Cutting Outside Miters
The biggest part of putting up molding is holding it in place
and driving a nail every 16 inches. It's the few inches around
the corners, however, that will require your attention. Inside
corners - the kind that out-of-favor children stand in - take a
regular miter joint.
Miters are most easily cut on a power miter saw. The saw can be
set to cut at any angle - set it to 45 degrees for a standard
corner. The saw can be set to 45 degrees to the left or 45
degrees to the right. So it's a little confusing at first, but
once you get the hang of it, it's automatic.
Most people like to install molding working from the left side
of a wall to the right, and these directions assume that you
will, too. It's hard to get a miter exactly where you want it to
be on a board. When you're mitering, cut the miter on a piece a
little bit longer than you'll need. Cut it to length by making a
square cut.
Steps 1 - 5 of 5Print Project SheetEmail a Friend
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Step One
Miter the first piece of molding.
Start with two pieces of molding, each a few inches longer than
the section of wall they will cover. Set the saw blade 45
degrees to the right. Put the molding that goes on the left-hand
side of the corner against the fence to the left of the blade.
Cut the molding, leaving it long.
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Step Two
Miter the second piece.
Turn the saw blade 45 degrees left. Put the second molding to
the right of the blade, and cut a miter in it that leaves the
board longer than finished length.
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Step Three
Lay out the length.
The point of an outside miter sticks out beyond the corner by
the thickness of a molding. To get the right length molding,
measure the wall, add the thickness of the molding, and make a
mark that distance from the point of the miter. It's sometimes
easier if you do it in steps, as was done in the photo. The
molding shown here runs along a short wall of an alcove, which
measures 10 3/8 inches. The molding is 1/2 inch thick. If you
look closely, there's a light mark on the molding at 10 3/8
inches. The molding is 1/2 inch thick. If you look closely,
there's a light mark on the molding at 10 3/8 inches; the second
mark, which shows where to make the cut, was made by measuring
over the thickness of the molding.
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Step Four
Cut the molding to length.
Set the blade for a square cut (0 degrees), and lay the molding
on its back on the saw table. Cut the molding at the line.
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Step Five
Install the mitered piece.
Test fit the pieces. Nail one of the moldings on the wall, dab
wood glue into the mitered surface on the second piece, and nail
it in place, too. Reinforce the joint by driving 1-inch brads
through the faces of both moldings, through the miter joint, and
into the other molding.