Cabinet crown molding conundrum with lumpy ceiling
Here's a shot of our newly installed upper cabinets. 8' ceilings, 39" cabinets, designed to have 3" crown molding. I carefully laser-measured the ceiling height along the wall, and as a result, installed the bottoms at about 53 3/8" above the floor instead of 54" so that the space above the cabinets is 3" or more all the way along the wall.
We installed from the right corner to the left. Everything was good until we got to the over-the-fridge cabinet. It's only 2 1/2" from the ceiling at the front. This is due in part to the ceiling repair we had to have done, to clean up soffits we tore out, so the ceiling finish is thicker out there. (I measured at the wall, and the ceiling is lower further into the room, especially 24" out). It's also due in part to the fact that the fridge panels are 93" tall, and the fridge cabinet is installed flush with the top so the fridge will fit inside. So the cabinet top isn't aligned with the cabinets to the right.
Sooooo...what's the best way to fix this?
- Shave 1/2" off the fridge panels, hope the fridge will still squeeze in there, and drop all the uppers down to match
- Scribe the ceiling (i.e, shave a slot it in and embed the crown in the ceiling)
- Scribe the crown over the fridge, to meet the ceiling
- Skip the crown on the fridge cabinet (I could put the starter molding there to fill in the gap and just butt the crown into the side of it)
- Buy smaller crown (haven't looked at options yet)
- Other ideas?
Comments (11)
weedyacres
3 years agoRelated Discussions
? on crown molding and cabinets to the ceiling
Comments (13)FWIW, one of the GC's I interviewed told me that he usually doesn't order the crown molding from the cabinet company. Like some other posters have suggested, he prefers to order unfinished crown and then paint or stain it to match the cabinets. The crown is high up at the ceiling and also the light hits it differently than the vertical surfaces of the cabinets and doors, so the slight difference in finishes is not obvious. One advantage to doing this is that the crown pieces you can get from a cabinet company are usually only 8' sections. The unfinished pieces are available in larger sections which require fewer seams therefore less potential for cracking at the seams with the changes in seasons. Another advantage is that the crown that comes from the cabinet company is usually quite expensive. They use the same 20-step process that they use on the doors and drawers which get a lot of traffic. The crown is a stationary item that will not be opened, closed, bumped or touched on a daily basis. It does not need the super duper finish that you need on your cabinets. Another advantage is that you can use the same crown molding in other parts of your house if you want to have a matching look....See MoreUpper cabinets to 8'5" ceiling with crown molding 3" or less?
Comments (2)I don't know how tall my crown is, but it isn't huge. It looks a little different, because of the vaulted ceiling, but where the window wall meets the ceiling it's 8'. I would rather have a single door than stacked cabinets, to allow more flexibility in shelf placement. I ordered extra shelves for most of my uppers....See MoreCeiling molding with cabinet crown?
Comments (2)It will look fine because the cabinets will stand apart from the wall like furnature does. I would use the crown in the rest of the room but paint it a color that doesn,t make it a really stong focal point....See MoreHelp with cabinet crown molding in kitchen with low ceiling.
Comments (5)Yes, we're having the cabinets made. They're framed cabinets from Kraftmaid, and come in 3 inch increments for height. I could have gone with 30, but then there's a lot of room left at the top, and I don't want a big crown. 33 inch gives me more storage space and still leaves just enough room for a 3/4 inch or 1 inch crown at the top. I want something straight as Sophie Wheeler suggested, not something that is angled. They have something called "solid stock" that is finished on 3 sides and gives you some flexibility in placement. Same for the light rail - just a straight edge mounted so it comes out slightly beyond the bottom of the cabinet....See Moreweedyacres
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHere's the crown profile. I've got a starter board that's an angle. The plan is to attach it to the top so it basically extends the face frame up by a couple inches, and then nail the crown to the starter board at the height needed to hit the ceiling. Then caulk the gaps between crown and ceiling. At least that was the initial plan. :-)
Lighting is going in: 6" LED can lights that are centered on the front 12" of counter. And a large pendant over the island. Still ambivalent on UCL.I don't want a gap between cabinets and ceiling, both for dust avoidance and aesthetics. I want to trim it out.
I'm not sure I understand this recommendation: 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.
weedyacres
3 years ago
weedyacresOriginal Author