Crown molding is the fancy trim that lines the corner of a room between the ceiling and the walls. There are crown moldings available in a number of styles on the market today, but you can also make your own molding. The difficulty of this project depends on the pattern you are trying to create. If you keep it simple, making your own crown molding can be as easy as making one pass over the wood with a single router bit. If you want a more complex pattern, you will need a little more skill and several router bits.
Instructions
1. Decide on the width of your molding. Crown molding ranges in size from less than 2 inches in width to almost 2 feet in width. The size of your molding depends on the height of the room and your personal tastes. The average molding width is 4 to 5 inches. The thickness of the molding, or how far it comes out from the wall, also varies. You can either have a thin strip of 1 to 2 inches, or your molding can extend 4 to 5 inches out on the ceiling, as well. Look in design magazines or at pre-fabricated crown moldings in home improvement stores for a pattern idea.
2. Measure your room. The total perimeter of the room will be the amount of wood you need to buy. Add 10 feet to your number. You will need the extra for practice.
3. Buy your wood. Hardwoods such as oak, maple and cherry are the best if you plan to leave your trim unpainted. Softer woods such as pine and fir are easier to carve and less expensive. If you are going to paint your crown molding, softwood will be easier to work with and more cost-effective. If you want a molding 2-inches thick and 5-inches wide, get your boards cut to this size. If you want 5-inch by 5-inch crown molding, get 5-inch by 5-inch posts. You might be able to find them in the porch or fencing sections of a home improvement store, or you might have to have them cut to size.
4. Choose your router bits. There are hundreds of router bits just for molding. The router bits that you need depend on the type of design you are trying to create. If you are attempting to match an existing pattern in your home, bring a small piece of the molding to the hardware store with you. Try to match the bit to the marks on the pattern. Complex patterns will take more than one bit. You will need one bit for curving, one for notches and so on.
5. Start simple. Unless you are an expert with the router, creating your own crown molding is not an easy task. The more basic your pattern is, the more likely you will be able to produce it successfully.
6. Make a test strip. Use a 5-foot section of your extra wood, and work with your router bits. Try to make the basic body of the crown molding first. The main design is more than likely a deep curve that goes into the middle of the molding. Attach your curving bit to your router and attempt to create this curve on the first 6 inches of the molding. If it is not what you envisioned, or if the cut is not uniform, try again on the next 6 inches. Keep doing it until you get it right. Once you have got the main outline down, you can move onto the individual details. Keep practicing and don't move on to your actual molding pieces until you've gotten your cuts exactly as you want them. If you run out of space on this test strip, don't worry. That's why you bought 10 extra feet.
7. Do all of your cuts with one bit at the same time. If your crown molding design takes several router bits, cut all of the pieces of your molding with that bit before moving on to the next bit. For instance, if you are using three bits, a cove bit for your curve, a design bit, and a roundover bit for a rounded edge, do the curve cuts on all of your molding pieces. Then, move on to your design cuts on all of your pieces. Finally, do the rounded edges. Doing the same type of cut on all of your pieces at once will give you more consistency than doing one piece of molding at a time. When your cuts are finished, line them up side-by-side and check for consistency in your cuts. If they look close enough, paint or stain your moldings. Now, they are ready to be put up.
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