AMN Construction · Finish carpentry · Crown molding

Crown molding, fitted to the ceiling you have.

Crown molding is the trim that covers the joint where the wall meets the ceiling. We cut it, cope the corners, fit it to ceilings that are rarely level, and leave it ready for paint.

Email photographs and measurements 805 886 0988

In short

Ceilings are rarely level or flat. Good crown is fitted to hide that, not to show it.
Size follows ceiling height. Crown that is too large crowds a low room.
Crown goes up before final paint, and after any ceiling or wall repair.

Crown moldingCovers the joint where wall meets ceiling. Its size should suit the ceiling height.
Door casingThe trim around the opening. It hides the gap between the door frame and the wall.
BaseboardFollows the floor. Inside corners are coped so they stay closed as the house moves.

A room in elevation: crown at the ceiling, with the casing and baseboard it has to agree with.

Step by step

How a coped corner is cut, frame by frame.

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How a coped corner is cut

Run the first piece inThe first length is cut square and pushed tight into the corner.
Miter the second pieceThe second length gets a 45° cut. The cut edge shows the outline of the molding.
Cope to the lineA coping saw follows that outline, back-cutting slightly, so only the face of the molding remains.
Fit the jointThe coped end overlaps the face of the first piece. Wood shrinks in dry weather. A miter opens; a cope stays closed.

Built by Tom. Fifty years of custom cabinets and finish carpentry, from Oregon and Hawaii to Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Westlake Village, and now from Goleta to Carpinteria. Meet the carpenter

What we do

What is included.

Crown molding in wood or MDF (a smooth, stable board made for paint), in the profile you choose.
Coped inside corners: one piece cut to the outline of the other, so the joint stays closed.
Mitered outside corners, glued and pinned so they do not open.
Built-up crown: several simpler pieces stacked to make a larger, deeper profile.
Backing blocks fastened to the framing, so the crown has something solid to nail to.
Filling nail holes and caulking the top and bottom edges, ready for the painter.

How it goes

Step 1
You send photographs of the rooms and rough wall lengths, and we talk through size and profile.
Step 2
We measure on site and check the ceiling for dips and for corners that are out of square.
Step 3
Material is delivered and left in the house to adjust to its air before it is cut.
Step 4
Backing goes up, then the crown is cut, coped and fastened wall by wall.
Step 5
Joints and nail holes are filled and the edges caulked, and the painter follows.

Yours to decide

Decide these first.

Size. Taller ceilings carry larger crown. In a room with a low ceiling, a small profile or none at all often looks better.
Profile. Curved and stepped for a traditional house, flat and angled for a modern one. It should agree with the casing and baseboard.
One piece or built-up. A built-up crown gives a large profile from stock pieces and hides an uneven ceiling better.
Material. MDF paints smoothly and costs less. Solid wood is the choice for stain and for rooms that see moisture.
Which rooms. Crown that stops at a doorway needs a planned ending, so decide where it starts and stops.

How to tell good work

No gap along the ceiling or the wall, and no thick bead of caulk doing the work of a good fit.
Inside corners that are coped and stay closed through a dry summer.
Outside corners that meet in one clean line, with the profiles lined up.
Long walls joined with an angled overlap (a scarf joint), placed where the eye does not go first.
A line that looks straight from across the room, even where the ceiling is not.

What moves the price

Total length, and the number of inside and outside corners.
Profile and material: a single stock MDF profile costs least, a built-up crown in solid wood the most.
The ceiling. A ceiling that waves or slopes takes more fitting, and tall rooms need staging to reach.
Finish. Stained crown shows every joint, so it takes more time and better stock than painted.

Prices vary with the materials and the hours a job takes. Each job is custom and unique, so we price it once we have seen the room.

Questions

Crown molding: what owners ask.

What is the spring angle of crown molding?

The spring angle is the tilt at which crown leans out from the wall toward the ceiling. Each profile is made for one angle, and every cut depends on it. Crown installed at the wrong angle will not close at the corners, however carefully it is cut.

How do you install crown molding on an uneven ceiling?

You pick the line that looks straight and fit the crown to it. We find the low point of the ceiling, set the crown level from there, and close small gaps with caulk. For larger dips, a built-up crown with a flat board against the ceiling hides more.

What size crown molding suits my ceiling height?

The taller the ceiling, the larger the crown it can carry. A standard-height room suits a modest profile. A tall room needs a large or built-up one, or the crown disappears. We can hold sample pieces up in your room so you can judge before anything is ordered.

Should crown molding corners be coped or mitered?

Inside corners should be coped and outside corners mitered. A cope is one piece cut to the outline of the other, so it overlaps. Wood shrinks in dry weather, and a mitered inside corner opens into a dark gap. A coped one stays closed.

Where we do this

Built in our small boutique shop in Carpinteria where the piece is custom, and fitted on site in:

Carpinteria Summerland Montecito Santa Barbara Hope Ranch Goleta

All finish carpentry · see the projects

Inquiries

Have a room in mind? Send us the photographs.

Email photographs of the room and rough measurements to purchasing@amnbuild.com. Matt reads it himself. No forms.

Email Matt the photographs Or call Matt · 805 886 0988