MoneyPit Monday: Molding 101

Over the weekend Andrew and I had a molding party. Yes, our lives have come to this. We get excited over hanging molding and devote an entire Saturday to this beloved affair.

For me, molding is the sign of something good. The light is at the end of the tunnel. All truly hard manual labor is behind me (for this project!).  I can see the end in sight…the shiny paint, the moving of furniture, the nearness of a "normal" home that does not constantly resemble a construction zone. THIS is what molding means to me.

When we started this whole home renovation thing almost 2 years ago, we weren't super impressed with the options at Home Depot. We searched around, played with some ideas, then designed our own "signature" molding for the windows and doors in the back living room.  We have continued with this molding pattern throughout the upstairs.

We bought 1x5 pine boards from Home Depot and Andrew used his shaper with a molding bit to create a bead in the inner edges of each board. Then we added a piece of solid pine shingle molding to the outer edges of each piece.  Our baseboard molding is just a simple piece of pine with a cove molding that Andrew shaped. We have been super happy with the style of this molding for our doors and windows and think it's pretty simple.

So what else goes into putting molding up once you've designed or picked up the boards from Home Depot? Here's MondayPit Monday's Molding 101 and how we do it…

1. Prime all Molding (we use Sherwin-Williams Multi-purpose primer)

2. Organize tools:

• Tape measure & pencil
• Chop saw
• Clamps
• Air compressor & hose
• 16 gauge nail gun & 2in galvanized finish nails
• Phenoseal white caulk
• Patch-n-Paint & putty knife

3. Measure out 1/4 inch from the edge of the door frame and mark with a pencil from the top to the bottom. Clamp the boards to the inside door frame (you may need to remove the actual door in order to do this). Nail both left and right side pine boards along these marks.

4. Measure and cut the top pieces of pine board to fit at an angle. If you don't have a bead, you can remove this step.

5. Measure, cut and nail all shingle molding pieces to the edge of the flat pine boards, 3 sides. It helps to start from the top edge and work your way down.

6. Sand the edges for any irregularities and bumps using 80 grit sandpaper, then 120 grit for smoothness.

7. Fill all edges & gaps with phenoseal (we call it "penis seal") and all nail holes with putty.

8. Light sand, then 2 coats of interior paint (we are using "Pure White" by Sherwin Williams in the ProClassic or Cashmere)

9. Touch up any spots on the walls that might have some molding paint splatters.

10. Step back and ENJOY the fruits of your labor!!!

When these 10 steps are completed, I do a happy dance. Y'all…it is a beautiful thing.  Finishing the molding is like crossing the finish line after struggling 26 miles in a marathon. You are simultaneously ecstatic that you even completed the race and exhausted beyond belief.  I feel like this after every room that we complete.  I also feel like how could I even muster up the energy and effort to do another room.  And then, as time wears on, like I imagine most marathon runners experience, you get the urge. You crave the adventure. You start again.