I would tend to do the same as S_M suggests. You can lay out the cut line with a "jigger" tool. This is harder to explain than do. You simply make a wedge-shaped piece of wood with a couple of saw-tooth cut-outs on one edge. Lay up a piece of paper and then put the point of the wedge in the critical and transition points and trace around the whole thing. Take down the paper and you can create the exact profile on the back of your molding or yet another pattern piece. I would use a coping saw, or if the piece is small enough, a band saw to trim the profile. I would tend to use a pattern maker's rasp instead of a chisel, but I could live with either. Back cutting is important. Do this profile before you cut the other end to length (assuming it's a butt or miter at the other end). You always should do the hardest part first before cutting to length. Best case scenario: you can just butt the other end into the wall and cope the adjoining piece to make an inside miter.

When you signed off on the cabinet order, was the order placed right away or did it wait until the molding price came in? I bet you are being penalized for placing a separate small order and they may have a minimum shipping charge that you would not have had to pay if the molding had been ordered at the same time. Do not mention it until you get an answer, but if yes, it is more for that reason, you should let them know you expect they will take care of this without penalty to you and speak with a manager if necessary. They should not have placed your order until it was complete if it would cost you more to do wo without discussing it with you. If they didn't, you should not have to abosrb the cost. If you are still within the time when you can cancel the entire order with minimal/no loss, you might nicely inquire if that is possible while you work this out, and then place the order again with everything included. Before you say anyththing else you might want inquire if this is the case. The fact that the labor for the molding was included in the original contract clearly indicates that they were aware that you wanted it. And, yes, I think molding makes a huge difference in the finished look of the kitchen even if it is a very simple molding. The one exception might be a galley type kitchen or a contemporary style. JMHO. Unless DH is exceptional, most men don't place anywhere near as much importance on aesthetics as you would, but chances are when you go to sell, the molding will pay for itself. Sue

Sophie Wheeler. I recognized the need for additional lighting with black cabinetry. This is an eastern facing room. Adjacent to the left of the single "kitchen" window is a bay window, a set of french doors and a set of double windows. The dining room to the right also has a double window. When we repiped the plumbing we had the entire kitchen ceiling off. The HVAC, vent pipes and plumbing pipes prevented us from taking the existing lighting to down to 4in and adding additional cans. I've installed LED bulbs to increase light volume in the kitchen area. Additionally we are installing under cabinet lighting with the new cabinets. The carpenter- a perfectionist- who redid our drywall used a laser level and added to all the ceiling joists so the ceiling is completely level and ready for the cabinetry with applied crown moulding. I think the first photo supplied by phuninthesun helped me decide to apply black to the cabinetry and white to the walls. I will post once finished for all to check out.

There is no place for caulk in a stain-grade job, I'm afraid that if you want it to look right you'll need to make the joints tight. Caulk or any sort of gap-filling goo will stand out like a sore thumb. I can't see what is going on in your photo, but if the underlying substrate isn't square and straight your crown installation will be much more difficult. The purpose of a "mounting piece" is to adapt to the imperfections in the way the cabinets are hung, so you want it to be perfect. So yes, sand, trim, or do whatever else you need to do to give you the best possible installation surface for your crown. Even then you may need to fiddle with the crown a fair amount to make everything appear tight and straight-- important-- it doesn't need to be straight and square, it just needs to look straight and square! I hope that you are fortunate and that your walls and cabinets were well installed.