# Repairing Bad Crown Moulding Install



## jirishboy (Feb 24, 2007)

Hi, folks,

I think I violated the first rule of home remodeling: Don't hire family members who are "handy." I did just that in hiring my brother-in-law to install some crown moulding in a recently repainted bedroom. I did the painting myself and I must say it looked quite good. As I watched my brother-in-law "install" the crown moulding, however, my heart just sank...he was (in a few hours) defacing all of the work I'd done to get the paint just right. To make a long story short, not one of the interior corners lined up. The miter joints had huge gaps in them which, of course, he promised would "disappear" after the copious application of painter's calk. Well, I now have obvious gaps and an even more obvious attempt to "repair" them with goop. It just looks awful. He sheepishly took my money and, in the immortal words of Monty Python's King Authur, "ran away!". 

I'm at a loss as to how to repair them. I'd thought I'd inquire of some folks in the know as to whether there's a solution to the problem short of just tearing it down and starting from scratch. I looked into inside corner "miter blocks" which seems like a solution...just remove the joint entirely and install those. Unfortunately, it is a relatively small bedroom, and I wanted to use a small and unobtrusive crown moulding...two inches. The smallest miter block I could find was 4 inches. 

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Joe


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## mikemy6 (Feb 21, 2007)

Coping the inside mitres is the most common way to get great fit, its not hard to do, just takes time. Sorry no quick fix, but it seems u r going to have to remove the crown to cut for the blocks anyway.Good tips on this sight(angles for cutting crown moulding)


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## Darylh (Jan 2, 2006)

You really need to remove it and start again(sorry).


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## jirishboy (Feb 24, 2007)

Thanks for the responses, guys. You just confirmed my suspicions...


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

Darylh said:


> You really need to remove it and start again(sorry).


Sadly.... , by the description, I was thinking the same thing, but couldn't bring myself to say it (break the news)..........

When you are done, send your brother in law the bill.....


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## jirishboy (Feb 24, 2007)

Thanks, Atlantic...I think you truly "feel my pain." LOL


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## Brik (Jan 16, 2007)

Well - Yea, the right way is to remove it and re-do it.

Try more "goop" first then paint it. It may blend in OK and not be noticeable.


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## VA Beach Trimmer (Apr 8, 2007)

You could leave it and install a wider crown over it...Whenever I replace trim, I like to go with something bigger.If for no other reason, it will cover where it was caulked at..


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## Wings42 (Jul 15, 2008)

VA Beach Trimmer said:


> You could leave it and install a wider crown over it...Whenever I replace trim, I like to go with something bigger.If for no other reason, it will cover where it was caulked at..


Great idea. Thanks.

It's too bad he used caulk. I've done a lot of crown molding and some gaps are inevitable with mitered corners. Even if the walls meet at 90 degrees, or if you compensate for walls that aren't square, there is the problem of the ceiling sometimes not being square with one or both walls. That's especially frequent in old lath and plaster homes or old homes that have settled. 

In that case, and if I don't have materials to do it over, I'd use water mixed plaster such as "Easy Sand" drywall mud, or "Water Putty", or "Fix-it-All". to carefully fill in, using a small spatula to force the material deeply into the predampened gap and to shape it to the molding in both directions. Plaster powder that you add water to cures before it dries, so it doesn't shrink like caulks or premixed spackling compounds.

After drying and sanding, I "prime" with a thin coat of caulk to flexibly bridge small expansion cracks that might develop over the years. Then, prime the repair and paint with water based flexible laytex acrylic paint. I did this in a 1906 home about five years ago, and the corners still look good.

If the molding isn't laid properly so that the edges don't match, and if the mismatch is too big to fake it with a bit of chiseling and sanding, you would need to redo.

I hope you can ignore your cunado (that's Spanish for "beloved" brother-in-law) for the sake of your sister and possible nieces and nephews. They need all the support they can get from the rest of the family because unlike you, they have to live with him!


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## crownman (Oct 3, 2008)

*Crownhelp*

Hey Joe, 

I am a master at crown moulding and get perfect corners every time, without coping. Here are a few suggestions, just to try and help you out. 
1) If the crown doesn't line up because one piece is "wider" than the other, then the one that is wider was cut lower on the back wall of the saw than the other piece. You can raise it a little on the saw and cut it again and it will line up with the skinnier one, much better. You can avoid this by placing tape on the back wall and drawing a line where the crown sits, and making sure you line the crown up to the same line every time you make a cut. 
2) If there are gaps due to bows in the wall, try shimming under each piece before caulking is applied. The shims will shut the gaps and even help line it up better. Then you will need less caulking in the mitred area.
3) Inside corners are hardly ever 90 degrees. Most of the time they are 92 degrees. In any case, they usually go together better if cut at 44 degrees instead of 45. Just like outside corners usually work better cut at 46 degrees. 
4) It always pays to call a true expert. By the time you finish fixing what was done wrong, you have wasted more money and time than you wanted to, and that makes me sad. 
5) Moderator edit: Web link/offer to do work for fee removed. TheKCtermite


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## luis71 (May 5, 2008)

*Help Solution The Plaster Crow Moulding*

HELLO MI NAME LUIS IM EXPERT IN PLASTER TRY TO CUT FOUR FOOTS BEFORE TO END CORNER BOT SIZE AND BUILD WHIT TEMPLATE SHAPE OWN SELF OVER WOOD RULER TO INSTALL IN BOT SIZE MAYBE USE 2 BY 4 INCH AND 8 FOOT LONG MAKE SURE THE WOOD VERY LEVEL NEX APPLY SOFT PLASTER AND SHAPE WHIT THE TEMPLATE..

I am a master at crown moulding and get perfect corners every time, without coping. Here are a few suggestions, just to try and help you out. 
1) If the crown doesn't line up because one piece is "wider" than the other, then the one that is wider was cut lower on the back wall of the saw than the other piece. You can raise it a little on the saw and cut it again and it will line up with the skinnier one, much better. You can avoid this by placing tape on the back wall and drawing a line where the crown sits, and making sure you line the crown up to the same line every time you make a cut. 
2) If there are gaps due to bows in the wall, try shimming under each piece before caulking is applied. The shims will shut the gaps and even help line it up better. Then you will need less caulking in the mitred area.
3) Inside corners are hardly ever 90 degrees. Most of the time they are 92 degrees. In any case, they usually go together better if cut at 44 degrees instead of 45. Just like outside corners usually work better cut at 46 degrees. 
4) It always pays to call a true expert. By the time you finish fixing what was done wrong, you have wasted more money and time than you wanted to, and that makes me sad. 
5) Advertising link removed [/quote]


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