Replies

1. 
   bp21901 | May 31, 2006 05:02pm | #1

   I don't know if this is the direction you would want to go, but you could create your own by "layering" some 1x (pick your width...4" or 6") with shaped pieces (1/4 round, cove, carved, etc.). I seem to remember an article over the winter addressing the creation of your own ceiling molding but I can't remember right now which mag I read it in.

2. 
   TomT226 | May 31, 2006 07:27pm | #2

   One type that I've had a lot of success with is chair rail ripped down.  It's usually about 2-1/2" wide.  It has a bead and ogee at the bottom, and a curve at the top. I rip the top of the rail off just as the curve is going down, about 2"wide, with the blade set at 20deg so the edge will fit tightly against the ceiling texture. PITA to cope, but after a few pieces you'll get the hang of it.

    

3. 
   Ragnar17 | May 31, 2006 09:14pm | #3

   I'm not sure I follow you here.  Does your kitchen have some areas with a 12-foot ceiling, and a sloping ceiling in other parts (due to a roofline, I assume)?

   If this is the case, installing a crown/cove/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is going to present problems, period.  Irrespective of the trim cross-section, you'd have to make a series of compound cuts with transition pieces in order to follow the changing elevation of the ceiling.  Besides the technical issues, I'm not convinced it wouldn't look strange.

   Conceivably, you could install a simple picture rail at about 9' elevation or less.  This way, the trim would fit within the existing ceiling area available and could be installed in a level plane.  However, it might look strange to see the space between the ceiling and the picture rail taper down to nothing.

   The most bullet-proof approach would be to force the ceiling into two discrete horizontal planes.  You could do this by framing in a curtain wall where the ceiling starts to slope down, and then adding a false ceiling in the lower-height area.  You'd be left with a 12-foot ceiling in the "main" area, and a 9-foot ceiling in the other.  If you put beadboard up in the lower-height area it could appear like an old porch, etc.  This approach obviously requires a lot of work, though.

    

   
   

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   Edited 5/31/2006 2:21 pm ET by Ragnar17

1. 
   jim1941 | Jun 01, 2006 01:12pm | #4

   Thanks to all of you for your replies.  The modified chair rail sounds promising.... will experiment with it.  Changing the ceiling angle is much too involved and would probably put me in divorce court.

   Yesterday I went through several model homes called the "street of dreams."  Interestingly each one had at least one room with a sloping ceiling where the angle with the wall was greater than 90 degrees.  Each one simply ran the crown on the walls with 90 degrees and stopped at the sloped ceiling.  No trim on the sloped ceiling.

   Yesterday also ran across a web site that deals with cutting crown transitions for cathedral ceilings.  The technique is more than I want to deal with right now.  If interested the site is http://www.garymkatz.com/TrimTechniques/cathedral-crown.htm

1. 
   TomT226 | Jun 01, 2006 02:08pm | #5

   If you need it, I'll be glad to post a pic of some of the modified chair rail and installation. 

1. 
   jim1941 | Jun 02, 2006 01:46pm | #7

   Tom, thank you I would like to see a picture(s) of your modified chair rail.

1. 
   TomT226 | Jun 02, 2006 02:15pm | #9

   Pic #1 shows the modified chair rail installed on a valted celing over a partition wall around my bar.

   #2 shows a X-section of the rail.

   If you install on a textured ceiling, cut a piece of 1X hard maple a little bit wider than the footprint of the rail, bevel one edge, and use it to level the texture before installing.  The sharp edge will give an exellent seam. 

   
2. 
   tfarwell | Jun 02, 2006 10:14pm | #10

   That looks really sharp.

   I am going to install crowns in about 2000 sf of my house, and I have been looking for something more unique than the standard ogee shape. This looks like a great option.

   Thanks!

   TTF

3. 
   jim1941 | Jun 03, 2006 03:36pm | #11

   Tom, thanks for the pictures.  Am going to experiment with various chair rail profiles.

4. 
   mycarwood | Jun 01, 2006 02:19pm | #6

   I'm still convinced that you won't find quality craftsmanship in a model home.  These are very rarely built with tradesmen in mind for the showings.  Thus, they cut corners and sacrifice quality.  I think a layered moulding may be easiest, so that you only have the 90 degree room corners to deal with.  Maybe a 5 1/2 inch speed base, with a 1x3 applied to it and a base cap against the ceiling?  It's your call.  Do what makes you happy!

1. 
   jim1941 | Jun 02, 2006 01:54pm | #8

   Thanks for your reply.  I agree with your assessment of most model homes.  The models I visited were supposed to  be top of the line from the best area architects, builders, and interior decorators.... not to mention having to pay $15 just to go in.  That being said, I was still quite disappointed with the craftsmanship..... joints that didn't fit, rough caulk, etc.

   I have been playing with speed base as a simple trim but I still end up with a shadow where it does not contact the sloped ceiling.  Would it help to use a slightly wider speed base ripped with a bevel to meet the ceiling or is that going to create more problems?

5. 
   ponytl | Jun 03, 2006 05:03pm | #12

   i think i'd run it around the room at the 9ft... maybe even  8'6" put a 1x on top as a "shelf" maybe...  i've used painter gutter for crown before but thats another story

   p

    

1. 
   DonCanDo | Jun 03, 2006 05:36pm | #13

    think i'd run it around the room at the 9ft... maybe even  8'6" put a 1x on top as a "shelf" maybe...  i've used painter gutter for crown before but thats another story

   What's "painter gutter"?

   -Don