I too have never heard of the mullet effect. I'm kind of guilty myself doing that sometimes 😬.

Hi. Did you find a good link on the 45°? I’m facing the same issue now as I start my install.

No, the problem he's solving is not minor. The cabinet will look ugly, and non-carpenters will notice, even if they don't understand what's wrong. If you don't care for beauty, why do you even install mouldings?

Thanks for the kind words Brad! Yes, corner cabinets get tricky quickly! I always aim for "visual balance." With that in mind, there are a couple of things you can do to get close. If the corner cabinet door overlay is adjusted so that the face of the door is roughly 1.5" narrower than the cabinet face I would recommend adding a filler piece above the door to bring the crown out even with the face of the door and angle the filler piece inwards at 45 degrees on both sides so you can miter the crown for the returns. This would create a slight gap where the door doesn't cover the filler, but I think this would provide the best visual balance for this situation. If the door is the same size as the cabinet face I would probably put the filler piece in the front, but cut the ends at 90 degrees, so it covers the full width of the cabinet face, then cut pieces for the ends (returns) that each have a 45 degree cut to join with the front piece. The end fillers will need to be proportionally thinner than the face piece (the 45 degree angle on the end fillers should be equal to the thickness of the face filler). What this does is line up the corner of the moulding very closely with the edge of the door and it reduces the imbalance between the face and the ends. If you use a face filler of .875" the corresponding end piece would only need to be .5" thick. This brings the crown forward .875" at the front and .5" at the ends. I do not think going with a 5-piece method where the crown returns in .875" between the face and the ends will be the best visual balance. I think it would bring unwanted attention to the situation, compared to either of the 3-piece methods listed above. I know that was a long and rambling answer, but I'm hoping it helps. Best of luck! ~Dan

You will have to make it. Add a 1x2 to the crown. Glue and pins nails, or finish nails.

Hi Bruce! I'm not sure what scenario you're describing. Could you send a sketch or a photo of the situation you're describing? Thanks! ~Dan

@@keystonewoodspecialties1973 i've got same issue i think-- vertical side rail protrudes abt 1/4" from side wall of cabinets with full overlay doors.. I've seen videos that show notching that out-- tough pill to swallow cutting my wood cabinets! which may be what @bruce q is describing

@@jpvmd Hi jpvmd! I've seen installers address your situation two different ways: 1. Exactly how you described, by notching the face frame where the crown moulding turns from the face to the end. 2. I've seen installers install a piece of inverted scribe moulding towards the top of the cabinet end to build out the end flush with the edge of the face frame so you don't have to notch the face frame and your crown moulding can be installed on top of the scribe. Some will hold the scribe flush with the bottom of the crown, others will extend it down a little bit with the radius of the scribe exposed. Hopefully that helps! Happy installing! ~Dan

Hi Tim, If you're using crown moulding with the heel attached and you have room from above, I recommend screwing down from above into the cabinet. You can also nail from above, but I prefer screws. If you're attaching the crown to a nailer block you'll probably need to nail through the finished side into the nailer. If you're looking to avoid that you can either glue and clamp it, or use CA Glue, like Starbond. It bonds in seconds, so make sure you have it in place. Hopefully that helps! ~Dan

Make your own

I only use crown with heel when I have enough room above the cabinets to fasten it from above. However, I do know of some installers that will use crown with heel even if the crown goes close to the ceiling. They will drill and screw the moulding from underneath. Whenever I'm installing, I prefer to use the blocking method and use conventional crown moulding (without the heel). Hope that helps! Happy installing! ~Dan

You have to make it yourself

I prefer to use 7/8" thick solid stock, which is roughly the thickness of the door plus the space between the door and the cabinet (~1/8"). If you have thicker doors, I would adjust the thickness accordingly. I typically only finish 1 long edge, which is the edge pointing down, and then install the crown flush with the bottom of the blocking material. I hope this helps! ~Dan

Where did you find crown with that return bottom? I want to use something like what he used in this video but I cannot find it anywhere!

There are definitely some no-win situations where you have to make compromises to get the best look in the situation at hand. It sounds like this might be one of them. If you send some pictures of what you’re up against to info@keystonewood.com I’ll be happy to give some recommendations. ~Dan