Have you been thinking about installing decorative molding in your home? Today I’m going to show you how to transform plain walls with some easy picture frame molding. I’ll share my detailed step-by-step process on how I added this DIY wall trim along with some tips and tricks!
I installed the DIY wall trim molding as part of our hallway bathroom remodel after removing the wallpaper, painting, replacing the flooring and installing a new vanity. I love how all these updates along with the picture frame trim molding completely transformed our hallway bathroom!
First, let’s take a look at what it looked like before the bathroom remodel:
Here’s what it looks like now after our DIY bathroom updates and the added decorative moulding on walls:
I love how this bathroom turned out and I can’t believe how different it looked when we first bought our house!
I really like panel molding (also referred to as trim, box trim, or wall trim) and accent walls in general because of the way they can really transform a room.
Without further ado, let’s dive in to the DIY wall trim tutorial and how to install this decorative wall molding!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, you can find more information in my disclosures here.
Materials
Tools
Step 1: Plan the layout
The first thing I did was plan out the layout of the decorative moulding on walls. I highly recommend doing this as the first step during any wall treatment project. Using painters tape makes it easy to visualize the wall trim boxes and adjust the wall trim mockup as needed:
I like things to be as symmetrical as possible so planning the DIY wall molding took a little bit of time. We had quite a few obstacles to work around in our bathroom like the mirror, light fixture, window, shower, shower head, light switches and a medicine cabinet. It was important to consider all of those during the planning of this DIY decorative wall.
I played around with the placement of the molding boxes and the box sizes. The painters tape was such a helpful tool for this and probably the easiest way to do this!
To keep the spacing between the box trim on walls consistent, I used a 1×4 piece of wood that I had left over:
Step 2: Draw outline and measure
Once I was happy with the layout of the wall trim, it was time to draw the outline and measure the wall trim pieces.
I started by removing the painters tape mock up:
Then, I used my 1×4 makeshift spacer for my box moulding to lightly mark the height of the box molding with a pencil:
After that, I used my level to draw a level line:
Lastly, in this instance I actually measured the width of the window trim below so that the box trim above would match the width exactly! I do love symmetry, especially with something like wall moulding!
Step 3: Cut trim pieces
As the next step, I made a list of cuts for this first box of decorative molding: two horizontal pieces to match the width of the window below and two vertical pieces. I cut all the ends at a 45 degree angle for 90 degree angle corners using my miter saw.
Step 4: Install wall trim
After cutting the four wall trim pieces, I installed them. Here are my recommended steps to get a clean look especially when it comes to the corners to ensure they meet up perfectly!
First, I aligned the bottom box trim piece with the level line I drew in the previous step. Then, I held up my level on the left side to make sure the wall trim would start exactly where the window trim starts right below it:
Next, I used my brad nailer to attach the left side of the wall trim piece:
Then, I used my level again to make sure the wall trim molding was level before nailing it in:
After that, I held up my level and the vertical box trim piece on the left. I attached it to the wall with my nail gun, making sure that the corners were perfectly square and aligned.
Tip: I only ran brad nails through it at the bottom and middle. I didn’t attach the top yet, I’ll show you why in just a little bit!
Then I moved on to the vertical piece on the right. I held up my level again and attached the box trim with my brad nailer at the bottom and in the middle, leaving the top loose.
Finally, I added the horizontal wall trim piece at the top:
I aligned the top corners making sure they were perfectly square to avoid corner gaps for a seamless look. This was only possible because I didn’t attach the vertical pieces at the top yet. That gave me a tiny bit of wiggle room to adjust the corners so they would meet up perfectly. Once aligned, I was ready to use a final nail at the top of each of the vertical pieces to attach them to the wall:
Step 5: Fill and caulk picture frame molding
This is the step that makes all the difference with panel moulding! It’s so important to fill nail holes and caulk the edges to really take DIY wall trim from DIY to professional looking!
I started by filling all the nail holes in the box trim moulding with spackling (you could also use wood filler depending on the type of wall trim material you’re using):
I usually overfill the hole a little bit and then move my finger back and forth. Typically, I find this to be the best way to flatten and smoothen the spot out:
After that, I caulked all the edges one wall at a time:
Tip: I always use paintable caulk for trim work.
I love what a huge difference the filling and caulking step makes! Here are some before and after pictures:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Step 6: Paint DIY wall trim molding
Before starting this project, I wondered what I should do: paint wall or trim first? I decided to paint the wall first and then paint the trim with a paint brush after installing it. I think this was the right call because I wasn’t using a sprayer to paint. If you’re planning on spraying paint then I think it makes sense to paint after installing the trim. That’s my opinion on the question of whether to paint wall or trim first!
I used my go-to paint (which has the perfect eggshell finish) and paint brush to paint the DIY wall trim. The wall color is the same as the rest of the house: Sherwin Williams Alabaster, my favorite white paint color for walls!
Finished DIY wall trim
Here is the end result: the finished DIY wall trim molding! It’s such a classic look.
I really love how this decorative moulding on walls turned out, such a game changer! The final look of this picture frame molding is exactly what this bathroom needed and the perfect accent wall for this space. I think this box trim is such a great way to update a blank wall.
I also love that the wall trim covers the width of the entire wall, perfect for this small space!
Don’t the the wall trim boxes look great on this wall?
Doesn’t the DIY wall molding completely change the look of the entire room? I love the way it looks on this smaller wall above the door frame!
I love how the moulding wall looks with all the other updates in this bathroom! Feel free to check out my blog post about the checkered floor tile.
This DIY wall trim is such a fun home improvement project and definitely a great beginner DIY project! I think this picture frame molding would also look great in a living room or a dining room.
I hope this tutorial was helpful in showing how to install DIY wall trim molding and helped inspire you to add some box wall trim in your own home. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions!
Update: The hallway bathroom is done and I love how it turned out! You can find the full bathroom reveal here.
Tina
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