High air registers can create a tricky crown molding installation.
You can still install crown molding around a high heating and cooling register.

On this Week’s Podcast: Crown Molding Around Registers

When it comes to interior design, it’s all in the details. That’s why so many homeowners install crown molding as an elegant transition between the ceiling and the wall. 

A listener wants to do this in his home, but there’s just one problem: a wall-mounted register for his heating and cooling system is in the way.

The homeowner has a two-story house with ductwork between both floors, and the vent on the bottom floor is close to the top of the ceiling. 

Moving the ductwork, just to accommodate the crown molding, would be expensive and that’s not a route he wants to take. 

Fortunately, there are inexpensive alternatives. We’ll discuss ways to work crown molding around high air registers.

We recommend the homeowner bring the molding right to the vent’s grill then turn it back to the wall.  

If you need to do this type of project, you’ll likely be doing some additional cutting.

To make miter cuts in crown molding, turn a panel upside down on the miter saw table. This allows the angled back edges to rest against the fence and the table during cutting.

Holding the molding in the right position while you make a cut is the difficult part.

The solution is to hot-glue a piece of 1-by-2 wood to the saw table so it acts as a cleat to hold the molding in the proper position.

Crown molding provides an elegant transition between the wall and ceiling, and it never really goes out of style.

Also in this week’s podcast:

Foundation problems are always scary. A homeowner is concerned that a basement beam is pushing a block out, damaging the home’s exterior.

• Chelsea Lipford Wolf talks about her custom-built shoe rack that you can piece together in your closet. 

 Do you have noisy neighbors? We talk about special drywall that retrofits over your wall, adding some sound dampening.

• Find out what a dishwasher, Scotchgard, and Kevlar have in common.

• Joe has a Simple Solution that will keep your putty knife clean after every use.


DIY Project of the Week:

white sliding interior shutters on a track revealing a loft
Sliding interior shutters close when you need some privacy, and stay open when you don’t. 

How to Build Sliding Interior Shutters

Sliding interior shutters add character and privacy when needed. Learn how to build them so you can reveal or conceal a loft or room. 

The result is an attractive, functional treatment for an interior cased opening.


Question of the Week

Kris writes, “My daughter left an upstairs faucet on and it leaked on the main ceiling and into the basement. How do we fix the ceiling? 

Only one small bubble and a large saturated wet spot. Do we need to contact the insurance [company] or fix ourselves?”


More Inspiration


Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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