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My wife has lately been thinking about ways to improve our home, and has settled upon installing crown molding in our 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms as one of the things she would like to do. My question is this: for two people who have little DIY experience, is installing crown molding something we can do ourselves, or should we call a professional?

Matthew Jones
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It can be done yourself.
What you will need: Compound Mitre saw. Drill + countersink bit. Construction adhesive Drywall plugs (likely not necessary, but best to have them on hand) 3 step ladders or scaffolding.

You need 3 people. One in each corner, and one in the center, doing the actual installing. You will be working with long pieces that break easily, so you'll need to support the work at all times.

The other problem is getting the material home without breaking it.

Chris Cudmore
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  • Also a T-bevel to measure the angles in the corners (or see my answer to another question for an alternative method). – Niall C. Oct 19 '10 at 15:54
  • They also make kits for crown that are much easier to use (with blocks in the corners instead of mitre cuts). Personally I don't like the look much, but if you like the look, they are much easier to install. – Eric Petroelje Oct 19 '10 at 16:16
  • One of these can be very helpful "Bosch Miter finder Digital Angle Finder". (It's a bit expensive, but it calculates all your angle cuts for you). http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-DAF220K-finder-Digital-Extension/dp/B001MUHXQ6 – Tester101 Oct 19 '10 at 16:33
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    Instead of the drill+countersink bit, you could go the route of compressor+finish nailer as well. – Doresoom Oct 19 '10 at 17:38
  • Also, here's a good resource for compound angle lookup tables: http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60354 – Doresoom Oct 19 '10 at 18:16
  • You don't need to spring for a compound miter saw (if you don't want to) -- you can build a quick jig with a lip to hold the crown at its installed angle against your saw's fence, and just cut a standard miter. Or you can buy such a jig: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10565?uuid=CA2150B2-1372-6771-F645F9D5FF6B17C7 – Mike Powell Oct 20 '10 at 02:13
  • @doresroom re: "compressor+finish nailer", Yes he could, and it would be faster. But a countersink bit is about 3 bucks. Renting a compressor and nailer would be significantly more. – Chris Cudmore Oct 20 '10 at 14:46
  • @Mike Powell. True. In fact, the plaster moulding wouldn't be too onerous for a handsaw/mitre box combo. But really, A mitre saw (chop saw) is one of the most useful tools in the workshop. I use it all the time, for cutting ABS, Hardwood installation, Trim and moulding installation. So this is the tool that you buy when you have an excuse to do so. – Chris Cudmore Oct 20 '10 at 14:48
  • Same thing with the compressor and nailer. If the OP's going down the DIY route, a compressor and finish nailer is a wonderful thing to have. – Adam Musch Oct 20 '10 at 16:15
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    I'm not saying don't get a power miter saw. I'm saying that, if you don't need the compound capability (i.e. the ability to change both miter and bevel angles), you can save some money by not springing for a compound miter saw. I own a compound miter saw and use it all the time, but could count on one hand the number of times I've ever had to adjust the bevel angle. – Mike Powell Oct 20 '10 at 16:25
  • @Mike Powell. Good point. Drop the COMPOUND part if it increases costs too much. Also, it's reasonable easy to make a bevel jig out of scrap. So if you only have one or two angles to cut, it's not really a problem. – Chris Cudmore Oct 20 '10 at 17:26
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I saw Tom Silva install this stuff once on the "This Old House Hour." It's pre-primed polyurethane crown that installs using clips you screw in to the wall. You can even get corner blocks to eliminate the need for tricky cope cuts in the corners. It sounds klugey, but the finished product looked pretty good at least on TV, and it looked to be way easier for a first-timer to install than regular crown.

Mike Powell
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  • NICE! We're thinking about installing crown molding too and this stuff would be PERFECT. Thanks. – Mike B Oct 20 '10 at 17:43
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I installed my own crown molding,, i must say,, the last room i did looks A LOT better than the first room.. it's not hard at all. as long as you know how to use a compound miter saw,,and measure...:-).... also.. i highly recommend getting a small air compressor.. that one tool changed the way i approach home projects... i have a a couple nail guns and staplers.. and an air powered nail gun is definitely the way to go for crown molding..imho

lielsan
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