Crown Moulding

[Paul Dombroski]

Has anyone installed crown moulding at the top of kitchen cabinets when the cabinets don't touch the ceiling? I'm sure that there must be a nailer added to the top of the cabinets. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Ken Deckelman]

I have done it a few times...no nailer was required on the cabinets I attached it to. I use my pin nailer so no filling of holes was needed.

[Ken Higginbotham]

Here's the way ours are done:

[Randy Rose]

^ mine look the same.

[Mark Placek]

A nailer is required on top of the cabinets when there isn't sufficient room on the upper rail to properly nail the crown molding.
The last kitchen cabinets I installed, the doors were almost flush top and bottom of the cabinets.
I wouldn't use 23ga. pin nails (except on the corners), 18ga. is my minimum. Glue the joints.

Depending upon the space you want between the doors and the crown molding, I cut small blocks of plywood the thickness of that space and lay them on top of the doors to help hold the molding until it's nailed, on longer runs this will help a lot.
Another item I found to be useful is a color-matched stain pen, no matter how good your cuts are this will come in handy,
especially on pre-finished trim.

[David DeCristoforo]

What you are referring to is called a "crown backing". This can end up being an actual part of the crown detail or completely hidden by the crown depending on how you want it to look. With "frameless" cabinets, the backing should extend out to at least flush with the door faces so the crown does not get "buried". Since the cabinets do not run to the ceiling, it should be easy to attach the backing to the tops of the cabinets with screws. If your cabinets are "face frame style" the crown can simply attach to the top rail of the face frame.

[Paul Dombroski]

A nailer is required on top of the cabinets when there isn't sufficient room on the upper rail to properly nail the crown molding.
The last kitchen cabinets I installed, the doors were almost flush top and bottom of the cabinets.
I wouldn't use 23ga. pin nails (except on the corners), 18ga. is my minimum. Glue the joints.

Depending upon the space you want between the doors and the crown molding, I cut small blocks of plywood the thickness of that space and lay them on top of the doors to help hold the molding until it's nailed, on longer runs this will help a lot.
Another item I found to be useful is a color-matched stain pen, no matter how good your cuts are this will come in handy,
especially on pre-finished trim.
Can you recommend a decentpin nailer since that seems the way to go?

[Mark Placek]

Paul,

You need a brad nailer for this application, one that will shoot a 1-1/2" 18ga. brad.
A pin nailer shoots a headless 23ga. nail up to 1".
I use Senco brand guns.

Home Depot has this one: Senco FinishPro 18 gauge Brad Nailer Model FIP 18
for $99.00, it will shoot up to a 2" nail. You certainly can find these guns much cheaper but.. "you get what you pay for"