the previous owner of my circa 1900's home put a narrow cove crown
moulding up after he redrywalled the ceiling. that moulding is removed
and i am about to put up wide crown moulding. is a top and bottom
backer board advisable to eliminate the issues around stud finding? or
is it not worth the hassle? if so are the top / bottom backer boards
extended beyond the moulding edges? if they extend should i run the
exposed backer boards through my router to give it a profile? any
comments would be helpful - although i'm a handy fellow i've never
attempted costly crown moulding installs.


Stud-finding is not a big-deal, as long as you have enough of them to
nail to. Another thing to watch out for is to know exactly where your
electrical cables run so you can avoid hitting them with a nail. Most
moderns houses have predictable wiring, but who knows in your case.