DIY to Try: Box Moulding Accent Wall

I recently enlisted the help of one of my favorite wood-working mamas to install box trim moulding at the #nothingbutneutrals project in Portland, Maine. I was so excited when I suggested not only the accent wall moulding but an accent color, and my client agreed it would look great! I am so pleased with how it came out, and honestly now I want to install box trim moulding all over my own house and in every project I'm currently working on.

If you want to recreate the look in your home, I'd love to help!! But if you dare to try this DIY, I asked Caitlin to lay out all the steps for you. If you try it, be sure to tag both @surfroad.me and @builtbyk8lin so we can admire your work!

box trim moulding diy

This project is coming together so well, and I can't wait to show you the final product in a couple months! For now, the box trim tutorial!

Materials

• 5/16 x 1/2 x 8 PVC 2258 Bead white molding

• Miter saw or Miter Shears

• Brad nailer

• 1-1/4 inch brad nails and/or ¾” brad nails

• Liquid nails (optional)

• Spackling

• Caulking - paintable

• Caulking gun

• Paint - we used Benjamin Moore Capilano Bridge

• Painters tape

• Angled brush

• Measuring tape

• Level

• Laser level (optional but makes it SO much easier!)

• Ladder

• Paintable outlet cover plate (optional)

Steps

1. First measure the dimensions of your wall. You’ll want to know the width and ceiling height minus baseboards, crown molding, trim or any other obstacles (doorways, windows, etc.)

2. If you have a doorway or window make the width of your box be the same width as the door opening or if there’s trim make it the same width as the door or window trim.

3. Figure out the amount of boxes you’d like going vertically across and horizontally. Things to think about - is there a feature on this wall I should play off of? TV, Fireplace? Maybe sconces or pictures? If you do you’ll want these to be boxed in so you can figure out the width of these and work out from there. Remember odd numbers look better to the eye. Keep the spacing consistent throughout, it’s much easier to just use a spacer so if your boxes are all spaced by 3” horizontally and 3.5” vertically just create two spacers at these widths from some scrap wood.

4. Draw out your boxes with painters tape to get a feel for how it will look in your room. This allows you to really see vs just a drawing on paper. If you run into any outlets or smoke detectors you can box these out with molding as well. Or if you use smaller molding like we did you can just butt the molding into the outlet plate.

5. I use a program that allows me to draw out the wall along with the molding to get exact measurements using sketchup but this step isn’t necessary to get all your measurements. I found making all my cuts ahead of time made it easier to install.

6. Find your studs and mark them out. You’ll want to nail into a stud whenever possible. If not possible then nail in at an angle twice in opposite angles to get a better grip on the drywall. NOTE Some people use liquid nails to adhere along with the nails but just remember that it will ruin your drywall if you ever decide to remove the molding.

7. Start in the top corner and work your way down one column of boxes at a time. I started in the top left and worked my way down and then over from there.

8. Use the spacer to nail in the top corners and check with level as you go making sure your boxes are square.

9. Once all your boxes are up fill in all nail holes with spackling (Red Devil spackling is my favorite) or wood filler. Lastly, caulk along wherever the molding meets the wall. So all sides inside and outside.

10. Once spackling and caulking has dried, paint everything. Simply cut in with your angled brush and use a roller for around the molding. If you are using the same color for the molding as your current wall color then simply use an angled brush to paint all the molding.

Let us know if you try this DIY box trim moulding project in your home! Xx