Crown moulding is an inexpensive material that can dramatically enhance a space. Crown moulding is placed as trim around the perimeter of a room at the intersection of the wall and ceiling. Traditionally, crown moulding is composed of wood; however, the trim recently has been produced from cement board and PVC. Although installing straight sections of crown moulding is simple, cutting the trim to meet the corners of a space can be tricky.
Instructions
1. Select your crown moulding. It comes in many different styles and profiles. Some patterns, such as dental or egg and dart, derive from classical architecture, and others have ornate, scrolling forms. The key to choosing crown moulding is taking cues from the space where it is to be installed. Check the baseboards, as well as the door and window surrounds. Match the crown moulding to the other types of trim wherever possible. Whatever profile you choose, the method for cutting angles for room corners is the same.
2. Measure the room perimeter, and find all the corners that will need to be fitted. Determine how sections of crown molding will be installed. When measuring lengths of crown moulding, always measure the edge of the trim that will abut the wall. Cut angles in the crown moulding with a miter saw, or use a miter box in conjunction with a wood saw or a coping saw. The miter saw is electric and will speed up the work; however, a simple wood saw is just as effective as the miter saw, if slower. The miter box will guide the saw when cutting angles. Almost all angles will be 45 degrees for crown moulding, and the miter box can guide the saw at this angle easily---simply saw the crown moulding with the saw in the 45-degree slot. Other angles can be cut as slots into the miter box.
To cut the crown moulding, place the top of the crown moulding on the base of the miter box and the edge to face the wall against the miter box's side wall, so the crown moulding is upside down. Hold the crown moulding in place firmly or use a wood vise, and begin sawing.
3. Cut the crown moulding according to whether the mitered angle results in an inside corner or an outside corner. Inside corners are the most common corners for crown moulding. Inside corners require the 45-degree angle to be cut into the crown moulding so the trim edge facing the wall is longer than the exposed edge. After the miter angle has been cut for an inside corner, the profile and thickness of the trim should be visible when the crown moulding is in place. A second piece is miter cut at 45 degrees at the same orientation to create the complementing corner abutting the adjacent wall.
Outside corners are corners that extend into a room or space. The outside corner is sharp and prone to damage where people and furniture can brush past it. The miter cut for the two walls of an outside corner requires the exposed side of the trim to be longer than the side facing the wall. Again, the trim is mitered at 45 degrees, but the crown moulding has a sharp point extending away from the wall, without the profile and material thickness exposed to the space.
Do not mistake inside corners for outside corners because this error will result in wasting a great deal of crown moulding.
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