Installing Trim: A Beginner’s Guide

But I stuck with it. I figured it out and you can, too!

1. Research How to Install Trim

2. Create a Work Space

3. Acquire Tools and Supplies

4. Plan Out Every Detail

To come up with a design for my trim work, I browsed sites like Houzz and Pinterest for ideas.

(Remodelaholic note: We also have a post here with lots of wainscoting styles.)

Once I decided what I wanted to do, I measured all the walls and calculated how much wood I would need.

Word to the wise, give yourself plenty of overage. You won’t be able to use the entirety of every piece of trim and you will certainly make mistakes.

If you’ll be undertaking a large, multi-room project like I did, I recommend doing a small room first to get a feel for how much wood you’ll really need (it will be more than the exact measurements) and for how much time it takes.

The lumber yard also delivered (for a fee), which, given the size of my project, was enormously helpful. Store the wood indoors where you’ll be installing it and give it 3 or 4 days at room temperature before using it.

I drew every last piece of trim on my wall before making any cuts or nailing anything in place. It’s a lot easier to make adjustments with pencil drawings than with wood.

I measured from the floor to the top of my chair rail molding, making a mark on the wall about every 18 inches. I then used my level to draw a straight horizontal line connecting all the marks so I would know exactly where to place the trim.

Same thing for shadow boxes. I measured then marked where they would go and used my level to draw straight lines connecting all the markings. Also, when I drew the lines, I measured them right then and wrote the measurements on the walls (I double-checked the measurements before cutting any wood.)

6. Nailing

I found that if I put a nail at each corner (not too close to the edge, though, or you’ll risk splitting the wood) and about every 8 to 10 inches, that was plenty.

7. Finishing

• Nail holes. Use wood filler, not caulk to fill your nail holes. Use a light hand with the wood filler as you’ll have to sand whatever dries on your trim. I suggest using a lightly-damp rag to wipe over newly-filled nail holes to minimize sanding later on.
• Sanding. Sanding sponges are great for carved moldings and most trim work with minimal wood filler to be sanded.
• Caulk. It will feel like you’ve caulked miles of seams, but do it! It will give you that seamless look where the wood appears to just grow out of the wall.  As mentioned above, this is my favorite caulk (I tried several different kinds over the course of my project). Buy by the case to save money. You’ll use a ton of the stuff!

Get tips for caulking like a pro here.

Best of luck to you on your project. If I can do it, you can!

I put up hundreds of feet of trim: chair rail, crown molding, and dozens of shadow boxes.

(The shelves and mantel around the fireplace in the family room were built by a carpenter, not me).

I did every last bit of the job entirely by myself. I had a general contractor come by to take a look at all of the trim work I did. He told me that if I’d hired him to do the work, he would have charged me at least $10,000. The wood for my entire project cost me about $1,500.

 

Paint colors are Benjamin Moore White Dove (white) and Restoration Hardware Silver Sage (light blue).

 

 

With Sherwin Williams Naval for the dark navy blue

I hired someone to paint it all after I finished installing trim.

It took about 200 hours over almost 4 months. I started when I was 8 months pregnant and finished when my newborn was about 6 weeks old. I don’t recommend doing it that way. 🙂 However, I love it all and am so glad I worked through my fears and completed this huge project. I love it!

——————————————-