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Running Trim, Glue/No Glue?

DonCanDo | Posted in Construction Techniques on March 29, 2009 02:06am

I usually glue outside corners on crown molding, but not inside corners or splice joints.  I haven’t had any problems until now.

In the picture, you can see the that the crown molding shrank along it’s length and opened up a very visible crack at the splice joint.  This is MDF and I didn’t expect it to shrink in any dimension, so that surprised me.

I make my splice joints on a stud or one of them ceiling joyces (g) and pin them together and then into the stud/joist, but I don’t use glue.  Should I?

Of course the fix is easy and the customer is understanding, but I’d rather not have ANY callbacks if possible.

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  1. DAC747 | Mar 29, 2009 02:24am | #1

    I glue all splice joints.

  2. CardiacPaul | Mar 29, 2009 02:32am | #2

    Glue all joints other than copes.

    On a complete new house I burn at least a gallon.

     No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.

    1. Snort | Mar 29, 2009 05:05am | #5

      Do you burn that gallon of glue before you start the house, or after? Man, that's a lot of glue, what size house, and where do you put it?http://www.tvwsolar.com

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  3. robert | Mar 29, 2009 02:56am | #3

    I used to glue everything but copes.

    Then a friend of mine showed me a trick.

    he always tried to run that walls that needed splices first. Then he would run the ones he could hit with one piece.

    All the splices were but joints, biscuited and glued. At the end of the day, a little sanding to smooth it out.

    I laughed at him at first, but when we went back to do a few touch ups on one of his jobs that was maybe 9 months old?

    Not one open splice anywhere.

  4. danno7x | Mar 29, 2009 04:26am | #4

    I glue everything excepet a coped joint

    What you gonna save the glue for? 

    One 7 dolla bottle of titebond lasts a whole job and then some and I aint shy about using it,  espically on paint grade,   1/32 gap in white paint looks huge. 

    Now take that gap in a dark stain and you can barely see it, although I would and I would have glued it anyways.  You know everything moves and you know you aint gonna let that happen again ;^)

  5. User avater
    basswood | Mar 29, 2009 06:05am | #6

    Howdy Don,

    MDF is more stable in width than wood but less stable in length. Splices in long runs of MDF are more likely to open up than with wood.

    One trick is to glue and nail the scarf joint and nail the crown heavily on either side of the splice and nail the other end of these pieces lightly so they float. I like for the floating ends to be butted into inside corners and tucked behind a cope. Then if the crown shrinks the gap is hidden behind the cope, and the spliced end is not effected.

    I also run the outside corners a skosh long, leaving a 1/16" between the crown and the wall, during summer (so shrinkage does not bottom out the miter and force it open).

  6. Piffin | Mar 29, 2009 01:06pm | #7

    That is a normal feature for MDF. It moves the same amt in both directions. you just notice it less in width because it is so minimal of a percentage.

    I use glue almost everywhere. I prefer Titebond's molding glue for interior trims like this

     

     

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  7. Jer | Mar 29, 2009 04:56pm | #8

    I glue almost everything Don.

    With the crown splices I will often insert a backer piece of plywood and finish screw it onto the back side of the first piece of spliced crown. I then glue every surface and put up my second piece. I really does act as an assurance of it not opening.
    It may sound like a PITA but if I have a lot of crown to do and some splicing in there, I will cut a strip of plywood (3/4") on the TS to the right width (the wider the better for more gluing surface), with the spring angles on either side and then chop it up into 6-8" sections and you will then have your splice backer ready to go.
    If it's prefinished or stain grade I do the same except I use a spot of hot glue or one minute epoxy, along with the titebond, to tack the piece.

    I like the Titebond 3 because of the strength.

    1. cargin | Mar 29, 2009 05:05pm | #9

      Jer

      I haven't done alot of crown but I have cut 1x to the correct angle and install that piece inthe corners and at splices.

      Nothing screws up a cope more than improper angle.

      Rich

      1. DonCanDo | Mar 31, 2009 12:44am | #10

        Thanks for all of the suggestions.  It looks like I'll be gluing splice joints from now on.

        I particularly like Jerry's (Jer) idea of using a backer for the splice joint even when the crown is being installed without a backer anywhere else.  I never thought of doing that, but it makes good sense.

        Oh yeah, and thanks to all for not criticizing me for not already knowing this.

        1. frammer52 | Mar 31, 2009 01:56am | #11

          Oh yeah, and thanks to all for not criticizing me for not already knowing this>>>>>>>>>>>>.

          Wait until this lefty asks the same question over and over about crown!  Trust me they won't be so nice!>G<

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