Installing crown moulding

[Mister Bill]

I am going to install crown moulding in all of my rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc, preferring to work by myself or with my wife in a pinch.

Say a bedroom is 10' x 12'. How important is it to have each piece one continuous section? It is difficult for me to measure and cut a piece 11' 15/16 inch. It seems to me that I could do this easier if I would cut one piece 6' and nail it and then sneak up with the second piece exactly in the remaining space, using a 45 degree mitered joint.

Any advice?

Mister Bill

[Dal300]

Remember... that seemingly simple 45° miter is actually a complicated compound miter invented by the unholy powers of the universe to waste perfectly good wood.

[BillWilly]

Using "mitered splices" with crown molding makes it much easier to get better fits at the corners because the corner cuts are actually compound cuts which are kind of tricky. But at the same time a continuous piece looks much better if it is going to have a stained finish, If it is going to be painted you can very easily hide the splice cuts with putty or caulk.
If you have never worked with crown molding before you can watch a few helpful "HOWTO" videos at Woodworking Channel:Crown Molding

I hope this helps

[Finishing Touch Carpentry]

So simple
Measure all 4 walls at top
Make a jig to hold your crown with bottom side up and on fence as if it were on wall
Cut pieces from long of 45 on left side to square on right
Cope 4 mitered sides
find studs and ceiling joists, mark
On the two walls where ceiling joists run parallel with crown install beveled blocking for nailing. screw the blocks to the top wall plates every 16"
Use a scrap piece to set your first piece, leave coped end in un nailed so you can slip in your last piece.
You will spend more time doctoring a mid butt joint and it will never look right.
Good luck

[Finishing Touch Carpentry]

Oh yeah
Work from left to right

[Jerry M]

Can be done either way. Try a mock-up with some short pieces and see what you (and/or wife/girlfriend/drinking buddies) think

[hcbph]

Personally on inside corners, I prefer coped cuts. Put the molding up on the long side you see (for example when you enter the room) the cope the corner of the crown that butts up to it. I like the overall look of that plus it won't open up in dry periods like a mitered corner can.

My opinion.

[GenerationW.W]

Finish carpentry is on point with this one! You will like it better with not seam in the middle.

[CutnCrown]

If we may just make a quick recommendation to check out our you tube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/cutncrown?feature=guide -even if you do not use our jig it has some great information on it that can help save you some headaches. We also have a crown molding top ten mistakes to avoid booklet if you want to sign up for it at crown-molding.co it is right on the home page, can't miss it.