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Installing cabinets w/ crown moulding to ceiling

17 years ago

We are doing a kitchen cabinet install. Uppers go right up to the ceiling and will have a 4" crown moulding at the top. Can anyone tell us how the crown is attached to the cabinets after the cabinets are installed?

Thanks.

Featured Answer

jrice

17 years ago

I may be the one that is confused so let me try to explain a little. If you hang the cabinets flush to the ceiling you will probably have about 1" between the top of the door and the ceiling. If so, this will not allow enough distance for a 45 degree crown as it will require approx. 2" minimum distance from the ceiling to the top of the cabinet door. So you need to measure the distance from the top of the door to the top edge of the face frame which will be around an inch. So you need about 1/2" to 3/4" reveal between the door and the crown plus the 2" for the crown would be about 1 1/2" from the cieling to the top of the face frame. Attach the crown to the face frame as I said in the first post. Hope I have not confused you or maybe I am the confused one. If you were close I would just come over and do it for you. Good luck.

Comments (7)

jrice
17 years ago
I usually use a pin nailer to attach the crown to the face frame of the cabinet and a little caulk along the top. If the cabinets are flush with the ceiling I am not sure you will have enough room to install the 4" crown above the doors. You might want to install them an inch or so down from the ceiling as to allow for the 4" crown. Just my thoughts.
kimberlie
Original Author
17 years ago
I think I should've been a little clearer in the wording of the original post: The upper cabinets *with* a 4" crown will go right up to the ceiling (i.e. the crown will sit at ceiling height).

Our issue is that to install a run of upper of cabinets (5 boxes), they have to each be hung separately, all level THEN have the crown moulding installed, right? Otherwise, if the crown was being installed before installing, you'd have to hang all the cabinets in one piece. So, the question is, how do we attach the crown after the uppers are installed as there isn't much room to work on top? We've seen enough kitchens like this; we just don't know how to do it. Hope this makes sense.

Thanks!
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Hi Sherriz, I am sorry. I am so confused by what you are saying. I do not know what a false front is. I skipped by this post because I have limited knowledge on cabinet design. I am sure someone else on GW will chime in. I was hoping someone would post so I could post later more specifically what you might be looking for. Why don't you do a search on false fronts. That might help you with the specifics on how to do this. For now, I can post some images of vaulted ceilings. Maybe this can help you. At least you can have an image you can draw on. A mock up with photoshop. ~boxerpups This is Smarge's kitchen from GW. Maybe you can do a search on FKB or even her link and ask her how she did this amazing space. This is the picture I think of when you say a false front but I am certain someone else can provide better help. Zebra Wood Counters Noah Falls Home Experts Inc. Merged Shapes My Ideas Blog Westchester Kitchens by Jem Woodworking Woodwise Country Craft Tea Room Maybe this is what you mean by a false front. A soffit?
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whats the final plan w lighting. be sure and not spotlight this .. adjustable trac ? or something else ? .In a way, I think an option may be to leave the trim off, and also because of texture at ceiling it's just something you don't need really. If you want trim I'd get a trim carpenter to look it over...point this out...they have solutions to ease the difference . don't worry about it. but consider omitting trim. I don't see any under cab lights....get a lot of focus there and at splash tiles and I think it will be forgotten about. WALLS including ceiling are never perfect. has ceiling received paint? flat ceiling paint /[no shine] will assist. we did something in a room where we placed some subtle texture on a ceiling because of a flaw . the installer said just the compound can be left but i painted w just cheaper walmart paint/flat/light color but not stark white . I remember the best/thickest nap roller I dared to handle helped ...the final result paid off. do you have a few more things to do w finishing the ceiling and lighting/etc???? . If you want to work w trim...I'd consider trim out around fridge side panels forward and across upper fridge cabinet and end it. simple right angle block trim and this will be intentionally set apart from long runs...as it is, anyway and so discrepancy wont matter. so there's a couple ways to deal w this. dont worry it'll be fine.
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tonbiak
17 years ago
Do you have frameless cabinets? If you do your crown molding should have a nailing cleat attached to the back of it and you use a pneumatic nailer and nail from the inside of the cabinet. You will never see the nails. Does this help?
brickeyee
17 years ago
A nailer is atached to the top of each cabinet flush with the front of the cabinet box. These nailers are placed BEFORE the cabinets are hung on the wall. A section of 1x lumber works OK, but if you have room some 2x provides a better nailing surface. You can use flat head screws from inside the cabinets through the top to fasten.
After the cabinets are installed the crown is fastened to this nailer with about 1/4 inch of overlap onto the face of the cabinet to conceal the nailer and provide a clean line.

The biggest propblem is often that ceilings are rarely as stright as molding. You are likely to need some coping to get te trim to fit evenly on the cabinet face and still meet the ceiling for any distance. Uneven molding shows badly above the doors of a cabinet, so it must be aligned there. Depending on the molding style and how un-flat the ceiling is the variation here does not show as much.
Nothing shows worse than a gap that changes size.
talley_sue_nyc
17 years ago
A nailer is atached to the top of each cabinet flush with the front of the cabinet box.

wouldn't you set that nailer back a bit? at least the width of your crown molding? Because you might not want your molding to begin that far in FRONT of your cabinets.

If you want the front of the molding to be flush w/ the front of the cabinets, you need to position your nailer accordingly. Of course, the cabinet doors will be 3/4 inch or so in front of the cabinet face; if you want the molding to align w/ the cabinet doors, you may want the nailer flush w/ the cab fronts.

And w/ frameless or full-overlay doors, you do not have room to have the molding overlap the cabinet face. The doors would bang into it.
kimberlie
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I should have added that they are frameless cabinets.

Brickeyee, your suggestion is what we had in mind but weren't actually sure if it would work or not, so thanks! Talley Sue, your reply helps to clarify.

All your help is appreciated.

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