Build it up to cover the gap.

Personally, I think it looks terrible - I'm staring at crown molding that exhibits the same problem.

Sounds to me like one or more of the following:
1) ceiling isn't straight/flat
2) wall isn't straight/flat
3) molding is bowed

Take a level to the ceiling and wall along the molding. If they aren't straight and the contractor did the surfaces, there's clearly a quality issue. If it's existing work, you might have to deal with the uneven surfaces (houses shift, walls aren't always straight).

There's also a good chance that the molding is bowed. Here's what happens: One side of the trim is nailed into the wall. Then the other side is nailed in. Unfortunately, there's more trim than wall, and the trim bows outward from the surface it is attached to. (This can also happen when hanging drywall, and will probably result in a cracked wall over time as the drywall loses the fight against planar stress.)

1/4" or more is unacceptable to for me. You might try caulking the gap before final paint - this will probably hide the gaps extremely well. I'd definitely make the contractor explain _why_ the gap is present.

If that is new crown (new wood) it will shrink even more rendering a greater space btwn - If your plans called for crown to ceiling then I would request this be fixed - I agree w/Igloo caulking may make it even messier - as the wood cycles through dry/humid, and new wood will react more - the caulking will also shrink & likely crack - thereby creating something else that will bother you

It sounds to me as if the contractor may have really missed the boat here - I would get the step ladder & measure top of crown to ceiling in each area & see if those are all equal -

Get what you specified in the orig contract

Good luck

How many pieces is your crown molding? Our crown molding is 3 pieces with the middle piece used to adjust for an uneven floor-to-ceiling (or cabinet top-to-ceiling) height. The other two pieces remain the same throughout the kitchen.

We have approx a 1/2" difference throughout our kitchen, yet all our crown molding (except the 2 shorter cabinets) go all the way to the ceiling...no gaps.

The "Stock-S" is used as a "filler" b/w the "Soffit A" and "Crown" pieces and is the one that's adjusted to accommodate the different heights.

UH-ohhhhh.

Well, the cabinets and molding are new wood but it's a 1940 house with bowed walls and settling. My first thought was that he hung the cabinets a bit too low.

Cracked caulking doesn't sound good. <:>The ceiling has already been painted with the final coat. It's white and the cabinets are a lightly stained maple, so there's significant contrast.

The cabinets have overlay doors that cover the frame of the front (I'm sure there's a better way to say that, but...). The crown molding is a two-inch strip that sits on top, so there's no lee-way to add in another piece of wood that I can figure. Unless he added a half-inch convex molding piece between the crown molding and the ceiling...??? but I don't know if that would look right either.

*Floating*, huh? So it really IS a way to do it and not a mistake?

I don't know how noticeable the gap is to anyone else, but it doesn't look right to me. The problem is, would a cure (caulking, whatever else) be worse than the original problem??? Should I just live with it as is?

GAAHHHH!!! This is frustrating. I'm just SOOOOO ready for this renovation to be DONE!

Who designed your kitchen?

The KD should have designed the crown molding to fill the space properly. The upper cabinets are installed 54" from the "Finished" floor. From there, you just do the math. I design my moldings like Beuhl's. When you are going floor to ceiling it's soooo important to have some leeway, due to unlevel floors and ceilings. I usually use 2 moldings (sometimes more...but that gets $$$). Sounds like a 'newbie' mistake.

If the gap varies, it's not the GC's fault....the molding is installed level.

There are two kinds of crown too: One kind you nail to the front frame of the cabinets (this kind is easier to adjust up and down)...and then there is a crown with a flat mounting strip. This kind sits ON TOP of the cabinets. This kind works great if you have a lot of space above your cabinets. But should not be used if furring up to the ceiling.

Because the moldings have already been cut...the only way to get rid of the gap...is to take off the moldings. Then apply filler to the tops of the cabinets...then re-apply the crown. The filler must stay flush with the frames....or you will need all new crown molding.

Buehl, I really want to understand what you posted. If your ceiling is off 1/2 then if you went around your room and measured the Stock-S molding between the crown and bottom molding it would vary..right? In other words the top crown molding could sit higher or lower on the Stock-S piece depending on the ceiling. This makes the crown flush to the ceiling and "looks" level, but the Sock_S piece is absorbing any variance. Whew! Hope I didn't loose you. Is my thinking right on this?

Yes!

BTW...this was my KDs design, not mine...so I cannot take credit for it!

Just because it's a "Style" does not make it right. I hate the look frankly, and yet no one even notices it in DS's room. It was a very expensive mistake for the contractor (May he rest in terminal heckfire) (he's not dead, just fired). I should have had it taken down the day I saw it frankly, and I'd advise you to do the same. It's worth the wait to do things right, it is, and this from a chick who's working on a three year (NOT DIY) remodel.

Mine looks like it was done on purpose, so it's ok. I live in a house on pilings so I can understand the idea of floating the molding, I just don't care for it. In other rooms, where the ceilings aren't remotely flat, there are some gaps in the crown to ceiling but they're hidden in the shadow line (it helps that my trim is tint de'negre which is brown so dark it appears black). So in these rooms, you don't see at all where there is a gap unless you're on a ladder with the crown in your face.

Since firing the contractor I've found some areas where his wife caulked on our baseboard. She didn't worry about the fact that he obviously didn't nail it into studs so there are big gaps between wall and trim, instead she just filled the gaps with caulk. They look like crap, really really bad. I'm going to redo all of these rooms myself to correct the problem, which involves cutting through the caulk, then pulling the molding off the wall, hopefully not damaging the wall to badly, then new molding, paint blah blah...I'm not a little peeved about this issue.

If you do decide to keep it, I really do suggest repainting the ceiling which helps immensely. I had a white ceiling in my son's bathroom and changed it to a color called parchment by ralph lauren. It flows well with the wood and somewhat hides the issue to the naked eye. It's so much better than when it was white with a huge contrast.

The difference being mine was purposely hung to float...so It's somewhat "ok" since it's just a style issue...it sounds like yours might just be more error than anything...in that case, I just wouldn't live with it.

here are pics of my bath to show it sort of disapears with the ceiling painted...

and in this pic there are areas where the crown does not touch the ceiling due to slope issues (particularly the inside corner you see here...and yet it's rather invisable):

In this room the ceilings really have slope...we just tented it :oP Another option heh heh

Kompy wrote:
**Because the moldings have already been cut...the only way to get rid of the gap...is to take off the moldings. Then apply filler to the tops of the cabinets...then re-apply the crown.**

I didn't say anything else to him on it (after asking if he was going to caulk it), but when I went downstairs this afternoon, he had indeed taken off the moldings and was adding a thin strip of the cabinet wood in between to fill up the gap before putting the crown molding back. It now looks the way it should, it touches the ceiling.

WHEW!

Credit where credit's due, it was really nice that he took care of the problem without me even asking him to re-do it. :D

Oh I'm so glad to hear a happy ending for once...I was afraid you were going to have to tent the whole room LOL

now that it's been resolved I have a question for you experienced folks. A filler is good if you have the height to spare. I happen to have a good fit 80-90% of the run. Then the ceiling caves in about 1/8" too much, would you shave/scribe the molding to fit it in?

I am talking about a mini moulding 1 5/8" high. which I am making from wood myself, (can't take too much credit, the router does it). So I have the ability to scribe the wood before finishing.

sterling
So glad for you
Funny I think your GC was about to get the full court GW press - Stand up guy

That's great! It's awesome that you had enough filler wood to accomplish this so quickly! :-)
~Kompy

Kompy, you wrote:

There are two kinds of crown too: One kind you nail to the front frame of the cabinets (this kind is easier to adjust up and down)......

Kompy, was this the kind that sterlingsilver had? I am thinking that you couldn't adjust it too much or it would hit the doors. Is this type of cm used when there isn't room for a filler piece and the room is relativley level? Should the GC be able to know that the ceiling isn't level before beginning or is this something you find out as you are installing the cm?

The other type of crown mold you speak of is when the cabinets are not taken to the ceiling, right? That is what furring means?

Thanks for any help with this!!

Today cabinet installers aren't usually good carpenters however an idea that could be attractive is to drop LED rope lighting behind it for some ambient glow on the ceiling. Wire it with your undercabinet lighting switch. We've done this and it looks fabulous.

I don't know about rope lighting behind cabinets that don't quite make it to the ceiling - it would highlight any unevenness in gap. You're putting a spotlight on the problem! I also would not just "drop" anything electrical behind a cabinet!

Was also a SIX year old post..........