How to Install Crown Molding for Homes

• Step 1

  Determine the length of molding you will need to purchase by measuring each wall and then rounding up to the nearest whole foot. Hold a piece of the molding up to one corner in the way that it will be positioned, and use a pencil to mark a short line along the bottom edge. Do this in the opposite corner also and then use the chalk line to mark a guide line that will be used for installation along the length of the wall.

• Step 2

  Measure the first wall on which you will be working and cut a piece of molding to this size with a regular square cut on each side. Set the molding along the guideline and, starting in the middle of the piece, drive finish nails through the bottom of the molding and into the wall studs. Also put nails 1/2 inch from the top of the molding into the ceiling joists.

• Step 3

  Cut inside corner joints by using the miter saw to cut a 45-degree angle on the molding, with the long side of the cut on the back side of the molding. (See image.)
  

  How to Install Crown Molding for Homes

• Step 4

  Use a pencil to trace along the edge of the molding on the face of the miter cut. Use this pencil marking as a cut line for your coping cut. Cut along this line by using a coping saw held at a slight angle away from the face of the molding. Check the fit by sliding the molding into place. Use the utility knife or wood rasp to make a snug fit by cutting away any extra wood.
  

  How to Install Crown Molding for Homes

• Step 5

  Make outside corner cuts by installing a first piece as in Step 2. Then, make a mock corner by using two scrap pieces of molding. Make a 45-degree angle miter cut on one piece and an opposite 45-degree angle cut on the other piece. Nail and glue the pieces together, and hold it in place on the corner. Use a pencil to trace a line around the top of where the two pieces come together. Measure the distance from the mark on the ceiling to the top of the first piece of installed molding. Cut the molding to this length. Set the pieces in place on the wall. Spread glue on the cut surfaces and press the two pieces together. Nail the molding together in the same manner as step 2. Complete your project by repeating these processes for inside and outside corners.
  

  How to Install Crown Molding for Homes

• 4
• Tape measure Miter saw Finishing nailer Framing square Chalk line Coping saw Utility knife Wood rasp Electronic stud finder Hammer Finish nails Wood putty Acrylic caulking Carpenter's glue
• Tape measure
• Miter saw
• Finishing nailer
• Framing square
• Chalk line
• Coping saw
• Utility knife
• Wood rasp
• Electronic stud finder
• Hammer
• Finish nails
• Wood putty
• Acrylic caulking
• Carpenter's glue
• Use scrap wood to practice miter and coping cuts before working with the more expensive molding. For long spans of wall that require more than one piece of molding, use a miter saw to make 45-degree angle cuts on each piece. Hold the first piece and cut using the right side of the blade. Now you can cut the second piece without adjusting the saw, if you cut it using the left side of the blade.
• Use scrap wood to practice miter and coping cuts before working with the more expensive molding.
• For long spans of wall that require more than one piece of molding, use a miter saw to make 45-degree angle cuts on each piece. Hold the first piece and cut using the right side of the blade. Now you can cut the second piece without adjusting the saw, if you cut it using the left side of the blade.

References & Resources

• Crown Molding Shop