Easy Picture Frame Molding
Hello Friends! I am back at it with slapping wood to my walls. It’s my favorite DIY project
I added picture frame molding to my dining room years ago and decided to do the same exact thing to above my fireplace.
If you read that post, expect to be bored with this post because this is pretty much the exact same thing….with just a few tiny adjustments this go around.
Because I know everyone is impatient, let’s just get to a before and after. I’ve shared these before and afters before but let’s just focus on the fireplace shall we
Here is our fireplace wall shortly after we moved in. If you squint real hard you might be able to see the glitter that was in the that brown paint on our walls
And here we are today
To play fair, let me show you what our fireplace looked like right before I recently repainted the walls and added the box molding
How To Easily Add Picture Frame Molding To Your Walls
Let’s get to what you really care about.
Items needed for your DIY Wainscoting Project:
(This post contains affiliate links. You can see my full disclosure here)
I’ll go into more depth about each of these below but here is an idea of what materials you will need.
Wood Trim (see below for the trim I always use)
Nail Gun (and gauge nails, I used Brad Nails). If you do not own any Ryobi one tools you will need this battery pack too. Can also be purchased here
(You can also just use a hammer and nails…which I did towards the end because my nail gun battery died on me)
Laser level (not a huge deal if you do not have one but you will need some form of level)
Caulk or spackle
Sanding block
Nail Setter (especially is you use a hammer and nails)
Tape measure
Wood Trim:
I used this cap molding from Home Depot. You can find this trim at any home improvement store though.
I love this stuff since it is lightweight and inexpensive. It cuts so easily and is easy to install since it is so lightweight. It makes doing these projects alone so much easier.
Nail Gun
I decided to buy myself a birthday gift and few years ago and purchased this cordless nail gun. The dog was very appreciative that this nail gun did not need an air compressor.
I already had the Ryobi One battery for our drill so all I needed was the gun only (not the battery pack)
Like I said
Like I said, you can also just use a hammer and nails to do this project but if you go this route you will definitely need a nail setter too.
Box Saw:
I do own a miter saw but to be honest, I rarely ever use it anymore. This box saw works just fine for my projects.
My miter saw is in our barn with all of the mice and I’d prefer to not get scared out of my mind when I am operating a power tool that can cut off a finger.
Since this wood trim is so easy to cut, I was able to to get this project done with my box saw only.
Easy Peasy
Laser Level
I bought the laser level for my dining room project but did not use it for this project. It might have made things easier but I was being lazy.
I am a lazy DIYer
Caulk or spackle:
This is where I will not sound like a professional. In all of my DIY projects that has to deal with wood trim, I have never used caulk. I always use this spackle
I use it to fill my nail holes and I use it along the wall to fill any gaps where the wall and trim meet. I just find it easier to use. Wood filler would work too.
Again, this is not professional advice…just what I use and it could be the completely wrong thing to use.
Step by step guide to installing wainscoting
The name of this game is plan, plan and more planning….
And then measure, measure and more measuring…
And then level, level and more leveling…
If you can get things measured correctly and leveled…this is a piece of cake.
I also recommend taping up a rough draft exactly how you want your box molding to look to see it with your eyes first. You can also draw it on your wall with a pencil first.
If you are adding this molding to a wall with outlets, learn from my mistake. Pay attention to where your outlets and air vents are on your walls. The previous owners had a thing for outlets and they are everywhere in this house.
Make sure when you measure you consider where those dang outlet and air vents are.
Start cutting your molding
Once you know your exact measurements, start cutting your wood. Like I said, I used a box cutter and it was easy as can be.
Start cutting your molding
Once you know your exact measurements, start cutting your wood. Like I said, I used a box cutter and it was easy as can be.
Cut each angle at 45 degrees. Be mindful of your trim. My trim was a bit ornate so I had to make sure I was cutting the trim the correct way to make the angles line up correctly.
I cut enough wood for one box only at first. Once that box was up on the wall and I knew that size was definitely going to work for me, I repeated those same exact measurements for the rest of the walls since I wanted them to all be uniform.
Since I was using a saw, my cuts needed a little light sanding.
Nail your wood to your wall
I did this step two different ways. I started off taping my boxes up making sure everything was level and the corners matched up.
I then used my nail gun to nail the trim to the wall. If you do not have a nail gun you can use a hammer and nails…which I ended up using towards the end.
Eventually, I skipped the tape part and just used my pencil template I had drawn on my wall to guide me where to put the trim.
Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to measure one billion times before you cut. Even the smallest difference in your cuts can throw you off.
But if there is tiny space in your angles, do not fret because spackle and paint will save the day.
I only used nails to attach my trim to the wall. I have commitment issues and if I ever want to change things up down the road, this trim will be easy to remove with just the nails.
No liquid nails or construction adhesive was used for this project. I cannot commit on those levels.
Caulk/Spackle seams and nail holes
This part is the boring part but it must be done.
You will have all kinds of nail holes. If you used a hammer and nails or if any of your brad nails from your nail gun did not go all the way into your trim then you will need to use a nail setter to sink the nails in more so you can spackle the hole
It takes no time at all but it is one extra step
You can also use wood glue to glue to the two corners together with a clamp but I just didn’t have that in me. I was being lazy and I was fine with it
Let me just show you the power of spackle though
Here is a corner before spackle when I was adding box molding to my dining room walls
And here it is after I spackled it
It’s like magic.
I also spackled the the gap where the wall and trim meet. This isn’t the end of the world if you skip this step but it does make your trim look more finished.
Paint your trim
You can paint your trim any ol’ color you want to but I obviously painted my trim the same color as my walls
(PS…my walls in my family room are Greek Villa and my trim is color matched to Kensington Taupe…you can read more about my family room here)
You can also paint your trim before you install it to your walls but I just found it easier to paint my trim once it was already installed.
And that’s it!
See, nothing to it.
All you need to do is face your fears and find your tools!
If you want to save this for later, you can pin it here:
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