October 2019

Would you like to know about how to install crown molding? Also, do you want to add it yourself to your home? Installing crown molding is not as hard as most people think. It just takes knowledge about how to correctly install it and then anyone will be able to do it right. One of the hardest parts about installing the crown molding corners which can be a little tricky.

Let’s have a look at the most important steps that need to follow:

1. Most people skip this step, but this is not good thinking because this can make a huge difference between a quick and efficient installation. You should take the time to plan for the following things.

You have to choose the type and size of molding that you need

You also should make your decision that how much molding will be needed to complete the job correctly

And, you also need to know about how much adhesive and fasteners would be needed

2. Once the first step is done properly, it is time to get the supplies that will be needed to complete the job in the right way. Make sure you get the adhesive, fasteners, caulk and any other supplies and equipment that you may need. Before starting the installation job, you will be able to save yourself a lot of time and headaches.

3. Put all of your materials and tools in the same room so that everything is handy. If you find that there is something missing that will be needed then go and get it before the start installing.

4. You need to draw a solid wall all the way around the room to show the bottom edge of the molding. Make a second line on the ceiling for the projection of the molding onto it. Also, mark the wall studs and ceiling joists. Just be sure that all of the marks you have made will be visible when the molding is put up.

6. Start with the corner that will be the least noticed on because it is not always possible to get a good match on the pattern with the last piece. It is always a good idea to research this part of the process before attempting it because the more knowledge you have about installing it the easier it will be for you.

7. Once the adhesive has been drying for 24 hours, it is time to fill in the holes made by fasteners, caulk the top and bottom and then do a touch up with paint or paint it completely. 

When it’s all done, be sure to give it a good coat or two of glossy paint to really accentuate the trim. If you don’t want to DIY the paint, we recommend you call the cool guys over at BGB Painting.

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Today we are going to describe exactly how to install shelves in a closet. Actually, it’s pretty simple but there are lots of steps. In the beginning, you need to find out how many shelves you want and what size they need to be.

We settled on 4 new shelves, plus the original one already in the closet. We choose to leave the original shelf and the clothes rod hardware in the closet, just in case we ever want to convert it back to a clothing closet. We wanted two additional shelves that were the same depth as the original shelf, and then two lower shelves that were deeper.

So we needed 4 shelves, all the same width; two of them 11″ deep, two of them 18″ deep. We also needed a bunch of 1x2s to support the shelves, and 4 metal “L” brackets to support the center of each shelf because the shelves were so long we were afraid of bowing.

Sheets of MDF are significantly cheaper than pre-cut sheets of MDF or wood, so we choose to purchase two sheets of MDF and have our local hardware store cut it for us.

Once we got home with our pre-cut MDF and all our 1x2s, we laid them out in the garage so we could prime them. We learned the hard way while doing K’s board and batten that it’s easier to prime MDF before you install it.

We primed each board with two coats. Make sure you prime the front edge of your shelves as well. When the primer was dry, it was time to begin the install process. Sound strange? Well, you MUST insert all your boards into your closet BEFORE you start adding all your 1×2 supports.

If you add all your 1x2s first, it will be impossible to get the shelves into the closet because the opening of the closet is smaller than the actual closet.

Once your shelves are inside the closet, start adding your 1×2 supports. We added them all equal distance apart, so a little math was involved. We used our nail gun to attach all the supports, but you might want to consider adding a few screws into the studs for additional support.

Now we know you are itching to put those shelves up now, but you still have to get your center bracket into place. First, you should add a board a little wider and longer than your “L” bracket. The “L” bracket will screw into this board.

We added mine slightly off-center so they would line up perfectly with the bracket from the original shelf. Now it’s time to add the “L” brackets. Use some heavy duty screws when you attach the bracket to the support board.

And now, finally, you can pull the shelves up one at a time and plop them into place. We added several nails into the top of each shelf, down into the 1×2 supports below. You don’t want your shelf to budge, so adding nails to secure it is a good idea.

If you noticed, there are lots of nail holes and ugliness with your shelves. We filled all the nail holes with spackle and then we used caulk around all the exposed edges of the wood, just to give it a more polished look.

Once everything was puttied up and dry, we used a small foam roller to add two coats of semi-gloss white paint to the tops and fronts of each board. We also used a small angled brush to paint all the 1×2 supports. We really weren’t concerned about getting paint and caulk all over the walls because once the white shelf paint dried, we planned to paint the walls.

Hopefully, this will help you to realize that you can do stuff like this. Don’t get overwhelmed with the entire project, just take it one step at a time.
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