Anybody do trim work? Got q's.

[400exdad]

I finally going to do some trim work in the house... you know, add some crown moulding to spruce the jaint up a bit! :D My question is this: MDF is half the price of fingerjointed pre-primed wood, is it any good? Also, Tibron (plastic like) is about the same price.... Both the MDF and Tibron is nice and smooth, but I'm wondering if there is a downside to either of them as compared to wood?

[Doibugu2]

I've only used the plastic stuff a couple of times. We put up some base and it dent's much easier in my opinion. I also don't think it looks as good.

It is however perfectly straight which can be helpful.

[Hammer trx450r]

Mdf is good stuff. but for casings and crowns go with wood it stays straight. MDF for panels or wayns coating or surface tops

[Hammer trx450r]

just remember 3/16 reveal. dont hold trim flush leave 3/16 reveal for caulk

[PWM_330EX]

My first choice would be poplar if you're going to paint it. As a second choice, I'd go with MDF. MDF is takes paint very well and it's more stable than "real" wood so it doesn't expand/contract with humidity leaving gaps at your miters. You'll need a good miter & coping saw and lots of patience; crown is very tricky to get a precise fit on the inside & outside corners. Any little gaps can be filled with caulk and painted.

[400exdad]

Thanks guys! Help me out some more. :) What do you mean by "reveal" ? Heard the term before and pretended to know what it meant! :D I've got a tricky corner in my den. A corner fireplace with some radiused corners... didn't know how I would do it until I saw the guys house next door... they divided the angle of the radius and placed a smaller piece of trim across the radius... still some caulking will be needed to fill the curve under the trim I'm sure. Any pointers for this? Should I place the radius piece of trim first and come in to it or should I run to the radius and fill the gap? Thanks again!

[PWM_330EX]

Reveal refers to the distance between the inside of your door jamb and the inside edge of your casing. There's no reveal when dealing with crown moulding. EDIT: I suppose there could be reveal if you're using several pieces of different profile trim to build up your crown.

I really can't visualize what you've got but I would be inclined to start in the corner and move along the curve until I got to the other corner.

[Doibugu2]

The reveal is the small edge between the trim and window.

[Hammer trx450r]

definatly need a pic of that. radius corner?

[400exdad]

The corner:

[400exdad]

A close up

[Hammer trx450r]

you could do that or make stop blocks in the corners. easier for a beginner

[PWM_330EX]

You could span the radius with as small a piece as possible then caulk up that gap at the bottom but I don't think it would look too good -- especially since the wall with the fireplace is probably the focal point of the room.

I'd definitely go with blocks as suggested -- even if you only use them in this location. The blocks are square and you could use a saw to chamfer the back then use a palm sander, etc. to finish rounding it off to make them fit tight into the radiused corner.

Some examples of corner blocks at http://www.houseoffara.com/crownblock.html

[400exdad]

Hey, I never thought of that! I could just see me with more caulk than wood in the corners of that tough cut! :D :D The blocks sound like the way to go so I don't end up with a pile of kindling! Thanks for all the help!

[SGA]

Those blocks would look tight above that fireplace.

[JD400exrider]

I would aggree the stop blocks will be a little easier.

As far as MDF. It is a good product for certain applications. I have installed miles of it over the years. For crown molding and base board it works fine except baseboard in bathrooms or any damp or wet locations. It tends to swell when in contact with any moisture. I used it for door jambs and casing in my home. I do not like it for door jambs and even casing in some instances.

It looks sweet when painted. Be careful on to much caulk. Caulking takes the paint a little differently and tends to show any wide caulk joints. (Caulking makes what a carpenter aint) If you can use a finish nail gun for installing the crown. It makes it a WHOLE lot easier unless you have allot of hands to hold. The MDF is fairly hard and can be a bich to get a nail started to handnail in while holding the crown in place. If not pre drill your holes in the MDF. Fill the holes with a "light weight spackle" very easy to apply wipes right over with the finger. :cool:

Here is some food for thought. ;)
Depending on the room. You install the crown molding around the room but leave it down from the ceiling approx. 3-4" . Then behind the crown molding you drop rope lighting. When the hidden rope lights are turned on you have an indirect lighting all the way around the room reflecting off the corner of the ceiling / crown. Hard to explain but looks real sweet. I have seen this done in several custon homes and it really adds a nice effect. My neightbor did it in his entry and turned out very nice.

Good luck

[Hammer trx450r]

if crown is no bigger than 5 1/4" you can nail it through the center, up on a slight angle with 3" finish nails you will hit the top plates in the wall. nail gun doesnt hold on walls with no joist above it unles blocking was put in. and remember GLUE every miter and joint. use alot and wipe excess with wet rag. and let trim acclamate in the house for couple of days befor install.

[Hammer trx450r]

another problem is that textured finish on the walls. i want to see the great carpenter who doesnt use caulk there.

[400exdad]

Dang! You guys can see the texture in the pics! :) Then I guess you can also see my messed up ceiling beside the light... leaky chimney! :( Repaired now FOREVER. The biggest profile I could find was 4-5/8 at the Depot. With 10' ceilings, do you think I should go bigger? I thought about using a chair rail or like trim a couple of inches below the crown and paint it all white, but I was afraid the texture in between the crown and rail would blow my "big trim illusion". Who would have thought I could get this much GREAT carpentry help on a ATV site! :D :D

[Hammer trx450r]

try a piece of baseboard upside down about 2 inches from top of wall then put crown onto the base and ceiling. should give you the look your after

[Hammer trx450r]

and once you say FOREVER, your screwed