How to Add Crown Molding to Your Cabinets

Crown Moldings are an excellent way to improve your cabinet’s outward appearance with a fashionable accenting border, and with the right tools, they can be simpler to install than you might think.

Just follow our short guide below to learn how to highlight your home with this classic cabinet enhancement.

• Materials

  • Crown Molding
  • Miter Saw
  • Safety Goggles and Mask
  • Measuring Tape
  • Wood Glue and Finish Nails
  • Caulking

• Procedure

  1. Measure Around the Cabinet Using your measuring tape, measure each side of your cabinet to learn the lengths in which you will need to cut your pieces of crown molding.
  2. Cut the Side Molding to Size

     Now take a Miter Saw, remembering to put on your protective wood-working gear first, and get ready to shape out the pieces of crown molding that will go on the side of your cabinet.

     Refer to the measurements you took in the first step to find the correct length you will need to cut. Then, to ensure that the final pieces of molding will be able to fit seamlessly together around the cabinet, use your miter saw to cut off the side piece in a 45-degree angle. To allow space for the corners of the crown molding to meet, the deepest part of the 45-degree cut should match the length of your cabinet. Repeat this step to create a piece of molding for as many cabinet sides as needed.

  3. Cut the Front Molding Piece

     Similar to the previous step, this time you will need to use the measurement you took from the front of your cabinet to find the length of the piece you need to cut. Unlike the previous step, you will need to make two 45-degree angle cuts with your miter saw on each side of your front piece so that it will fit together with the two pieces of side molding you have already cut.

     If cut correctly, at this point the pieces of crown molding should all fit together in a clean 90-degree angle.

  4. Install the Crown Molding

     With all of your pieces ready, it’s time to secure them to the top of your cabinet. But before any pieces are attached, keep in mind that it is a good practice to line up your crown molding in its intended position to check if each piece does indeed fit together smoothly before committing to any changes.

     Once you are satisfied, apply a thin layer of wood glue to the inside of the crown molding pieces and nail them into place. Once all three pieces are secured together, you’re nearly done!

  5. Polishing Up

     For a cleaner finish run a small bead of caulking around the edges of the crown molding to fill in any gaps, and apply more as needed to seal the holes created by your finish nails. Clean excess caulking with a damp rag, and lastly, paint if desired.