Hello,

I have another question for you crown moulding experts out there.

Let's say you're trimming a set of wall cabinets that doesn't span the
entire length of the wall. So you have say a 12 inch piece coming away from
the wall to the face of the cabinet, one the spans the length of the
cabinets, and then one that returns from the face of the cabinet at the
other end back to the wall.

To me common sense says that you'd like your final piece to be a butt
against the wall since it's simple to trim that. But how to finesse that
miter when you can't fit it in place because the piece is too long? What
I've done so far is to sort of try and finesse the miter while letting the
crown sort of dangle away from the ceiling and that usually buys me a 1/16
inch or so. These next pieces are too short for that to work.

The only solution to that problem I can see is putting the two small pieces
up first and trying to finesse the miters at both ends of the long piece.
Given even a moderate run that's gonna be a nightmare, so that can't be
right.

Is there a solution to this other than tolerating a tiny gap between the end
of the crown and the wall?

thanks
ml

On 23-Jun-2005, wrote:

Is there a solution to this other than tolerating a tiny gap between the
end
of the crown and the wall?

key is to get the angle on the chop saw adjusted using small scrap pieces.
when that is set right cut the miter on the actual piece, cut to length plus
a hair and back cut the butt a bit.

i guess you may have to trim the top if a wavy ceiling causes the miter to
be out but that will show up with the scrap pieces.

ml

On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:43:38 GMT, wrote:

Let's say you're trimming a set of wall cabinets that doesn't span the
entire length of the wall. So you have say a 12 inch piece coming away from
the wall to the face of the cabinet, one the spans the length of the
cabinets, and then one that returns from the face of the cabinet at the
other end back to the wall.

Start from one end and work your way around the cabinet. Cut one end
square, hold it on the cabinet with the square cut against the wall,
mark the bottom of the crown where it turns across the front of the
cabinet. When you put the crown on your saw you will be looking at
the mark.
Cut the 45 and nail it on. Next, cut an outside 45 that will run into
the piece you just installed and leave the piece long enough to hang
past the cabinet. Hold it up to the piece you already have installed,
mark where it turns and cut that piece. Do not install this piece
yet.

Take your last piece and cut the end (that fits to the wall) square,
hold it up to the cabinet just as you did with the first piece and
mark where it turns. Cut the 45 on that end. Check the two pieces
(that you haven't nailed yet) by holding them against the cabinet to
be sure they fit. Everything should fit tight so just nail away.

Mike O.

On 24-Jun-2005, Mike wrote:

Start from one end and work your way around the cabinet. Cut one end
square, hold it on the cabinet with the square cut against the wall,
mark the bottom of the crown where it turns across the front of the
cabinet. When you put the crown on your saw you will be looking at
the mark.
Cut the 45 and nail it on. Next, cut an outside 45 that will run into
the piece you just installed and leave the piece long enough to hang
past the cabinet. Hold it up to the piece you already have installed,
mark where it turns and cut that piece. Do not install this piece
yet.

Take your last piece and cut the end (that fits to the wall) square,
hold it up to the cabinet just as you did with the first piece and
mark where it turns. Cut the 45 on that end. Check the two pieces
(that you haven't nailed yet) by holding them against the cabinet to
be sure they fit. Everything should fit tight so just nail away.

Mike O.

Hi Mike,

thanks for the info but this assumes things are nice and level and square.
I'm finding, perhaps due to the cabinets, perhaps due to the saw, maybe due
to the ceiling some, that just slapping 45s on the pieces doesn't mate them
up nicely at the corners. I have to play with them a bit. Hence the
trouble w/the last piece. I'm probably just being too anal about the whole
thing. This last piece is in a place where you'd really have to strain to
see the gap against the wall anyway.

I suspect it's a lot easier to write about perfect trim work than it is to
actually perform it. These books I read set the bar awfully high.

Finding a much worse problem anyway. The folks that sold me these cabinets
and trim didn't mention that adding crown moulding forces the doors down an
inch or so. Into things like range hoods and hanging convection ovens.

Well.. mistakes (regardless of whose they are) force you to learn. I'm
learning... boy am I learning.

ml

On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 23:59:25 GMT, wrote:

Finding a much worse problem anyway. The folks that sold me these cabinets
and trim didn't mention that adding crown moulding forces the doors down an
inch or so. Into things like range hoods and hanging convection ovens.

Cabinet sales people are notorious for these "little" problems.
Mainly because most have never built or installed a cabinet in their
lives.
We had the same problem one time in a re-mod where the customer had
bought a high dollar line of cabinet from a box store. They bought 5"
crown to go on top but if we had lowered the cabinets (to accommodate
the crown) the appliance garage and fridge wouldn't fit and the hood
was too close to the cook top to be legal. With an eight week lead
time on the cabinets they couldn't wait. We told them they could
have crown or a fridge. We ended up putting the cabinets to the
ceiling and trimming with a cove mold. The box store ate the crown.

Would cove mold work for you?

Well.. mistakes (regardless of whose they are) force you to learn. I'm
learning... boy am I learning.

True but correcting your own mistakes is a little less frustrating
than correcting those made by a salesperson.

Mike O.

On 24-Jun-2005, Mike wrote:

Would cove mold work for you?

I made the crown work. I had to shove the doors all the way up into it, so
it essentially looks like cove moulding now, and I had to trim door corners
a bit where they were digging into it, but it's all up and works. Looks
pretty good too. I may have to sand the doors above the convection oven a
bit as they rub the oven top just a tad but these won't be opened much
anyway.

Pilaster moulding intended for underneath the cabinets is out though as the
doors now hang below the cabinet bottoms. Maybe eventually I'll look into
adding the pilaster using spacers to bring it below the doors. We'll see.

Fairly ****ed at the borg i got these cabinets from though. You would think
that they would know what moulding goes with what. Or at least put
something in the software they use that flags it. But then again, they want
to sell the stuff and have you sign a bunch of forms that this is all custom
stuff (even stock pieces of moulding) so it can't be returned.

Fine, they got my money this time. They won't get it next time.

ml

On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 03:59:09 GMT, wrote:

Fairly ****ed at the borg i got these cabinets from though. You would think
that they would know what moulding goes with what. Or at least put
something in the software they use that flags it.

The sales people have no idea how creative you might need to be to
make some of the stuff work.
Sometimes with crown going to the ceiling you can hold the upper
cabinets down an inch or so to allow for the crown. Of course if you
have a floor to ceiling pantry or oven cabinet or even an appliance
garage your pretty much out of luck.

Mike O.