Oldy Moldy

Happy New Year Everybody!

Crown molding is a major aggravation. I know why all the websites say it is hard to do. Well, because it is!

We solved a major problem last night. Stay with me, it all goes back to placing that first cabinet. The walls are twisted, and so is the ceiling. Nothing is square with old houses.

I remember that the kitchen designer kept trying to convince me that I wanted shorter cabinets so I could put nick knacks on the top. I insisted that I would rather have cabinets to the ceiling for two reasons: no dusting on top!( I am BAD at that) and more storage space (in a small kitchen, this is important, even if you cannot reach it without a stool, it is still storage, and in a 1950 home that is way important.

I think I was delirious. While I still hate dusting, and want the storage, and I love the line of having cabinets to the top. It looks longer, sleeker, and tighter. Fits the 1950's look of the kitchen. (like my cup pulls? They are officially done! more later) BUT! fitting crown molding to cabinets that are twisted onto twisted walls and a twisted ceiling and maintaining their compound angles is the definition of frustration. I know, if there were a Hell, Satan will put me in a wavy room with some cove crown molding and a mitre saw and say "go forth and install. "

So, we have all of the really wierd cuts done. Now just to fight with regular corners. But inside corners present particular problems.

Of course, I chose molding (cove molding which has a lovely sweep inward and makes life harder...I swear I did not know that! be forwarned O kitchen rehabbers!) from the cabinet company. Number one...there is NO NEED to do that. Get molding from your local lumberyard. Especially if you have painted/glazed cabinets. Any paint store can match the paint and it will look just fine. There is no need to have solid maple crown molding in this situation. If you want something unusual, go to a private lumberyard and save yourself lots of money. 20.00 per 8ft stick is sure better than 50! Learn from my errors...I am!

With inside corners, the conventional wisdom is to butt one end of the molding into the corner, and then cut the other side as you normally would in a 45 deg. backcut. Then you use a coping saw and wood file and cut away the back of the molding to reveal only the front profile. It looks mitred, but is stronger. Well, that just sounds peachy doesn't it? In a wavy settling house, gosh a strong corner sounds so attractive. Well, we have abandoned that time tested technique. We are going to mitre the corners and use painter's caulk. This cove molding is a nightmare to "cope".

So we are not coping at all. But, we mitre just finish the job today.

Ok, punning aside. The twist of the cabinets and ceiling has created the need to twist the molding to keep it looking level and to avoid it getting in the way of the cabinet doors. but once you get to the wall, that twist makes mitring a headache of monumental size. So, we have to correct this twist. So at the end of the cabinets, we are putting a decorative block to butt into and start the line over, untwisted. We thought through every scenario over and over, and this is the only possibility. We thought it was original (dad is a genius!) but we went to the big box store and found that there are tons of such molding appliances! so we bought some. Had to doctor it up, but I am pleased! I have matching paint, I don't think anyone will realize it is not the same stuff.

For fun, go into your kitchen, or someone elses and look up at the molding. I bet you will see things you did not notice before. I see stuff in kitchens now that I NEVER did. Maybe knowledge is power, or maybe ignorance is bliss!

Pictures to come.