Author Topic: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding  (Read 4063 times)

Cessna152

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Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« on: November 06, 2014, 01:24:12 PM »
Hi there!

This one's probably easy, at least I'm hoping.

First time home buyer here, got a great deal on a beautiful house just enough into the country woods of Georgia. I have 10 days of due diligence starting tomorrow, so I wanted to bring up one of the major issues I found with the house and make sure the fix is as easy as I'm assuming.

The house is 6 years old and this is probably a result of settling but there seems to be cracking where the crown molding meets the ceiling. Would this just take going over it with some sort of caulk to seal the gap? I've attached an image for reference.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2014, 01:33:11 PM »
As long as it isn't foundation problems (which I hope is being checked?) then yes, caulk and maybe have to repaint the molding after caulking if you notice a color difference and it really bothers you. But stuff like that if it's throughout the house (or even a room) would make me VERY nervous about foundation issues...

Spork

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2014, 01:35:11 PM »
Probably just caulk....  If it is sagging, you might want to shoot a few nails every couple of feet. 

And if you caulk and/or shoot nails, you're likely to need a quick coat of paint.

Cessna152

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2014, 01:35:42 PM »
Thanks for the reply. Yea, it's pretty prevalent throughout the house. The home will be inspected during the due diligence phase. I would think it's safe to assume a check of the foundation is included in that but will specially request it just incase.

paddedhat

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2014, 07:38:10 PM »
Typical shrinkage cracks, nothing noteworthy, or anything to do with foundation issues. The cure is simple. You need to hand nail a single 8d finish nail into the face of the molding, about every 24" or so. This nail is installed at a 45* angle and will bite into the top plate of the wall. It should be installed about 1/3rd of the way up from the bottom of the piece. I would pre-drill the molding, and set the nails with the proper nail set. This will eliminate the open joint. The next step is a light application of a paintable caulk, and it will look great. Have fun.

Cessna152

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2014, 01:33:39 PM »
Thanks paddedhat! I am going to ask that they fix it prior to moving in, but if they refuse now I know how to fix it myself!

jopiquant

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2014, 09:54:57 PM »
If you do end up needing to replace any of your moulding, baseboards or door casings, this guy's website is awesome:

http://www.thejoyofmoldings.com/

We are refinishing our basement after taking out the old high subfloor and putting in dricore - it never had baseboards before, so I'm learning as I go. I'm going to try this guy's install, paint, then paint walls method.

Dicey

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Re: Best Way to Repair Crown Molding
« Reply #7 on: December 23, 2014, 11:33:17 PM »
We bought our house last year. It was built in 2006. Most of our moldings looked like your picture or worse. DH is a painting contractor and assured me that it's routine. As the new materials "cure" and newly-built home gets comfortable, there is shrinkage and these gaps appear. Caulk them, paint 'em and live hapily ever after.

If you know you want to paint, I'm not sure I'd bother with making the seller fix it, especially if there are more vital thingsto be resolved. Make sure you are present for the home inspection. You may discover other issues that are far more important than this.