How to Cope Crown Molding in 5 Steps

A careful cut will eliminate unsightly gaps in the inner corners of your molding

empty dining room with cope crown molding
Photo: wollwerth/ istock/ Getty images
empty dining room with cope crown molding
Photo: wollwerth/ istock/ Getty images
Mariel Loveland
Written by Mariel Loveland
Contributing Writer
Updated Oct 15, 2024
SKILL LEVEL
Intermediate
COMPLETION TIME
40 minutes
COST
$100–$500
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What you'll need:
TOOLS
  • Coping saw
  • Miter saw
SUPPLIES
  • Crown molding
  • 100-grit sandpaper
  • Pencil

Is there a gap in your crown molding at the room's corners? As it turns out, many corners aren’t plumb—meaning they aren’t 90 degrees, especially in older homes—and your molding can shift as temperatures change. Coping involves cutting the end of a piece of molding at a slight angle and creating tight-fitting joints to eliminate gaps. This guide will show you how to cope crown molding in five simple steps.

Prepping to Cope Crown Molding

Before coping, cut your crown molding to the proper size to fit on your wall. You’ll use a square cut, meaning the profile of the molding forms a 90-degree angle with the length of the molding. You’ll fine-tune this during the coping process. However, if you’d rather hire a pro to take care of this project, a crown molding installer can create tight-fitting joints and perfect corners.

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How to Cope Crown Molding

corner ceiling moldings
Photo: Alexander Gixt/ istock/ Getty Images

Coping your crown molding can hide imperfections in the inner corners—whether your wall’s joints are uneven because your house is 100 years old or a contractor rushed their drywall installation. You have to make precise cuts, or your crown molding won’t lay flush. Follow these steps to cope your crown molding.

  1. Make a 45-Degree Inside Miter Cut on the Edge of the Molding

    Before you can cope the edge of your crown molding, you’ll need to make a 45-degree miter cut. Set your miter saw to 45 degrees in the direction the molding needs to run. 

    Place your molding on the saw upside down. In other words, the side that touches the ceiling should rest on the base of the saw. The side that touches the wall should rest against the fence of the saw. Once your molding is positioned correctly, make your cut.

  2. Darken the Edge of the Molding With a Pencil

    Once you’ve made a 45-degree cut, use your pencil to darken the edge of the molding’s profile. This creates a more visible outline to use as a guide for your coping saw.

  3. Back Cut the Edge With a Coping Saw

    circular saw cutting crown molding
    Photo: ungvar/ Adobe Stock

    For this step, you’ll use a woodworking technique called back cutting. Angle your coping saw away from the face of the crown molding, then cut along the darkened edge. Carefully follow the curves of your molding, using the pencil mark as your guide as you cut away wood from the backside of the molding.

    Remember: You can always cut more wood away, but you can’t put it back once you’ve cut too much.

  4. Test the Fit Using Scrap Molding

    Once you make your cuts, check to see if the newly coped edge fits against the adjacent molding and forms a tight joint. You can check it with a scrap piece of molding as long as it has a square edge. Make adjustments if needed.

  5. Sand the Rough Edges Before Installation

    install crown molding
    Photo: yunava1/ istock/ Getty Images

    Finish the job by sanding the rough edges using 100-grit sandpaper. If any minor imperfections prevent the molding from fitting tightly in the joint, you can sand them away. When installing your crown molding, install the molding with the square edge first, and then install the molding with the coped edge on top of it.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Coping crown molding isn’t a difficult DIY for handy homeowners who have woodworking experience. If you plan to cut and install crown molding on your own, you can save anywhere from $400 to $700 on labor costs. 

That said, coping crown molding requires precise cuts. If you angle your wood incorrectly, it won’t sit flush against the neighboring molding, and your corner will gap. Buying a new piece of molding and starting over could be the only fix. 

A crown molding installer near you can save you from pricey or time-consuming DIY mistakes. Coping is a standard part of molding installation and only takes a pro a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you don’t have a coping saw, you can use an angle grinder to cope crown molding, but it takes a little more precision. Place your molding down on your workbench, angle the grinder at a 45-degree angle toward the molding, and back cut the wood. You’ll need to carefully angle your grinder to accommodate the curves in the wood, and aim to remove around 1 inch from the profile of the molding.

Molding is sold with square (or flat) edges. To prepare your molding for coping, you’ll need to make a 45-degree cut at the edge of your crown molding using a miter saw. Place your molding upside down on the saw, so the part that touches the ceiling is on the base of the saw and the part that touches the wall is on the fence.

Coping is a woodworking technique that helps create a tight-fitting joint between two pieces of trim. It involves cutting wood at an angle and shaping the end so it can slide into place over the curves of an adjacent piece of molding. This technique is commonly used for inner corners of crown molding and decorative baseboards.

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Learn more about our contributor
Mariel Loveland
Written by Mariel Loveland
Contributing Writer
Mariel is a writer from New York City who has a passion for helping renters and homeowners make their space unapologetically their own—and save a few bucks along the way.

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