Cabinet Crown Molding - Height Offsets

[moparfreak]

Beginning to plan out adding some cove molding to my kitchen cabinets. As I feared, I do have some slope in the ceiling in some areas, so not a consistent spacing between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling all the way through.

I'm looking at a cove type molding with the profile that fits the 2-3/4" size as shown below. That means I have a 2" rise that I need to cover.

Most of my cabinets are right around the 2" mark, a few are in the range of 1-3/4" but I think I still have enough wiggle room to clear the door below it. The problem lies where I have a couple cabinets that are about 2-1/2" from top to ceiling. This would result in a gap between the top of the crown and the ceiling. I suppose I could do a filler strip but it might affect the look of the profile...making just that section look thicker / beefier than the rest.

What would be the best / most seamless way to resolve this issue?

Also, btw this is honey stained maple so a bit less forgiving w/ filler materials & caulking and whatnot...

 

[danski0224]

You could split the difference and fudge the crown on the cabinets. Most of the cabinets with molding on top are under a less than perfect ceiling. I wouldn't try to get fancy in the corners- cut as normal, glue and fasten the corner together, and drift the whole thing.

The other way would be to mark where the face of the cabinets are, measure your gap, then cut a long tapered shim that gives you the look you want. Pull down the cabinets, tack the shim to the ceiling about an inch behind the cabinet face line, then feather it out with drywall compound. Remove the shim and feather it over the top of the cabinets for a few inches to hide the straight line. Use the drywall compound that has to be mixed with water, not the premix stuff.

 

[wrenchguy]

build out from cab face above doors with vertical members and then use 3/4 cove or scrib with nice detail at ceiling. this way u can fit/flex last member to irregular ceiling. this might look/work better if u can lower cabinets inch or 2.

 

[lightn95]

The other way would be to mark where the face of the cabinets are, measure your gap, then cut a long tapered shim that gives you the look you want. Pull down the cabinets, tack the shim to the ceiling about an inch behind the cabinet face line, then feather it out with drywall compound. Remove the shim and feather it over the top of the cabinets for a few inches to hide the straight line. Use the drywall compound that has to be mixed with water, not the premix stuff.

This is the correct way to do it. It will look out of place if you try adding a piece to the crown or ascribing the crown to the ceiling...you WILL see the wave in the ceiling if you do it any other way than this...

 

[moparfreak]

interesting approach, so basically mudding up the ceiling to gently meet cabinets & feathering back till it's not noticeable...did I understand that correctly?

 

[lightn95]

interesting approach, so basically mudding up the ceiling to gently meet cabinets & feathering back till it's not noticeable...did I understand that correctly?

Yup. Don't do it all at once or it'll crack. Do a little at a time. My spackle guys would use the 45 min compound that was dry and you add water. They always said it was "stronger" than the Green lid.

 

[wrenchguy]

Yup. Don't do it all at once or it'll crack. Do a little at a time. My spackle guys would use the 45 min compound that was dry and you add water. They always said it was "stronger" than the Green lid.

around here its called durabound, its harder to sand though. this is fine iffen u want to repaint. o-p must be working on old house with that much woopie dues.

 

[larry4406]

+1 on floating the ceiling down with mud to bring it back in line with the cabinets.

I like danski0224's approach of placing the shim to act as the depth/screed line.

Depending on how much "wow" (waviness ) you have in the ceiling you may need to chase it outwards 12-16" from the face of the cabinets to fade away.

 

[Andybull]

Consider two step molding. That means that you install one horizontal strip, either flush to the cabinet box, forward, or behind and then installing the crown molding onto it.

 

[moparfreak]

Consider two step molding. That means that you install one horizontal strip, either flush to the cabinet box, forward, or behind and then installing the crown molding onto it.

Andy that is one thing I'm considering, it would make the height between bottom of the crown and top of the door slightly variable based on where the cabinet ended up, but the top of the door edges kinda shadows that area anyways that it's hard to really make out the difference of 1/4" - 3/8" too much.

I might go this route, as it would prevent having to pull the cabinets out.

 

[Kaizen]

Andy that is one thing I'm considering, it would make the height between bottom of the crown and top of the door slightly variable based on where the cabinet ended up, but the top of the door edges kinda shadows that area anyways that it's hard to really make out the difference of 1/4" - 3/8" too much.



I might go this route, as it would prevent having to pull the cabinets out.

This is what I would do. Choose moldings that have some flat area so you can make the transition. Once done you will be the only one that notices anything.


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[Moto]

I would think about installing flat crown molding instead:

Apparently it is a new trend.

 

[wrenchguy]

I would think about installing flat crown molding instead:

Apparently it is a new trend.

around here we call that a frieze board mostly the 1st member put on, then crown installed afterward. i been doing that 35-40 years.

 

[moparfreak]

I would think about installing flat crown molding instead:

Apparently it is a new trend.

No offense to the guy in the video but that looks pretty awful. Like taking a baseboard and putting it up on a cabinet. I guess it has a more modern contemporary look, but....