How to Cut Crown Molding.

How to:

How to install crown molding around a bullnose corner - Learn what angles to make your cuts to create the pie shaped pieces that will be the transition around a bullnose corner.

How to create a return to the wall - Learn how to end your crown molding by returning it back to the wall with a simple, but professional looking cut.

How to Install Crown Molding on a Vaulted Ceiling
Installing crown molding on a vaulted ceiling or cathedral ceiling can be an overwhelming task. This tutorial will teach you how each piece needs to be cut to correctly install the crown molding.

Crown Molding Installation Tips

When you install crown molding you should use a finish nail gun with 1 1/4" brads and an adhesive. By using an adhesive with the polyurethane moldings it makes it easier to install and you don't need to use as many nails (so less finish work at the end). Here are some tips from my crown molding installation that are good to remember:

Find a helper -- installing crown molding with 2 people is much quicker!

Prior to installation, mark the wall around the entire room where the bottom of the molding will reach.

Put adhesive on both edges of the molding (ceiling and wall) and on the seam between each piece.

Cut 1/8" off the ends of the molding when doing a butt joint to create a clean seam.

Use a knife to remove the back side of the bottom tip of the molding on an inside corner.

When nailing, shoot the brad into a concave part of the molding if possible.

Don't sweat the small mistakes -- caulking works wonders!

For detailed descriptions (with pictures) on why these tips are important you can read this article: Crown Molding Installation Tips.

Things to Consider Before you Order

How Many Pieces Should I Order?
Learn how to calculate how many pieces of crown molding you need to order.

What size of molding to use.
When looking at our crown molding you will notice a measurement called "Breadth". This is the size of the facing of the molding and can be used to determine how large you want the molding to appear on your ceiling. Here are some general guidelines that are all based on my opinion (so feel free to choose your own size even if it is outside my figures):

Small-Medium Room
   8' Ceiling: 2" - 5" Breadth
   10' Ceiling: 4" - 8" Breadth
   12' Ceiling: 6" - 10" Breadth
   14+' Ceiling: 8" or wider Breadth

Large Room
   8' Ceiling: 4" - 7" Breadth
   10' Ceiling: 5" - 10" Breadth
   12' Ceiling: 7" - 11" Breadth
   14+' Ceiling: 9" or wider Breadth

Difficulty to Install
One thing to consider when you install your crown molding is how easy or difficult it will be to install. A professional installer shouldn't have a problem with any of the moldings, but if you are a do-it-yourselfer then this is definitely a consideration. Most 12" miter saws will only cut through a molding that is about 6" in breadth if you are following our How To Cut Crown Molding tutorial. You can normally cut moldings that are a few inches larger than that on your saw by hand finishing each cut with a small coping saw. For moldings that are too larger to fit on your miter saw you would need to Build a Miter Box. If you don't know how to cut corners then using the Crown Molding Corners will make the installation much easier.

The detail on the crown molding will also affect the installation procedure. With a plain crown molding you don't have to think about where you make your cut. With a molding that has a mirrored pattern you need to line up each cut so the molding will match at the corners. If the molding has a flow in 1 direction then it is impossible to perfectly line up corners and you will need to either use the Crown Molding Corners or you will just want to caulk to hide any gaps in the corners.

Selecting Your Crown Molding
To help in selecting the crown molding that you want to install we highly recommend ordering Samples. The styles that are shown on the website are clear but if you are unsure of the size that will look best in your room then getting a sample will help you pick the perfect size. View all of our Crown Moldings.

Learn to install other architectural products in our How To Section.
Shop for Crown Molding.

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