Tips for Mitering Crown Molding

Positioning the Molding

• People who are inexperienced in cutting crown molding often do it wrong. The biggest mistake that they make is in the positioning. You cannot lay crown molding flat on the saw table and cut it correctly. Instead, turn the molding upside down. The top edge of the crown molding should touch the table of the miter saw and the bottom edge of the molding should touch the fence of the miter saw. The molding will look as it would when installed only it will be upside down.

Creating a Guide

• Crown molding installers often find it useful to use a guide fence on their miter saw. You can purchase a crown molding guide fence for your miter saw or you can make one. Make a guide fence by first positioning the crown molding on the miter saw. Place a clamp over the crown molding and miter saw fence to hold the crown molding in position. Cut a thin strip of wood from a piece of plywood. The strip should be two inches wide and thirty inches long. Warm up a hot glue gun. Glue the strip of plywood to the saw table. Push the plywood up against the crown molding and use the molding for a guide. Let the glue dry so the plywood is secured in place. Use the plywood as a fence to hold the positioned molding in place.

Measurements

• Incorrectly measured crown molding can result in a lot of cutting mistakes. Instead of simply measuring for the molding once, aim to measure the wall for the crown molding twice. This can cut down on the number of cutting mistakes. Additionally, when you take down the measurements it helps to indicate the direction of the 45 degree angle cut. If you do this you can be confident that you are making the right miter cuts to the molding.

Filling Mistakes

• Mistakes in crown molding miter cuts are inevitable. Even professionals make mistakes occasionally. When you make small mistakes in your miter cuts, remember that you can correct them without having to cut a new length of crown molding. Caulk can be squeezed into small gaps between molding pieces and walls. The caulk should be smoothed and then allowed to dry before it is painted. Gaps in crown molding miter cuts can also be filled with wood putty. Fill the gap with the putty and let it dry. Lightly sand the putty smooth and paint or stain as desired.