Paneling and Trim - ceiling is not level, bigger gaps for crown..what to do?

I figured one unlevel corner block is no biggie. Just caulked around it and looks just fine up against the uneven corner and unless you closely inspect it you cant tell.

Hung up the first piece of crown and there actually is a tiny gap between it and the ceiling and i plan on doing the same, caulking above it. No biggie. Went to hang the 2nd piece but when it's perfectly adjoining the 1st piece (ie 'perfectly seamed matching), the other end of the crown is further away from the ceiling.

I'm also guessing this kills my plan to start from the other end of the room and have the middle piece 'centered'. I was planning on 2 eight ft sections coming from each end then measuring the middle to ensure a good fit. Or maybe i can just measure it anyway now that i think about it

you can actually rock the crown up and down to decide which end you want matched up lol. And i ensured all pieces i have are level so it's not a defect. Since the 1st piece is nailed in place, i'm assuming it's just best to proceed in matching it up as perfectly as possible then just caulking, even if it's an ever increasing gap, above the 2nd and 3rd pieces. But i wanted to make sure i'm on the right track here. Then of course around that corner it may look a bit weird if it's not up against my ceiling but i dont know what i can do.

this is just my 1st wall..hope the rest isnt this bad

edit: not that anything can be done about it now, and i knew this when i bought the corner blocks, but the corner block extends down about one inch below the crown. However the next smallest corner block then had actually was a bit smaller than the crown (i have 3.5 inch) so i figured better go with larger. Just curious how bad a fax pas that is:) Our homedepot sucked, had very bad selection and lowes was better but still only had about 3 choices.

On every crown that I've painted that used the corner blocks, they were longer than the crown was wide. They also make outside corner block and while not as wide they are also longer.

Caulking can hide a multitude of sins, can even make bad carpenters look decent:D It's important to use a good grade of caulk since often crown can't be nailed as tightly as you would like. A polyurathane caulk is best otherwise use a siliconized acrylic latex caulk.

I don't know a lot about the installation of crown but would think it would be best to fudge your line a little to keep the gap from becoming wider. You don't have to have a perfect job - [I]just the illusion that it's perfect:D

is there any kind of secret to caulk very tiny cracks? I've gotten the caulk in the resealable tube and even cutting that to the smallest opening doesnt seem to do the trick. In sealing up all these corner blocks it's not fun especially since my room is finished being painted and i'm trying to keep it unblemished. I guess some touchup is inevitable.

I have also just noticed that on the bottom of the 1st section of crown most is tight against the wall, but there are indeed a few open spaces which are very visible and i need to fill them in. If there was just a 'needle thin' applicator for caulk lol

i guess i could just nail but of course there are no studs there so i'm not sure if that matters or not.

You don't want to run a tiny bead of caulk. You don't want caulk just in the void but rather have it attached to multiple edges. I'll run a bead of caulk and then take a damp sponge [rag will also work] and wipe the caulk smooth while pressing it into the gap. You could just use your finger but a wet sponge keeps your fingers cleaner:D

Ideally the crown would have been installed and finish painted prior to painting the walls but carefull use with a damp sponge should allow you to keep an even line of caulk.

i like the sponge idea..my rag was doing better than the finger but still not great. Plus once i hang the rest of the crown this weekend, i'm sure ill be using tubes of the stuff because i have a feeling the entire ceiling is crooked so you will see perfectly straight crown with an ever increasing caulk line lol

i know i can maybe shimmy it so it's not so bad and unlevel but the joint is right in the middle of the most visible wall so i'm tempted to just perfectly match it and have a 1/2 inch gap on the left side