How to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets

You can easily install crown molding on your kitchen cabinets will give your home a finished and sophisticated look. While crown molding is most commonly used for ceilings, it can also be used in a number of areas throughout your home to allow you a customized look without the hefty price tag. Follow the steps below for simple installation.

Measuring Cabinets

Measurements are of vital importance for most remodeling jobs, but when it comes to moldings you must measure carefully and accurately. Markdown the dimensions of the length and width of each cabinet as well as the depth.

Prep Work

Adding crown molding to the top of your cabinets must be done just a little bit differently than molding around the ceiling. Use your hammer and finishing nails to adhere a thin strip of wood to the top edge of your cabinets. This small adjustment will help protect your cabinets from having the molding nailed directly into their surfaces.

Cutting Moldings

Once your prep work is complete, use the measurements you took to carefully cut your cabinet moldings. Most cabinetry is installed with perfect angles; this should allow for a quick 45-degree cut with your miter saw. Custom cabinets tend to have different angles, so this is where measurements really come into play for your installation. Make sure you read your measurements carefully before making your first cut.

Installing Moldings

Use your hammer and finishing nails to directly nail your crown molding onto the strip you installed in Step 2. If you feel this will cause too much damage to the surface of your crown molding you can purchase or rent an air finish nail gun. This type of nail gun will allow you to use headless nails for a more finished look and will keep you from causing dings with a hammer during installation.

Touch Ups

In this step, you will want to take wood filler and touch up nail holes and dings or dents you may have caused during installation. Dab the wood filler into the hole and with a damp cloth clean up the edges. Once the filler has completely dried you can come back and sand each spot smoothly. This will ensure a clean surface for any paint or stain needing to be applied.

Finishing Touches

Now it is time to match the new crown molding to your cabinets. You can use paint or stain to blend the moldings into the color of your current cabinetry. You can also purchase pre-finished moldings that match your cabinetry perfectly, if you chose this method then a couple of touch-ups is all you will need.

It’s that simple. After a few easy hours of work, you will have years to enjoy the beauty and finished look of custom cabinets.