Clearwood® Interior Mouldings

Tools
• Safety glasses and power miter saw: carbide saw blade with 80 teeth or more recommended.
• Miter box and hand saw: Limited angle adjustment (not
recommended for crown).
• Coping saw: Only needed if you choose the coping technique to install the moulding.
• Angle gage: To create the correct miter, you must determine the wall corner angle.
• Glue: To adhere the miter joints, Royal Mouldings strongly
recommends gluing all joints with PVC or “Pipe Cement.”
• Hammer & nails or a pneumatic nail gun.
Other tools may include a tape measure, pencil, C-clamp, putty and caulk.
Cutting

Use standard woodworking equipment for cutting. If using a power miter saw, a carbide toothed blade is recommended. Use any brand of spray furniture polish on saw blade as a lubricant for easier cutting.

Wall Angles
It will also benefit you to measure the wall angles on each corner. This will help you calculate the correct miter angle. NOTE: It is not uncommon for corner angles in most homes to be off as much as 3°. If you were installing 5” crown moulding the 3° difference would result in a 3/8” gap in the miter joint. To help you calculate the proper angle Royal has an angle calculator listed on their web site, www.royalmouldings.com.

Left and Right hand positioning: the side of the trim you are cutting is as important as its position on the saw table. The positions are illustrated above.

Vertical Miters
Use this technique for cutting baseboard, chair rail, quarter round, and splice miters. Align trim back against fence.
Inside corners: A left hand inside corner is shown in the photo.

Step 1: Place the trim on the saw table in the left hand vertical position and rotate the angle gage “clock wise” to 45°, or the desired angle setting, and make the cut.

Step 2: To cut the mating piece, simply rotate the table angle gage to the opposite 45° or desired angle, and place the next piece of trim on the saw table in the right hand vertical position. Cut the trim.

Outside Corners: A right hand outside corner is shown in the photo.

Step 1: To complete this, place the trim on the saw table in the right hand vertical position and rotate the angle gage “clock wise” to 45°, or preferred angle setting, and make the cut.

Step 2: To cut the mating piece simply rotate the table angle gage to the opposite 45° or desired angle, and place the next piece of trim on the saw table in the left hand vertical position.

Horizontal Miters
Use this technique for cutting window and door casings. Align trim back on saw table.

Step 1: A left hand miter is shown in the photo to the right. To get the setup in the photo, adjust the saw table angle to the “clock wise” 45° or predetermined angle. Then lay the trim on the table in the left hand horizontal position and proceed to cut.

Step 2: To cut the mating piece simply rotate the table angle to the opposite 45° or preferred angle, and place the next piece of trim on the saw table in the right hand horizontal position. After the cut is made the miter joints are ready for assembling.

Compound Position Miters
Use this technique for cutting Crown moulding. This is the most complicated of all the mitering cuts. Note: When cutting Crown Mouldings in the compound position, remember “upside down & backwards”. This term is used because the “TOP” of the trim that is positioned against the ceiling after installation rests on the saw table during the mitering process, and the “BACK” of the trim that is placed against the wall, after installation, is set against the fence during the cutting procedure. 

Compound Inside Corner Miters
Left hand inside corner miter shown in photo.
Step 1: Place the top of the profile against the saw table and the back of the profile against the fence in a left hand compound position. Then adjust the table angle gage “clock wise” to 45° or calculated angle, and cut.

Step 2: Place the top of the profile against the saw table and the back of the profile against the fence in a right hand compound position. Then move the table angle gage the opposite calculated angle, and cut.

Compound Outside Corner Miters
Left hand outside corner miter shown in photo.

Step 1: The trim should lie on the saw table in a left hand compound position. The saw is to be adjusted “counter clock-wise” to the calculated angle before cutting.

Step 2: Put the mating piece of trim on the saw in the right hand compound position. Then move the table angle gage to the opposite calculated angle and cut. The miter joint is ready to be put together.

Splice Miters
This technique is used to join mouldings together in a linear run or when a wall is longer than the trim you are installing. Most splice cuts are made in the vertical position. In the photo below of a splice miter, note the only change made in producing the joint is the right hand & left hand positions. The saw angle should remain at the same 45° setting.

Return Miters
This technique is utilized when moulding ends with an exposed, unfinished end that would require finishing “paint, stain, etc.” This miter joint will create a finished edge.

Step 1: To produce this miter, cut the trim as though you were turning an outside corner (45° saw setting).

Step 2: Rotate the saw to the opposite 45° and cut a short piece to mate to the first cut. Glue miter joint together before attaching trim to wall. See photo below.

Coping Joints
Coping is simply transferring the contour “profile” of one piece of trim to the end of another piece of trim, then cutting the profile line so that, when finished, the second piece of trim will mate with the first with a nice joint.

Step 1: Cut the first piece of trim to length and position it on the wall. Use straight cuts, no angles.

Step 2: To create the profile line, cut the second piece of moulding at a 45° as though you were cutting an inside corner.

Step 3: Following the profile line as a guide cut the trim
with a coping saw.

Step 4: The moulding should be ready for installation.

Nailing
Install No Rot® mouldings using 6d and 8d galvanized nails and/or recommended adhesives (see chart on this page). Place nails 12” on center. Nails should be approximately 3⁄4” from each edge. If nailing product at 40˚F or below, pre-drilling is required. Pneumatic nailing is also recommended.

Gluing
Gluing Miter Joints
Royal Mouldings strongly recommend gluing all miter joints on PVC or styrene mouldings using a quality instant glue and/or PVC cement. It may seem unconventional, but the benefits out weigh the inconvenience. When assembling splice and return miters try gluing the mouldings together before installation. This will allow you to fit the joints uninhibited, and fasten the trim to the wall as one unit. Fitting these joints on the wall can be difficult and possibly jeopardize the integrity of the miter joint.

Fastening Moulding to the Wall
Polystyrene and PVC trim can be nailed with finishing nails and/or glued. Our recommendations for the nails are paneling, finishing, or pneumatic finish nails. For the glue, recommended products are PL Glues/PC —200, 300, 400/LIQUID NAILS applied according to manufacturer’s directions. Glue alone is not advised for crown mouldings.

Adhesive Selection for Cellular Vinyl
The following brands have been laboratory tested and approved for use with Royal Cellular Vinyl; however, individual conditions may vary and these adhesives may not perform under every circumstance. Other brands may also be suitable, but always test before using.
G: Good Bond       F: Fair Bond          P: Poor Bond

Expansion and Contraction: Royal Mouldings exterior PVC products, as manufactured, may expand and contract due to temperature variations. To reduce or eliminate open joints, the preferred method is the use of adhesive commonly called pipe glue or PVC pipe cement. When bonded correctly with this adhesive, the joint becomes an integral part of the system to which it is being applied.

Finishing Clearwood®
Prepare
1. DO NOT SAND.
2. If cleaning is necessary, wipe with mineral spirits, naphtha or ammonia.
3. For best results use a water based putty or filler after staining to fill nail holes, seams and miters.
4. For best results, test your stain before starting your project. Always use new or reasonably new finishing materials that have not been stored outside in extreme cold or heat. Follow instructions on can.

Paint
Clearwood® PS paints easily, usually with one coat. Apply any oil or latex paint with a brush, roller or sprayer.

Stain
1. Use a penetrating oil base stain. Shake well. Stir often.
2. Apply stain with lint-free cloth or brush. When using a brush, remove the excess liquid from the bristles before applying stain.
3. Allow stain to dry, usually 5-15 minutes. (Follow stain can instructions.)
4.  Buff w/ lint-free rag to bring out the grain.
5.  If darker color is desired, apply a second coat after 4-6 hours. The stain will continue to be absorbed after Clearwood PS appears to be dry.
6. When the second coat looks dry, buff to bring out the grain.

Topcoat
After stain has dried thoroughly, apply a clear polyurethane topcoat with a brush or spray. Lacquers & acrylics must be sprayed, not brushed.

Cleaning Clearwood® Interior Mouldings
To clean finished Clearwood® PS gently wipe with damp rag.