How to Install CROWN MOLDING-102 Part 5: Building Up the Soffit

[This is part of my CROWN MOLDING-102 series.]

The next layer applied to this crown molding buildup is the frames I made from MDF-200.

These frames are designed to house the ornaments — scrolls on the long runs and the round rosettes in the corners.

The dimensions for these frames will be unique to your own installation, so don’t fret about the lack of specifics in the images below. The dimensions are dependent on the ornate details you choose for your own builup.

Installing the MDF Frames

Start by scribing the line that will guide the installation of your back strip of mdf flat-stock

It would have been easier to sand the exposed end grains on the back strip before I installed it. Oh well, lesson learned.

Below Here is a dimension that is important.

These little strips of mdf need to be 1/2″ wide to match the downward facing portion of the fascia board.

If for some reason your fascia is made from 3/4″ wide flat-stock, then your corner strips should be 3/4″ wide to match. Ditto for any other thickness you may use.

Below Can you see how making these strips any wider than the bottom of the fascia would have looked odd? That intersection needs to be uniform.

Above I temporarily tacked the rosette into the corner just to feed my own curiosity of how it was going to look.

Installing the Foam Molding

I used Liquid Nails on the back of the foam molding, CA-008, then I tacked it in place with 23 gauge micro pins.

Below I installed the long sections first.

Then I took my time cutting and matching the ornament pattern at the butt joints on the shorter pieces that finish each section.

Below The foam moldings were not perfectly uniform in width. I did not discover this until after I ran them though my table saw to trim a bit of width off of each side.

In the picture below you can see the small gap that resulted from this lack of uniform width. A gap that is lamentable, but caulkable.