How to Fix Those Ugly Gaps in Your Crown Molding and Kitchen Cabinets
As the seasons change our homes shrink and expand, It’s a generally harmless process but it’s most visible in areas like doorways, around trim work, and seams where we need to fix gaps in molding.
This is new cabinetry that was installed during the warm summer months. As the wood contracts in the colder weather, the shrinking pulls the caulking away from the ceiling. The entire kitchen is similar, but this is the worst spot. Be sure to check out the full post here for additional tips and tricks
To fix it I use latex caulking, a sharp blade, and cloth with soapy water.
To fix it I use latex caulking, a sharp blade, and cloth with soapy water.
Start by removing any loose caulking. Leave the stuff that’s still sticking if it looks good, but the bad stuff will likely look worse if you leave it behind.
Once the caulking has been removed, re-caulk the area. I used a large tube and gun for wider areas, and a smaller tube for “touch-ups”.
Both products are latex-based and can be painted. Latex is also much easier to clean up than silicone, so if you make a mess, soap and water are all you need to clean up.
This area had a gap close to half an inch. To fill really large gaps you may need to use a backing to stuff into the cracks before filling them with caulking.
There is the final product. No more gaps
The difference is amazing. Up close you can see it’s not perfect, but products like this are designed to hide an imperfection, and walking into this kitchen now your eye isn’t drawn to the trim pulling away from the ceiling. In about 30 minutes most products dry enough to paint. some are sand-able as well.
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It really makes a huge difference!
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Nobody will ever notice and looks great
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I have the same problem, winter caulk shrinking in my den. I was thinking about
adding a small piece of quarter round, attaching it with something like liquid nails as to not having to make more holes. Would this also work??