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Install Unfinished Moulding
Assembled from pine or hardwood and milled in a multitude of profiles to correspond with almost any personal decorating style, unfinished solid wood moulding is the most common moulding used in homes. The most important tool when working with moulding is patience. Never try to rush trim work.
Tools & Materials
Use this checklist when you go to the store and purchase your items.
Dropcloth- Tape Measure
- Drill
- Dust Mask
- Caulk Gun
- Hammer
- Paintbrush
- Level
- Goggles
- Miter Saw
- Nail Set
- Wood Putty
- Moulding
- Stain or Paint
- Nails
- Caulk
Locate, Cut and Fit Your Moulding
- Start by cutting your moulding pieces a little long; you can always trim a little off, but once a piece is too short it can't be fixed.
- Predrill holes for nails to avoid damaging the moulding.
- If you use a power miter saw, use at least a 60 tooth blade.
- In order to establish a level line for a chair rail, measure up from the floor to where the bottom of the chair rail will be and make a mark. Use a level as a straight edge and lightly draw a line around the room. As you install the chair rail, make sure it is even with this line.
As an alternative, you can use adhesive to install architectural moulding. When using adhesive, you will not need a hammer, nail set or nails. Use only an adhesive recommended by the manufacturer.
Base and Chair Rail Corners
Lay the moulding with its back flat against the bottom of the miter box or the bed of the power miter saw. For inside corners, cut through the face at 45° so the edge of the cut is visible from the front. For outside corners, cut through the face at 45° so the edge of the cut is hidden from the front. Cut the pieces as mirrors to each other.
Crown Corners
For outside corners, use a power miter saw and set it as indicated in our crown moulding adjustment table below. For inside corners, you can either miter cut the pieces or cope them.
- To miter the pieces, place the moulding so its top (the part that goes against the ceiling) is flat against the bottom of the miter box or bed of the power miter saw. The bottom (the part that goes against the wall) should be flat against the side of the miter box or the power miter saw's fence. Cut the pieces as mirrors to each other on 45° angles.
- To cope the pieces, butt one piece tight against the wall and nail in place. Place the second piece in your miter box or power miter saw as described above and cut the piece at 45° so the edge of the cut is visible from the front. Use a coping saw to cut a slight back angle following the contour of the exposed moulding profile. Test fit the coped cut and trim as necessary.
Wall Intersection Angle | Crown Moulding with 52° and 38° Edges | Crown Moulding with 45° and 45° Edges | ||
Miter Adjustment | Bevel Adjustment | Miter Adjustment | Bevel Adjustment | |
85° | 33.90 | 35.52 | 37.66 | 31.42 |
86° | 33.43 | 35.19 | 37.17 | 31.14 |
87° | 32.97 | 34.86 | 36.69 | 30.86 |
88° | 32.52 | 34.53 | 36.21 | 30.57 |
89° | 32.07 | 34.20 | 35.74 | 30.29 |
90° | 31.62 | 33.86 | 35.26 | 30.00 |
91° | 31.17 | 33.53 | 34.79 | 29.71 |
92° | 30.73 | 33.19 | 34.33 | 29.42 |
93° | 30.30 | 32.85 | 33.86 | 29.13 |
94° | 29.86 | 32.51 | 33.40 | 28.83 |
95° | 29.43 | 32.17 | 32.94 | 28.54 |
Splicing All Types of Moulding
When you are covering a span that is longer than your moulding, splice two pieces together with a scarf joint. Lay the moulding with its back flat against the bottom of the miter box or the bed of the power miter saw. On one piece, cut through the face at 45° so the edge of the cut is visible from the front. On the second piece, cut through the face at 45° so the edge of the cut is hidden from the front. The joint should meet over a wall stud or some other point where it can be nailed.
Determine How Much Moulding You Need
Measure the room at the height where each moulding will go to determine the number and the length of the pieces you'll need. Jot these measurements down.
Standard wood moulding usually comes in 8', 10' and 12' lengths. Looking at your list, calculate what lengths of moulding will cover the area with the least waste. For example, if you have one wall that's 6' and another that's 5', using a 12' piece of moulding will yield both the 6' and 5' pieces, only leaving 1' of scrap moulding. However, if you used an 8' piece for the 6' wall and an 8' piece for the 5' wall, you'd be left with five feet of scrap.
Apply the Finish
Apply the finish to the moulding before installing it. You'll save time because you can apply the finish faster. Find a dry, well-ventilated and dust-free area to apply the finish to your moulding.
Put down a dropcloth and apply the finish according to the manufacturers' instructions. Apply the finish to the moulding in the same order you intend to install the pieces. Then you won't have to spend as much time waiting for pieces to dry.
Set aside some finish to touch up any raw edges.
Install the Moulding
Step 1
Locate and lightly mark the wall studs.
Step 2
Measure the distance between two inside corners and cut a piece of moulding to fit between the corners. Predrill the moulding at every wall stud and nail in place. To avoid denting the moulding, use a nail set to finish driving the nails home. You may need someone to help hold long pieces while you drill and nail. In the event you have a span between two corners longer than the moulding, simply make a scarf joint as mentioned above to splice two pieces.
Step 3
Continue installing pieces until all the moulding is up.
Step 4
After all the moulding is up, touch up any raw edges with a light coat of finish. Use wood putty or a filler stick to hide nail holes. For crown moulding, it may be necessary to apply a bead of caulk where the moulding meets the ceiling to close any gaps.
To make installing unfinished wood moulding even easier, there are corner blocks and divider blocks. These eliminate the need to cope, miter or splice when installing your moulding. Installing unfinished moulding using corner blocks is very similar to installing decorative hardwood moulding using co
Build Up Moulding
Built-up moulding is usually associated with intricate crown moulding on vaulted ceilings or the ornate mantels of colonial mansions. Although those patterns may overpower the average home today, you can use the same techniques to design your own personalized moulding. Gather several sample profiles. Experiment with them until you find a profile you like.
Once you decide on the profile for your built-up moulding, determine which piece should go up first. Select the most rigid piece or a piece that butts to a rigid surface like the floor or ceiling. Starting with the most rigid piece ensures straight lines and eliminates the flex that smaller moulding can have. Next determine the order for installing the rest of the pieces.
Install the first piece as you would a single profile. Install each subsequent profile in its entirety before going on to the next.
Project Information
- Skill Level: Intermediate
*Time and Cost are estimated.