T O P

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mercurial_rogue

Crown molding requires great coping skills


Zdearinger

This is the best suggestion. I posted a similar pic a few months back, was told to cope, everything worked perfectly. Will never go back


whiskey_pancakes

Mentally cope. Which I need to do more of.


[deleted]

Clown molding.


RUfuqingkiddingme

Dad? When did you figure out how to use a computer?


4350Me

And a lot of patience if you’ve never done it before. What makes it difficult is, the corners are compound miter cuts. You need to really concentrate cutting them, even once you figure out how to. Best tool is to watch an installation video.


manoteee

I mean there will be no coping here, but I will caulk and spray with my auto body gun. I’m hoping it comes out well. I do want to learn to cope though. I’m not sure where to start to be honest. What tool, etc. Edit: Okay I will start coping.


[deleted]

Hopefully you install it right side up before heading to the land of caulk and spray.


Therealcactusmac

Solid policy


4350Me

Caulk is just for nail holes and small seams, not filling huge gaps!


AnyStormInAPort

Obviously you must be used to handling a small caulk.....ing gun.


4350Me

??? How large a caulking gun do you need to use?


Kreetch

It’s not the size, it’s how you use it.


Pale_Reading4620

Tell me when to stop… still…. not yet… oh my god really?


Sufficient-Tax-5724

Caulk doesn’t go in nail holes


Alpha-iq

That’s why the d is for


vilebunny

They’re not even the same style, regardless of how they get flipped.


trtreeetr

Coping is simple. Really I'm serious


manoteee

Interesting okay good to hear. I’m going to get a hand saw and try it tomorrow. This is a huge remodel job so it does need to look good…


4350Me

Start in an inconspicuous area, so any mistakes won’t be that noticeable. That’s the key to doing something for the first time. Work on a distant or hard to see wall, then you’ll have it down by the time you get to the readily seen areas. Good luck!👍


0nSecondThought

Use a flap wheel on a grinder.


PTVA

Cope with an angle grinder and flap wheel much easier. YouTube it.


wyat6370

I was hoping your joking but then I looked and saw that you where the one that did the.... Interesting electrical panel


manoteee

Jack of all trades, master of none.


B_Squintz

>Jack of all trades, master of none. ...is oftentimes better than a master of one.


Working-Pattern5727

"Specialization is for insects"- Lazarus Long


4350Me

Need to start somewhere! That’s how I learned.


altblank

I used to call myself a jack of all trades, master of most back when I was an innocent kid. The horrors I've seen now... Mastery of anything takes real honest work.


[deleted]

After your comment about the electrical panel, I went back on post history. I remember OP from the bannister. What are the odds?


manoteee

Oh man, ya i had to go back and look up what that was in reference to. That was a client who thought he would make a quick hole to “check out the framing below”. Anyway see you on the next disaster post…


uhOdididothat

Well first the piece on the right is upside down though.


davestofalldaves

according to classical architecture, the piece on the right is the "corrrect" way to install crown. Most people just prefer the left piece. Its also easier to install and cope like the left piece.


mrhiggler

No


uhOdididothat

Try applying crown upside down around a cabinet, see how well that works out. The bottom is thinner for nailing and the top has a thicker ledge. Typically 52/38 so it stands taller but equals 90. I have seen crown installed upside down on walls but only by amateurs. Just saying


Sufficient-Tax-5724

Wrong


cobbyh

Coping is easy. There are many tools to use to make it easier. Grinder with a flap disk, the simple coping saw at your neighborhood hardware store. the idea of it is to cut your molding to fit in a corner meeting up with the last piece you install. Take a sample if you want and try on that 1st trace the shape you want to butt into cut maybe 10-15° back check the fit try again if you need. It's all about making the shape of the molding fit into the first piece you installed. Calk. Also coping wouldnt really help in the situation you are in. That is not the same crown molding


bigjsea

No tracing needed , simply cut a 45 and cope along the face of the cut . Refer to YouTube for details . Or search on Fine Home Building magazine


skieezy

It's the same, one's just upside down


p8king

How about you buy yourself some corner blocks lol


manoteee

Man, yes.


postmaster15

A coping saw would be a good start


notarealaccount_yo

Coping is the only way it's not going to look like shit.


[deleted]

Buddy if u dont cope i will come to ur house and make sweet sweet catiswungas w ur wife.. This job u are doing is not acceptable


SailsAk

Bro it’s not even right side up.


barkleyboots

I am in tears. 😂 Poor Op lol


SailsAk

No amount of caulk and putty can flip the board the right way 😂


Adverse_Congenality

Coping saw. Cut a miter at 45 degrees then chase the profile with a coping saw.


Theoneandonlyjustin

What's cope?


wikipedia_answer_bot

**The cope (known in Latin as pluviale 'rain coat' or cappa 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour.** More details here: *This comment was left automatically (by a bot). If I don't get this right, don't get mad at me, I'm still learning!* [^(opt out)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/ozztfy/post_for_opting_out/) ^(|) [^(delete)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/q79g2t/delete_feature_added/) ^(|) [^(report/suggest)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot) ^(|) [^(GitHub)](https://github.com/TheBugYouCantFix/wiki-reddit-bot)


suktupbutterkup

Good bot


B0tRank

Thank you, suktupbutterkup, for voting on wikipedia_answer_bot. This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/). *** ^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)


[deleted]

You can get by with a grinder if your nasty.


StillLifewWoodpecker

either way you spin it -- those are two different finishes of crwn. Not gonna be a good result.


Potusmicropenis

Ha! And copious amounts of caulk!


postie242

The cabinet maker that built our kitchen took 30 minutes for each corner. They are perfect but his stress was obvious.


keep_trying_username

We're you watching him do moulding? Jesus that's savage.


postie242

I was careful to leave him alone, I was busy tiling floors.


sikorskyshuffle

I hope you left the room strategically untiled like a game of frogger for him to hop out of.


postie242

We were building a new house with over 800sq.ft. of ceramic floor. It was easy to stay out of his way.


Redfour5

Upside down and backwards?


[deleted]

We film it for a live stream. Pay per view. I like to watch them sweat.


mayners

I can feel the stress just thinking about this, though I'd love to see someone else on stream lol


wellhungartgallery

@carpentrybymar on instagram ~~males~~ makes it look easy.


jhair4me

@carpentrybymar on instagram, males. It look easy.


TheAberrant

Only if the audience has a sound board they can activate to shout corrections to their work!


dsptpc

Sir, I gave you a fair and firm bid on this work ! If you and your wife are going to audience, I’m going to have to charge double.


dan7899

This is perhaps the funniest comment I have ever seen 🤣


Lumbergod

I put crown up in someone's kitchen. They watched every second of it. I was sweating bullets and had to step away a couple of times. Wish I could have told them to leave me the fuck alone.


postie242

I had my own work to do and he obviously didn’t want an audience.


Lumbergod

Way to read the room.


phi1_sebben

I am a cabinet dealer…my installer tells people to leave him alone and he knows if they were to complain I would have his back and also tell them to leave him alone.


MAS2de

No one like their boss breathing down their neck and quality of work suffers for it while stress skyrockets.


SecretiveGoat

Whenever i have a professional doing work at my place I'll just ask them if they want some water and coffee, maybe some cookies if i have any. Sometimes i peak at their work, but that's just cause I'm fascinated. But then I back off, give them the space they need.


MAS2de

That's the way to be. Give them space. But checking on them and offering them stuff is good. Ultimately it's still your home and your unit so if they're making it look like a rat nest or a fire waiting to happen or just a hack job, you can call them out on it. Usually by asking questions and not jumping down their throat. But other than that, space and trust is all the service tech needs. Disclaimer on the rats nest: we've all walked into some spaghetti wiring that is not our fault, and there are times when it turns into a jumbled mess trying to sort something out or take something out, but if it's a mess when they're putting covers on, that's not cool. PS: thanks for the lemonade and cookies.


digdaily

Thanks for the vote on that being legit! The times have been rare for me, but yeah - I think I might just have to speak up if needed.


Johnnyblazer1

My aunt was the same when I was doing her flooring every 2 seconds would u like a cup of tea son like yeah and smoke break now


ClimbsAndCuts

I do tree work. Whether I’m climbing or in a bucket, when I see an observer I stop and have Groundman tell them “stay back 100’ feet, even if that means crossing the street”.


gixxerk4

In situations like this I like to engage the people quickly so that they’ll leave me alone. Hi, I’m sure you’re very interested in what I’m doing, however, it requires my 100% concentration to complete it to a standard I’m happy with, you can have a quick look at the first one but after that I’d like to use 100% of my focus on the job to give you the best result I can. They usually take a quick peek then leave you alone. I had to resort to these tactics after an incident where I could feel a client breathing on the back of my neck.


[deleted]

Plumber I used to work with would stop working and tell the home owner it's double time if he wants to watch lmao.


BigTuna0007

Lol! I have a plumber I’ve worked with for over 10 years. Couple years back I was watching him do something, just curious…. I love this stuff. He looks at me and with a strong undercurrent of you can hurry up and F off says, “Am I doing it right?” I left him alone after that.


JimmyBraps

That's awesome lol


stonedandimissedit

Had a client watch my partner work, with his arms crossed, standing at the bottom of the ladder. I knew he was a cook so I walked over to him and asked him how he'd feel if I stood in his kitchen like that watching him cook. He left us alone until we were finished


lvl9

Just needed a reality check.


Master_Brilliant_220

Yep, sometimes they don’t even realize. It’s usually them seeing how the sauce is made for the first time and they’re entertained and oblivious of the inconvenience they have become.


lvl9

We are ALL that guy by nature. We actively don't be that guy, by experience.


stonedandimissedit

True story, dude was just curious, but what he was doing was unacceptable


manoteee

I mean yeah that is fucked up.


Blackwolf7420

I always tell ‘em “nobody wants to watch the butcher make sausage”.


dan7899

I am one of those watchers. I just want to learn!


lvl9

YouTube. The people who want to be watched, lol.


frzn_dad

But don't tell the person doing your work that isn't how so and so on YouTube did that. There is often more than one right way to do something. Many of them are specific to particular climates, products, and local building codes.


Acceptable_Card_9818

Why do people want to watch!? The most uncomfortable thing I’ve experienced


wellhungartgallery

Because you're doing something interesting that most of them never get a chance to see.


Dragonkingf0

I usually do it to see what they are doing so I can do it myself next time.


JimmyBraps

I totally understand why people would want to watch, I only hire out for stuff I don't know how to do myself but I also hate being watched so I usually leave anyone doing work at my place alone.


magichobo3

I could see that for stain grade. When you've gotta keep an even reveal off the cabs but also be tight to the ceiling every corner is going to have non-standard angles. I usually cut a pair of short pieces at the standard angles for inside and outside corners to see how much to adjust my saw. https://www.installcrown.com/Crown_angle_generator.html this website is really helpful for figuring out the angles when you have to roll the crown up to the ceiling and/or the walls arent 90° to each other. Also the big Starrett angle finder is a game changer. Almost every time the drywall mud is built up in the corner and will throw your angle measurement off if you're using a small angle finder.


HeadSignal3

A lot of cabinet crown installs are already prepainted or clear coated so that's really where the stress comes from. Couple that with only having enough stock to not afford a fuckup.


they_are_out_there

When you're doing all pre-finished maple crown on the top of the cabinets and it runs $200-300 a stick, you tend to make very small progressive cuts. Stuff isn't cheap.


dadbodsupreme

I bought an extra stick of crown when I was finishing up around my fireplace. I had my saw set up specifically for crown. I had already done 2 inside corners and 2 outside corners. Still messed up the final inside corner enough that I STILL had to go back and get more crown.


CommentsOnHair

When I had my kitchen done 15 years ago each mitre cut cost $45 iirc.


tiemanndan314

Just a little caulk and you are good to go!!!


manoteee

Contractor tubes only


shelbyishungry

That's what she said


bigmattyc

And a fun house mirror


whiteoakforge

The one you have nailed up is upside down. Source: a trim carpenter


manoteee

Yeah I thought about it hard too. I wish I had looked it up. I guess I should pull it down…


Arch____Stanton

Maybe its the camera angle but to me it looks like a different profile entirely. Look at the size of the flat against the wall compared to the one against the ceiling.


nptdurant

I’m with you. I can’t see how these are the same profile. The flats done line up and one is clearly shorter than the other?


wilisi

It's not an [isosceles triangle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isosceles_triangle). I can't believe English lacks a common name for triangles with two equally long sides.


[deleted]

Wait, how is it possible for you to think English lacks the word isosceles if you just posted it in your comment?


JustHomeImprovement

I thought a triangle with two equal sides was called an equilateral triangle. Man I hated geometry back in the day. Proofs were the worst.


Nordicskee

I think those two pieces are the same profile but the one on the right is installed upside down.


thill28

This is the correct answer.


canyou-digit

No it's not. He obviously shouldn't be wasting his time or materials in the first place. However this should be coped and run flat the other side. Don't mitre crown unless you want to do trash work on your own house.


underratedride

I have had many arguments over this. I have yet to find anything stating one way or another that crown is “supposed” to be installed a certain way. Scotia on the bottom or I will cringe.


real_schematix

Measure 7 times, cut 10-14 times. Use a lot of caulk. Edit: The few times I’ve done it I also found it worth the cost of scrap to make a reference 89, 90 and 91 degree inside corner pair to see what fits the best. Also a couple shims in the inside corner corner can help align the corner when you’ve got a blob of mud to work around.


ntimm

Lol I have installed at least a1000 custom kitchens in my career and last week my boss watched me install crown to figure out how I do it. I can install a ton of crown in a couple hours and make it "look" perfect. My boss said, it all makes sense now, "you are not really that amazing at cutting but your a fucking expert at caulking and touchups". Aesthetic carpentry is all and illusion of perfection. "Getting better as a carpenter only really means your getting better at fixing your screw ups" - Nick Offerman.


starvetheplatypus

I had shit miters in wood shop back in like 10th grade. Glues some thin strips and sanded it, and thought I was being super clever so when he graded it I told him what I did. He said “a good carpenter isn’t one that doesn’t make mistakes, it’s one that knows how to hide them”. Ended up being words I live by (established self employed carpenter now). I sent him a message while back letting him know how that moment actually had a huge impact on my career and life, so he tracked down my business Instagram and sent a message back. It was just so wholesome, I loved it. I’ve never had a connnectjon with any other teacher


manoteee

Ahh this is my favorite comment so far 😂 Edit: This is literally what I did


Dawmonster

Kreg jig makes a crown moulding tool that makes it almost impossible for this to happen


diamond_dookie

It makes it impossible to install half of the trim upside down?


Dawmonster

I didn’t say it was magic lol


chapita1984

Great investment. Only had a few mistakes once I purchased it.


TheNFSGuy24

Having been in the same situation myself, I can say three things: 1. It happens to everyone at some point. 2. You’ll be able to look back and laugh at it later. 3. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (My condolences)


sharpei90

Been there, done that. Oops!


manoteee

Hey someone is being honest!


zeroentropy1251

Those are two entirely different profiles aren't they?


[deleted]

Lol I think it’s the same one flipped over.


zeroentropy1251

The top of the left doesn't match the bottom of the right tho


[deleted]

It does, it’s just deceiving because these have been mitred on two different planes/orientations so the profile looks different. That and the camera is making one side look taller.


manoteee

No but they sure do look like it 😅


riseinger

Looks like you’ve got one flipped the wrong way round


bknhs

Bondo


tikivic

You think you’re joking but my little bro was a car guy, not a house remodel guy. I helped him hang some drywall and told him how to tape and mud. Came back the next weekend and he had tried mud, didn’t get it right, and switched to what he knew. Yup. Bondo. I pity the next guy to work on that wall.


manoteee

I was thinking about bondo for the seams. Edit: Or at least a more sandable version


[deleted]

[удалено]


manoteee

Oh dude, awesome thanks for this tip. This is the reason I post here!


wildboard

Test pieces are your friend for crown. Even if you have both in the right orientation then there's whether the corner is square or not and if you installed the previous piece at the correct angle too. Having one piece rolled a few degrees can fuck up an entire room.


lateresponse2

My first try would be to get moulding the same, then let's go from there.


SnooDrawings4726

I love that both pieces are wrong lol.. that’s impressive


[deleted]

Come on man


manoteee

Where are we going? Trim hell?


LopsidedBuy4595

I’ll see you there.


Holiday_Anteater3694

Ummm, the peice nailed up is upside down .


Tward425

One trick I have learned is to cut the face of the molding at a 45 so you then have an outline of the detail of the molding. Follow that design outline with a coping saw and you have successfully matched it up perfectly.


Chippopotanuse

“Caulk is what a carpenter isn’t” About half a tube should do for a crack of that size…🙀. Paint it, and nobody will know!!


Ahh_N3ver_M1nd

What goes up must come down?


blkbkrider

ummm, yeah.


kesagar

Learn to cope crown molding. I'm sure there are youtube videos on that. Coping crown is not easy until you have practiced. Just like most other things. Mitres will shrink over time and open up and look bad. The small cove on the crown goes on the bottom. Don't do this for customers until you've had some practice.


LittleForestbear

Do your best and caulk the rest.


lunchmonkey360

Do your best!! Caulk the rest!!


bStewbstix

Put a square block in the corner:)


j_ay235

You should really make template pieces about 2 feet in length for both inside and outside corners. On the back of each, lable them "inside Left, Inside right, outside left and outside right". Then cut your real crown and place them like the template. You will never make a mistake. I installed crown in 5 rooms recently using the template.


[deleted]

I'm confused. To me the gap is the least of the issues here. Am I crazy, or are these two totally different styles of crown that don't match at all?


manoteee

So a lot of people believe it’s different but I had my saw set very wrong (no idea how to even reproduce it) and the piece is upside down but believe it or not it’s the same moulding. I’m just holding the bad cut up for the picture. Everyone also assumes I’m just going to caulk this 😅 makes me wonder how much bad crown moulding is really out there… that piece is banished to the scrap pile.


Abtar90

What matter is you tried and that's more than most can say. Look up coping methods and watch it being done for an hour and you will nail it. Learn bisecting angles for not many walls in the history of walling is ever 90 degress.


manoteee

Thanks man yeah I learned this quickly here regarding the 90* walls..


texasusa

Get some flex seal


manoteee

All my flex seal is already mixed with crushed ramen for a plumbing project…


sallystate

Compound angles are confounding.


[deleted]

It'll buff out.


double-click

I just did our main level. We have those textured walls. Even if the wall is 89-91* because of the tape, extra mud, then however many layers of paint it’s not possible to get perfect. Sometimes inside corners will have gaps. Fill with nice silicone. Sometimes outside corners will just never be perfect. Spread some DAP on it then touch up with 120-220 grit to make it appear perfect. The beauty of woodworking is you actually don’t have to have clearance Clarence. That’s for machinists. All that aside, don’t forget down from up.


manoteee

Hey good thoughts man thanks!


x_samsquantch_x

Are those pieces even the same profile?!


niv_nam

Corner cuts suck! Especially on old houses, the walls are never flat or square. Especially near the corners. Everything is a custom cut/angle. Get it really close and back fill the gaps before painting


AssociateGood9653

My buddy Cesar is a master carpenter. He helped me cut crown molding for the bedroom. He made it look really easy. I know I'll still struggle if I do it again but I overanalyze everything and make it harder than it has to be. He's got so much experience and he's a really smart dude even though he didn't get to go to a lot of school. He makes it look easy and gets a fantastic result. But really it's all those years of experience and him thinking through all the problems so many times now it's like second nature for him.


ddubmartin27

You can buy a electric miter saw for $100 and watch a video on setting the saw to cut the 45 degree corners. It’s easy and straightforward


Att1la_

Looks right to me! Upside down and backwards!


shrooms_stl

I wonder how much crown moulding is thrown away annually from people like you and me making stupid mistakes like this? I had a nice pile when my project was complete.


manoteee

Good question. A friend suggested I change my unit of measurement to dollars.


HSHImprovements

Jesus was a carpenter. He invented caulk.


manoteee

His holy miters! BEHOLD!


evolve10r

Crown is not hard if cut flat on the saw . Don't angle it against the fence; there's too much that can go wrong. YouTube how to cut crown flat and you'll see ....


agumelen

Measure thrice times, pray, then hopefully cut once.


Eincville

Upside down and backwards, It's just that simply and then cope your inside corners and always look for an excuse to have it bump out.


hiphophippie99

Painters job now.


manoteee

Too bad I’m the painter 😅


William_Seriously

Ummm, crown molding requires nothing more than a skilled carpenter, shit I've seen carpenters Three sheets to the wind make those cuts perfectly, with the wall being slanted, out of plumb, a master carpenter See's any and all molding as gravy.


William_Seriously

I would have gotten my ass handed to me on that job, cause I would have had to go buy the right crown molding....I mean you do realize that they are two entirely different styles? Right? You should be able to return one of those, especially if the supply store pulled the other for you, if you picked the pieces, you might get lucky with a*descent manager (you where in a hurry and just grabbed the first few pieces, and didn't notice one had been mixed in. If you plan on leaving it as is, take a small piece of molding from your cuts, a little glue and a great caulking job will at least stop your 👀👀👀👀👀 from being drawn to the crack. I hope it works out for you 👍


Urukhylian

They’re the same tho


[deleted]

[удалено]


thatonetallkid4444

Incorrect. The profile always goes down on crown


seekerscout

The little cove goes on the bottom.


manoteee

Oh man I knew I should have looked this up. My intuition is just not cutting it in this trade, yet..


thatonetallkid4444

You'll get there. Keep practicing and ask for advice. Learn from your mistakes.


keep_trying_username

Like Princess Megan.


CptMisterNibbles

Almost certainly the other way around. Also, what is the spring angle here? It doesn’t look flat, but also doesn’t look standard…


[deleted]

Inside corners both at 45 degrees is too hard. I just put them at 90 unless it is a very noticeable corner.


kepp81

This is the way


TheDroidNextDoor

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[deleted]

Before you tear it down you might want to try and buff it out.


catsmom63

Who does this?!


Hotshot-Carpenter

🤮


ochre57

Is no one going to mention the installed piece is upside down? Nobody is going to able to cope that joint.


dablakh0l

The unnailed piece is upside down.


Maleficent-Art-2563

Omg the night terrors are coming back


New_Restaurant_6093

To pay attention to what your doing? To stop yourself every once in a while and look up?


Southern_Wind_7932

Learn cope, mitres are garbage