Personally i d stop the crown molding at each end of the fireplace with some compound miter end caps unless you re really good with a coping saw.
Crown molding over stone fireplace.
If you run it a couple inches off the ceiling your recessed lights will leave a shadow at the top of the fireplace.
Place the molding into position on the front of the fireplace hearth aligning the center of the molding with the edge of the hardwood floor.
Attach the edge molding to the inner portion of the molding right by the fireplace opening.
Use a hammer and drive in some nails into the edge molding.
I didn t at first and still really loved how it looked even without the crown molding.
This should provide a finishing touch that covers the space between the molding and the wall.
If you can see the gaps under fill with white caulk.
Install a 1 16 inch diameter drill bit into a power.
Cut back a couple of inches on the molding to the stone then use corner crown to the front of the stone with one piece connecting the corners in the front.
You still might want to make sure it s not a fire hazard.
Use the caulk gun to fill in the gaps and put some putty over the screw heads.
I ended up having it crowned when the rest of the room was getting crown molding.
An optional 6th step is to add crown molding to the top of the woodwork to the 1 4 on the very top.
Any ideas or expert opinions on how to do this would be most welcome.