# Crown measurements



## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi folks, another question about crown (did a search and didn't come up with an answer). 

We are installing 5.25" crown in the living room and hallway (by 'we' I really mean my brother). How far down the wall will the crown sit? I painted before taking down the existing crown (which was really door casing or similar to it) and now I'm left with a nice stripe at the top of the walls to the ceilings that measures around 3". Will the new crown cover this up? 

I've got just enough paint left to do touch ups so I'm crossing my fingers that all will be okay. 

Thanks so much!


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Depends on the angle of the crown molding.
If it is 45º then 3.7 inches.


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

Thank you!

Stupid question, but isn't all crown installed at a 45 degree angle?


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Most isn't. Usually it's 52°/38°. This means sometimes you might need to paint up a little higher..... or lower, depending on which way the crown gets turned. (Usually the wall side comes down lower)

As strange as it sounds, I have sometimes been told to install the crown upside down.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

kimberland30 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Stupid question, but isn't all crown installed at a 45 degree angle?


No, it doesn't bed in at a 45°. Just a thought, if the crown doesn't cover the strip up maybe you would like to run a small clover leaf molding under the crown with a 1 1/2 - 2 inch margin and paint all (clover leaf, wall and crown) the crown color, it would make the ceiling mold look much larger but if you want to you could lessen the margin. 

Another suggest to cover the unpainted strip is to install a base mold upside down to cover the unpainted strip and install the crown over the base mold. 

There are several ways to cover that up but this will give you an idea.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Here's a picture.

BTW. The bottom on crown is the side (edge) with the fatter bump and the more ornate grooves.
38/52=Low Ceiling (7-8') 45/45=Medium Height (9-10') 52/38= High Ceiling (10' or higher)

There's a bit more to it, but this should be enough for now. ("Yes", there are other Spring Angle number combinations, but they are less common.)

When you order crown, you do so by the stipulating the "spring angle" as the first number... that is the angle of the side against the wall. ("springing" out from the wall), and the ceiling angle as the second number. (45° is, of course, just called 45 since both angles are the same.)


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

depends on the angle of the crown. the 5-1/4 crown i put up came down 4 inches and out 3-1/8


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Oh, yeah..... When trying to "bed" a piece of crown between the wall and the ceiling, the edges usually will not bed flush at 90° because on good crown, both flat edges are slightly "back-beveled" at about 2° so you get a nice, tight fit along both the top and bottom edges.

This is important to be aware of, and watch out for in setting up your miter saw if you cut the crown in the "bedded" position as I always do.


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

Wow, thank you all! The things I learn from these boards. 

For some reason my bro thought he was installing 4" crown..which was his reasoning for me having to take down the existing and bring my paint line higher up the wall. With the 5.25" it would have cleared easily. Oh well, it was a PITA to get down and I even made a nice hole in the wall with the pry bar that I had to patch/repaint. 

Lesson learned: keep samples from stuff we put up. We used the 5.25" in the den and if I'd kept a piece of it, I would have known better.


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## Keith Mathewson (Sep 1, 2010)

Willie T said:


> Here's a picture.
> 
> BTW. The bottom on crown is the side (edge) with the fatter bump and the more ornate grooves.
> 38/52=Low Ceiling (7-8') 45/45=Medium Height (9-10') 52/38= High Ceiling (10' or higher)
> ...


Excellent point Willie. The crown projection based on height isn't followed enough of the time.


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

Have another question and hope y'all can help...

I was told that in order to ensure that the caulk doesn't shrink/pull away from the wall, I should caulk it once, let it dry for a few days, then caulk it again, wait a few days, and paint. 

We have an issue in our den where the caulk is pulling away from the trim on the ceiling side. We know that the crown has moved because it's falling down in one corner. Thank you crappy walls and ceiling! 

With 288 LF of caulking to do I want to make sure I get it right the first time.

BTW, the walls are plaster and the ceiling is textured.


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