Built-up Crown Molding: Creating Mockups
Learn the basic elements of crown-molding design, including how to orient the crown and how to incorporate off-the-shelf profiles.
In this video workshop on installing crown molding, Tucker Windover begins by focusing on design. He shows off a range of crown molding profiles from the simplest—a single-piece crown that is a common and easy to install—to more elaborate profiles that combine four or five pieces into one. While we chose to install a more elaborate crown molding profile for this video workshop, the basic principles discussed can be applied to most crown molding installations. To be sure that the profile will enhance the room the way you want it to, Tucker emphasizes the importance of taking some time to build some mockups.
In this series, you’ll also see how to build and use simple-to-make jigs that not only save time but will increase the accuracy of your work, including a jig for marking the layout on the wall, for cutting the crown at the proper angel, and a jig for holding the piece while coping inside corner joints.
This members-only series includes:
- Introduction
- Creating Mockups
- Making the Jigs
- Coping Inside Corners
- Crown Molding Installation
View Comments
Crown modeling is the upper portion of the entablature in the Greek and Roman orders of architecture. It's based on the exterior of buildings like the Parthenon or Pantheon. The ogee is known as a terminating molding, and was only ever used to end the order into the ceiling. Yes, you can do whatever you want, but if you want to do it historically correct base your designs on the construction and proportions of one of the orders (i.e. Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, or Composite). There are many subtle and elegant rules the ancients followed that are essentially lost today, such as the use of inflection, hierarchy, and rhythm. These are obtained by intelligently varying the moldings in size, height, or profile in relation to other parts of the room. There is room for variation and experimentation, but it will almost always look better if you stick fairly closely to the one of the orders, where these subtle artistic ideals were worked out a long, long time ago. Ultimately with crown molding we're just creating decoration with shadows, and gradually terminating into the ceiling (as opposed to the abrupt and harsh 90 degree angle).