Replies

1. 
   maverick | Nov 12, 2004 07:59pm | #1

   Fudge it. take a little scribe off the top of the crown moulding where the cieling starts to make the upward transition then give it a gentle bend upward to hopefully touch the cieling at the next corner. Then either caulk the gap or float it with durabond or equivilant setting type joint compound.

   the scribe should take care of the first 1/4", the bend will take care of the next 1/4" and the float will make it disappear. The object is not to get the crown straight but to make it wash well with the eye

2. 
   m2akita | Nov 12, 2004 08:05pm | #2

   So your saying that part of the ceiling crowns up along the wall???  Along what section of the wall ( at one end, in the middle, etc.).  What about trying the following..... Snap a chalk line on the wall for where you want the bottom of the crown to run, tack up a piece of crown along your bowed section of the ceiling to get a visual of how bad it looks just as is.  Can you roll the crown to hide the gap with out it looking to bad??  Then you could mark of the offending area, pull the crown back down, and skim coat the ceiling to fill in the gap.  Sand, prime, and put your crown up.  I believe some guys put the crown up and then skim coat.  I think in either Gary Katz's (Finish Carpentry) or Craig Savages (Trim Carpentry Techniques) Trim carpentry book they talk about doing this

   Do you believe the gap was/ is due just to sloppy framing or is there something else going on??  Reason Im asking is if its something else then your just putting a band aid on the problem, not fixing the problem.  Do all this work then sometime down the line there will be problems in that area again.

   Hope this helps.  Cant think of what the worst gap I have had to deal with is.

   -m2akita

   -m2akita

1. 
   Rampside | Nov 12, 2004 10:29pm | #5

   Definetly sloppy frameing. The 2x in the attic is not inline with the rest. No signs of a settling problem. Just some creative 'rock work.

   Thanks for the input.

3. 
   gordsco | Nov 12, 2004 09:35pm | #3

   I'm with maverick

   Fudge it, a little scribing and filler pieces where needed. Cover up gaps with caulk. They want crown, give them crown.

   If they want to pay for a new ceiling...cool...

   I find the odds of anyone living in the house looking closely at crown after two weeks are slim to nil.

   It has "a look" but nobody realy looks at it.

4. 
   andybuildz | Nov 12, 2004 09:43pm | #4

   you might consider building wall to the ceiling out with 2x....adding 1x leveled out below and on the face just beyond where the crown is going, then adding the crown under that with the box above pertruding beyond the crown about 3/4.

   It'd add another dimension and give you a level line to work with

   Be crooked

   andy

   The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!

   When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..

     I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,

   I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.

   I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you

   and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.

    

    

   
    

   http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

5. 
   JRuss | Nov 12, 2004 11:29pm | #6

   Discuss with the owner the options. Doing it right, snapping a wall line, installing the crown true, then feathering in the gaps. Or if just getting the job done is acceptable. Scribing the crown, which shows against the shadow lines and leaving gaps that are caulk filled.

   The owner might not realize the problems and solutions or may perfectly understand and is waiting to see if you have a professionals answer.

   If the final result is a mess even with your best effort, sometimes you and your reputation are better off not taking the work.

   Never serious, but always right.
6. 
   blue_eyed_devil | Nov 13, 2004 01:57am | #7

   Tear the house down and build a new one.

   blue

   Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!

1. 
   batman | Nov 13, 2004 02:10am | #8

   You could install 1 or 2" wide 3/4" material vertically set away from the wall say 3/4-1" more than the crown, scribe it to the ceiling and then attach a hroizontal piece for the crown to butt up to...that way you have a flat, uniform, solid surface to nail to and the irregularities are in the face board which won't be so apparent.

7. 
   dinothecarpenter | Nov 13, 2004 03:34am | #9

   Fudge it. take a little scribe off the top of the crown moulding where the cieling starts to make the upward transition then give it a gentle bend upward to hopefully touch the cieling at the next corner. Then either caulk the gap or float it with durabond or equivilant setting type joint compound. the scribe should take care of the first 1/4", the bend will take care of the next 1/4" and the float will make it disappear. The object is not to get the crown straight but to make it wash well with the eye

   That was EZ.

1. 
   Dan019 | Nov 15, 2004 07:38pm | #10

   IN older homes around the turn of the century (20th) they used the crown molding to hang pictures from. Hooked a thin wire on the top edge of the molding down to the frame

   The crown would be set down from the top of the ceiling about 3". It also makes a good place to hide lighting.

   This subject came up over in the JLC finish carpentry forum. Here's the thread.

   http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13696&page=2&pp=15&highlight=crown+molding+install

   Dan 

1. 
   DougU | Nov 16, 2004 02:27am | #11

   Dan

   I think you are confusing crown moulding with picture moulding.

   Picture moulding was applied just shy of the ceiling and the pictures were hung from it the way that you suggested.

   Doug

1. 
   Dan019 | Nov 17, 2004 04:29pm | #12

   Hi Doug

   No, I understand the difference.

   I was trying to come up with an alternative, thinking out of the box as it were.

   If you read the entire JLC thread you'll see others have done this to overcome the ceiling problem mentioned in this thread. Others have dropped it from 3/8" up to 3" to provide a shadow line and to visually hide an out of level condition.

   The consensus over there is you never scribe crown. Read the thread, there are lots of good ideas over on jlc for crown install.

   Dan 

1. 
   DougU | Nov 18, 2004 01:43am | #13

   Dan

   I'll have to go over and look at JLC, wasnt implying that you didnt know the diff, just wondered if you got the two mixed up.

   Doug