How to Fit Cornice and pelmet the Easy Way, First Time

How to fit the cornice (the moulding on top of the wall units and tall housings).  It is best to cut and fit the longest piece first in case an error is made as you can then try again with a new piece and cut the wrong sized piece up into smaller pieces.

To cut the cornice and valance it is advisable to use a good capability chopsaw. These can be hired or you can buy your own as they are very useful to have if you are practically minded. These machines, like all power tools, need to be used with care to ensure your protection and the long life of the machine. Never try to cut too much in one go. The sound of the motor will tell you if you are being too hard on it.

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Care needs to be taken when measuring because the cornice normally overhangs the units and doors, so this needs to be allowed for when measuring.  Take a scrap piece of cornice and position it on top of the wall unit to see how much overhand you want.  It may be advisable to temporarily hang a door so you can have a good idea on how it looks.

Where possible try to cut the exact angle on one end first then place the whole length in place.  Pop a screw into the end to fetch it in place whilst captivating to the other end to thought about mark the cornice to length. Then go back and take the screw out and cut the piece to length. 

The cornice is best secured to the top of the cabinets by drilling holes in the cornice every 300mm or so.  If there is microscopic or no entrance above the cornice to get to the screws then drill the holes through the top of the cabinets.

Tip: If there is adequate cornice try to cut a length up in the same order as they go colse to the units, so that on the mitres the grain matches.  Obviously when you start a new length the grain on wooden cornice may not match but you can take a look at all the pieces you have and lay them end to end and swap them colse to to give the best continuity of colour and grain.

When the first piece has been fitted measure the approximate length of the next piece and cut the relevant angle on it. If it is ok go to the opposite end and mark it to length. When the cornice is ready to fit, drill holes in the bottom taking care that the holes are over the wall unit and not on the edge or missing the unit altogether.

Now put a good capability Pva adhesive on the joint and push it into place.

When the joint is properly aligned and cleaned up hold into position with 20mm masking tape and then screw the cornice into place.

Sometimes the screw nearest to the joint can as a matter of fact move the joint when fully tightened so in that situation just back the screw off a microscopic and tighten it later when the glue has dried.

The glue normally dries in 30 minutes but leave on as long as possible or until the next day.

The next job is to fit the light pelmet, which is the moulding fitted below the wall units which traditionally, as the name implies, screens the lights that are fitted below the wall units.

Often when the valance has been fitted and the lights are turned on, light can shine through the gap between the bottom of the wall unit and top of the pelmet. This can be resolved by using a dark silicone or mastic behind the valance where it meets the wall unit.

When it comes to fixing the valance in place there are two ways to do it depending on the profile of the moulding.

If it's an L shape moulding the fixing can be through the extension piece of the L. Care needs to be taken when choosing the length of screws.

 If the moulding is a single profile then you have to fix down through the bottom of the cabinets.

If the tiling is being done as well as the kitchen it is best to fit the valance along the fronts and then cut all of the returns that go back to the wall but not fit them.

Do all of the tiling and grouting before trimming and fitting the returns. On some types of valance it is not possible to screw the returns, so these are best secured by running clear silicone along the top of the valance and putting a good capability adhesive on the joint and pushing it into place.

The silicone will hold the valance whilst the joint is properly aligned, cleaned up and taped with 20mm masking tape. The glue normally dries in 30 minutes but leave on as long as possible or until the next day.

How to Fit Cornice and pelmet the Easy Way, First Time

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