Cabinet crown molding installation and non-level ceilings

[djow]

When installing crown moldings on the tops of wall cabinets, how do you deal with non-level ceilings? My cabinets are level, so if I try to mount the moldings flush with the ceiling, then the moldings will not be level with the cabinet doors. If I mount the moldings so that they are level to the cabinet doors, then gaps show between the top of the molding and the ceiling. The finished result that I'm tyring to acheive is for the moldings to appear to be flush with the ceiling all the way around.

[Rich]

I usually leave the crown on the cabinets down about 1 inch from the ceiling. Or if they really want them tight I will keep the cabinets a little bit lower and put a fascia board level with the doors and let the crown do what it needs to do to be tight. It gives it enough gap that it's not very noticeable.
I saw one installation (not me) that left the gap at the ceiling and filled the gap with a backer rod and placed drywall mud in there and sanded it down. It ended up not looking too bad - just an initial huh? and then it was fine.

[djow]

I'm still having problems with ideas on how to install crown molding on cabinets so that the crown molding is flush with the ceiling, but the ceiling is not level. I have to mount the crown so that it is level with the cabinet doors, which then leaves gaps between the top of the crown and the ceiling.

I have an 8" chop saw, a coping saw, and a jig saw at my disposal. The cabinets are already up, so any suggestions that exclude altering the mounting height of the cabinets is preferred. The crown molding is 1-15/16" x 1-15/16" hickory and has a standard angle when mounted to the cabinet & ceiling (I think it's 38 degrees). I am fastening the crown to the face frame of the cabinets and the space I have between the top of the doors on the cabinets to the ceiling is between 2-1/2" to 3". So if I mount the crown moulding so that it is level with the doors, I am seeing gaps of as much as 1/2" between the top of the moulding and the ceiling when I try to get the molding flush to the ceiling. The fluctuation goes from 0 to 1/2" gradually over a span of about 3' and then stays at 1/2" for the rest of the run of the cabinets (between 4'& 5'.

One option I thought of was mudding the ceiling down along the areas where there are gaps so that the ceiling is more leveled. This would mean texturing on the newly mudded sections, but I am willing to consider if it becomes the easiest option to do if it gets me a flush finish between the crown & the ceiling. I have to have texturing done in other areas of the room anyway.

[Rich]

If you have the time and money to mud the ceiling flush - go for it. As stated before - I have seen installations that look pretty good where they have mudded the gaps or caulked them with paintable caulk.