Sunday, April 6, 2014

DIY- Adding Trim to Baseboards


When I installed the paper floor in our dining room, I was faced with a problem...wall gap!

I had previously done a board and batten treatment and the bottom piece had been acting as my baseboard. The paper floor is significantly lower than the carpet was, so I was left with about a 3/4 inch gap.



Why couldn't I just take the base off and lower it?  That would have left a large space between my vertical and horizontal boards.  Plus, I had already caulked the joint together...so that would have been way too much work!


I thought about this before I started my floor project and just assumed I'd put down a piece of quarter round or shoe molding.  I did not anticipate how much space there would actually be.

While browsing the trim aisle, I saw this:


Shingle molding!  It was right next to the shoe molding and quarter round, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Here is a better shot of the shape of the molding.


What's it used for?  I have no clue, but now it's going to cover up my wall gap!

I don' have a truck, so I have to buy 8 ft lengths and lay the seats down in my car in order to get these bad boys home.  This also means that I have to use two pieces on my walls since they are 12 ft long.

About a year ago, when I first started out with molding, I did it all wrong.  I would simply butt two pieces together like this:


Then caulk and paint. It worked... but then the lights hits the seam and it looks terrible.   

I've learned a little more (I'm definitely no master) about my miter saw and want to show you the correct way to join two pieces together.

Instead of doing a straight cut, miter the two pieces at a 45 degree angle.


Do you need a compound miter saw to do this?  Not at all, you can use a miter box and get the same result!

Here is another photo of one piece in place before I added the second.


I used my brad nail gun to secure everything to the existing trim.  I now use wood filler to cover the seams. You can sand wood filler and give it a very smooth texture.  Caulk?  Not so much.

Touch up the paint, then stand back and admire your handy-work!


Have you ever used shingle molding?  Does anyone know what it is actually used for?  I tried to Google it, but all I could find was something that said it was used as a decorative trim for paneling.

I really like the way it dressed up the straight boards used in the board and batten treatment and gave it an overall polished look!

Confession Time:
Do you want to know a secret?  I have a stalker that I am terrified of.  Want to know where he lives?
Here:


Right there, in my dying fern.  It's a bird that has tormented me for over a year now.  I have replaced ferns 3 times because it dive bombs me when I try to water them.  When I have to replace the ferns, I knock the old ones down with a broom and run as fast as I can inside.  This bird watches us through the blinds, it's creepy. So in the future, when I show you pictures of the outside of my house and you see big, full ferns and one skinny dying one, you'll know why!


This post is linked up to these FAB blogs:
Remodelaholic
Thrifty Decor Chick
Sweet Haute



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