Time for more molding my friends, but his time, it's up top. Rather than a large, fancy 3 piece crown molding build up, we're using the same, small profile product I'd used in the family room. My theory behind using a small simple profile is that it won't take over too much attention in the small room; it would just blend in as part of the whole. Molding will cover the rough edges of the room where the original builders did a less that precise job of finishing the corner, not mention the rough painted edge resulting from my speed-painting blitz, covering the old green walls.
One thing I learned from the Great Family Room Remodel's crown molding, is that I don't want so many joints in the room. On that project I'd installed it about 5 feet at a time because the floppy stuff was hard to handle by myself. Now, the joints that have opened up. The filler I used at the time fell out. Ugh.
This time, I used a full 12' long stick on the back wall. I MacGyver'd a set of helping hands using one of the drawers from my still unfinished hallway organizer project, clamped to the top of my ladder. The fact that the box has dovetail joints shouldn't be lost upon you dear reader; proper MacGyvering requires precision and style.
Executive MacGyverist in Chief and the Crown-O-Matic (TM)
Speaking of precision and style, I've learned to use the measure twice, cut once rule the hard way in the past, by cutting a facia board way too short. Precision measuring in the beginning saves time later. I've measured this room at various points in the project depending on the elevation that I'm working on. I measured for paint, flooring, base molding, furniture , and of course for crown molding. Twelve foot exactly, (give or take 1/8 of an inch).
When I bought 12' long crown molding, I was pleased that there'd be no joints in the back wall, since it would be most viewed wall in the room. I was measurably less pleased to learn that the first piece I installed was not the one I had measured in the store. This particular gem 12' 1" long, aaaaaaand nailed up tight. Your favorite AZ DIY Knucklehead didn't notice it was too long until nearly to the end, due to the floppiness of the material.
Idiot.
Rather tear pull it down to slice a single inch off, I used my Oscillating Multi-Tool to plunge cut it in place. It was a bit scary, trying not to slice too much and leave a gap in the finished corner. I eyeballed it and took the plunge, free-hand and crazy style.
I think they use one of these at my barbershop to trim my ginormous head.
Thaaaat's the stuff.
"Skadoosh!"
As I mentioned on the latest flooring post, the living room is right next to the garage / AZ DIY workshop. It was nice that my noisy nail gun compressor could stay out there, close enough for the air hose to reach the whole room.
With coped corners, scarf joints, and a MacGyver'd molding holding apparatus, I wrapped the room, fairly quickly...
...and stopped at the back wall, leaving it unfinished. My goal is to get the main area complete and get us moved back in as soon as possible so we can use our dining area. It's still heaped with all the contents of this room.
Plus, there's this fine mess. I have a good chunk of fussing around to do with these odd angles and the vent is smack dab in the way. I posted the issue over on Hometalk.com and got some fairly good answers on how to handle it, but that's going to be another adventure for another day.
Now that's a fugly vent. So the room is crown molded, (mostly) ... or is it crown moldy? ...moldish? ...molded?
Good and moldy.
It's all coming together under a white crown as foretold in the prophecies of old.
“Then Frodo came forward and took the crown from Faramir and bore it to Gandalf; and Aragorn knelt, and Gandalf set the White Crown upon his head and said: Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Next time, it's all the detail work!