Crown molding sits at an angle between the ceiling and wall planes, which means neither face is vertical or horizontal. The brush has to work at a compound angle, the profile may include coves, beads, and flats that all change the application direction mid-stroke, and any excess paint flows toward either the ceiling or the wall depending on which edge is lower at any given point. Professionals who paint crown molding for a living approach it with a specific brush, a specific sequence, and a specific relationship to the tape. The painters who consistently get paint on the ceiling are the ones who skip the sequence and try to work faster than the technique allows.
Taping Strategies for Crown Molding Edges
The decision about whether to tape crown molding edges depends on two factors: the condition of the surfaces being protected and the skill level of the painter.
FrogTape is the tape of choice for crown molding edges. Its PaintBlock Technology activates when latex paint contacts the tape edge, forming a gel barrier that seals the tape against the surface and prevents bleed. This moisture-activated sealing is particularly useful at the ceiling line of crown molding, where paint under slight pressure can migrate up the ceiling face if standard tape is used.
Apply FrogTape along both edges of the crown molding, the ceiling line and the wall line, by pressing it with a rigid edge such as a putty knife or a plastic card. The goal is full contact of the tape edge against the crown surface along its entire length. Any section where the tape stands off the surface by even a fraction of an inch is a section where paint can bleed.
Crown molding in older homes rarely has perfectly flat, uniform edges against the ceiling and wall. It may have been installed with minor gaps, the surfaces may have bowed slightly over decades, or multiple layers of paint have already rounded the edge profile. On these surfaces, burnishing the tape is especially important. If there is a consistent gap between the tape and the molding, fill it with a thin bead of paintable caulk before taping, allow to cure, then tape.
Remove tape while the paint is still slightly wet, pulling at a 45-degree angle away from the molding surface. Timing is important. Tape removed while the paint is too wet transfers wet paint onto the ceiling or wall surface during removal. Tape removed when the paint is fully dry can crack the dried film at the tape line. The correct moment is within 30 to 60 minutes of the final coat application, when the paint is no longer liquid but has not yet fully hardened.
Freehand cutting at the ceiling and wall lines is the advanced approach that experienced painters prefer, particularly after taping has been applied and the painter has a feel for where the paint wants to go on the specific molding profile. Cutting in freehand eliminates the time required for taping and produces a cleaner edge than tape on irregular surfaces, but it requires practice and confidence with the specific brush being used.
Brush Angle and Technique for Painting Complex Molding Profiles
Crown molding profiles range from simple flat profiles with two chamfered edges to complex stacked profiles with coves, beads, astragals, and multiple faces that each require a different brush angle. The technique for simple profiles is different from the technique for complex ones, but both rely on the same principles: work from the deepest recesses outward, load the brush lightly, and never apply so much paint that it flows on its own.
The Purdy Clearcut Glide in 2-inch or 2.5-inch configuration is the most-cited professional brush for crown molding work. Its angled sash design allows the bristle tips to contact the molding surface precisely while the handle angles away from the ceiling and wall. The Wooster Silver Tip Angle Sash is an alternative preferred by some professionals, particularly for enamel paints where its very thin, flexible filament leaves minimal brush marks on smooth molding surfaces.
Do not use inexpensive brushes on crown molding. Cheap bristles leave visible tracks in the paint film on flat molding faces that are impossible to correct without a full re-sand and recoat.
Loading the brush correctly is the single most important factor in preventing runs on complex molding profiles. Dip no more than one-third of the bristle length into the paint. Tap the loaded bristles gently against the inside of the container to remove excess. Do not wipe the brush against the container rim. The rim-wipe removes paint from one side of the brush and loads the other side unevenly, which creates inconsistent application.
For a cove and flat crown profile: start in the cove and apply short strokes from the center of the cove toward each edge, then follow with a single long stroke along the cove’s full length to smooth. Move to the flat section next and apply with strokes parallel to the long axis of the molding. The flat section nearest the ceiling line should be painted last within each section so that any excess paint that flows toward the ceiling can be caught before it reaches the tape.
Two thin coats are always preferable to one thick coat on crown molding. A thick coat runs into the coves, pools at profile transitions, and creates drips on the flat faces below. A thin coat dries uniformly, provides better adhesion to the surface below it, and produces a harder final film at equivalent total thickness.
How to Handle Inside and Outside Corners on Crown Molding
Inside corners where crown molding meets at an interior angle are the most common location for paint buildup, runs, and visible brush marks. Paint accumulates in corners naturally because strokes directed along the molding length tend to push paint toward the termination point.
At inside corners, reduce the brush load to about half of what you carry on the straight runs. Work into the corner from about 6 inches away, using light strokes directed toward the corner and then a single stroke along the very corner itself. This prevents double-loading the corner with material from both sides simultaneously. Allow the corner to set for 30 seconds before inspecting. Any runs or drips in the corner are visible immediately and should be lifted out with the brush tip or a folded piece of masking tape before they dry.
Outside corners present a different challenge: the paint edge is fully exposed and visible from multiple directions. The corner itself must be fully covered, but excess paint at the corner creates a bead that dries as a rounded, heavy edge. Paint outside corners with light strokes directed away from the corner on both sides, then finish with a single light stroke directly over the corner tip. Check for runs by looking along the outside corner from a low angle immediately after painting.
Caulk all inside corners of crown molding before painting. The junction where two pieces of crown molding meet at an inside corner is almost always a coped or miter joint with a visible seam. Caulking this seam before the first coat of paint eliminates a visible gap and fills the joint so that paint coats produce a uniform surface rather than a stripe of visible joint running the full height of the corner.
When to Paint Crown Molding Before or After Wall Paint
The sequence of painting in a room affects how much taping and touch-up is required for the crown molding and how clean the final result is.
The standard professional sequence is ceiling first, crown molding second, walls last. This sequence places the crown molding paint application after the ceiling is finished, which means any ceiling paint that got onto the molding during ceiling work is covered by the molding coat. It also means the walls, which are the most area-intensive surface, are painted last when all trim is already complete and any wall paint that touches the molding can be touched up or cut in cleanly against the finished molding.
A useful pre-installation approach is to paint crown molding on sawhorses before it goes up. Apply the first coat while the molding is lying flat. Flat painting eliminates gravity as a factor: paint self-levels on a horizontal surface rather than running downward into coves and profile recesses. After the pre-paint coat cures, install the molding, fill nail holes, caulk all joints, and apply the second coat in place with an angled sash brush. The second coat in place covers nail holes, caulk, and any installation damage. This two-stage approach requires more time overall but produces consistently better results on complex profiles.
In rooms where the ceiling and wall are the same color, paint everything including the crown molding together in that color. In rooms where the ceiling, walls, and crown are each different colors, complete the ceiling, then the crown, then the walls in that sequence, taping each element before beginning the next. Allow each surface at least 2 hours of drying time before applying tape over it. Taping over paint that has not dried adequately pulls the fresh paint film off the surface when the tape is removed.
When crown molding needs to be repainted in a room where the existing walls and ceiling will remain, tape both the ceiling line and the wall line of the molding before proceeding. Protect the wall below the crown with a wide strip of masking tape or plastic sheeting to catch any drips from the ceiling line of the molding.