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Home » Build It » How to Install Window Trim

How to Install Window Trim

April 3, 2013 Cristina Garay 111 Comments

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How to Install Window Trim

Hi everyone, I’m Cristina from Remodelando la Casa, and I’m beyond excited to join the team of Pretty Handy gals and guys!  I’m still pinching myself at such a wonderful opportunity.

Today I’m going to show you a fairly easy way to transform your builder grade windows from plain and boring to beautiful with loads of character and with a more finished appearance.

trimmed left window lg

Right now I’m working on updating my bedroom, where I have a couple of these windows.

small window sills lg

 They look  like they are wearing skirts, but forgot to put on the tops! 🙂  Yeap, naked!

plain builder's windows lg

Let’s change that by dressing up those windows!

This is only a decorative treatment.  All the wooden material (Poplar or Pine), can be found at your local home center.

(Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Brittany earns a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Tools:

  • Miter saw (but you can use a Miter box and hand saw)
  • Jig saw
  • Sander
  • Pneumatic nail gun
  • Pry bar
  • Utility knife

How much material you need depends on the size of your window, but this is what I used:

parts of window - trim
moldings for window trim

 

The first thing to do is getting rid of the old window stool and apron.
Using the utility knife, score around the window cutting the caulking. This is very important to prevent rips in the drywall.

Cutting the caulking lg

 Using the pry bar begin lifting the apron, use a wood shim as support to prevent damage to the wall.

pray bar to take away sill lg

 Once the apron is off, you can begin lifting the stool.

taking away window sill lg

Underneath I found lots of wood shims that were used to level the stool.  They were left in place.  Scrape the old caulking from the window and wall.

window sill removed lg

Don’t throw away the old window stool, you can use it to trace the pattern onto your new stool.   Measure the width of your window, add the width of both side casings: 7 inches, add 1/2″ for reveals (1/4″ on each side) and add 2 more inches for the “horns” (The horns are those extra parts on the window stool that go beyond the apron. Allow one inch on each side of the stool.)

Mark the center on the old and new stool boards, align those centers and trace the new pattern.

tracing new stool with old one lg

If you are working on more than one window, it is a good idea to mark each board, even though they look pretty much the same, their measurements can vary.

two window sills ready to be cut lg

Use your jig saw to cut away those marked ends.

Cutting window stool with jig saw lg

Place it on the window and make sure the new stool is level.  Nail it in place.

nailing stool to a window

The apron can be installed by centering it underneath the stool.  The dimensions are the same as for the stool, but without the horns (2″).  As shown below, the horns protrude an inch on each side beyond the apron.

attaching apron to a window lg

The side casings can be installed now.  To figure the length of the side casings, measure the distance from the stool to the top of the opening of the window, add 1/4″ for reveal line. Secure the side casings with nails.

attaching sides of window lg

After the side casings are installed, measure the distance from the outer edges of the side casings. That will give you the head casing length.

Head Casing Length

Nail the head casing in place.

attaching top part on window lg

 Cut the decorative molding, crown and half round.

crown molding and half round to trim window lg

When cutting the decorative molding, miter the ends (cut at a 45 degree angle as shown below.)  Remember to cut the molding upside down.

cutting crown for window lg

The crown is installed at the very top of the head casing and the half round is attached to the bottom of the head casing.

nailing crown molding to window lg

The returns (side pieces of the decorative molding) are glued in place and held overnight with tape.

attaching returns of crown to window lg

Fill the nail holes and gaps with caulking. After the caulk is dry, a good sanding is a necessity.  Don’t forget to sand those sharp edges too.

sanding window before painting lg

 Paint the trim with one coat of primer and two coats of paint. Then you’ll have good looking windows in your room!

new trimmed window1 lg

Add new paint in a contrasting color on the walls and the room is almost ready!

new window trim-crown lg

 I had some leftover paint that I mixed to achieve this hue.

trimmed left window lg

window stool lg

These twin windows really add a lot of character to the room.

finished two window trims lg

 The trim makes a big difference, wouldn’t you agree?

new trimmed window2 lg

 Thank you so much for having me here at Pretty Handy Girl! I can’t wait to share more with you!

~ Learn more about Cristina~

Don’t miss Brittany’s great tutorial for trimming a casement window: How to Install Trim and Casing Moulding on a Casement Window by PrettyHandyGirl

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Build It, DIY, Door, moulding, Tutorial, Window, window dressing crown molding, molding, Trim, window trim, wood projects

Comments

  1. Betty P says

    April 4, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    Christina, THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING TUTORIAL. We have the exact same windows wearing the exact same skirt, but not tops, lol. We have been thinking of doing the very same thing to our windows, and seeing what you’ve done makes me know it’s totally DOable!!

    Hugs,

    Betty

    Reply
  2. Daniela @frugal ain't cheap says

    April 4, 2013 at 9:04 pm

    absolutely amazingly beautiful!! Nice job on dressing up the window. Love the extra height

    Reply
  3. TracieMcOB says

    April 4, 2013 at 11:29 am

    The trim looks so simple to put on but what a dramatic change it makes to the window. could this be done on windows that hav a bull-nose (rounded) edge, to you think? How would you deal with the gap of the vertical pieces? Thank you

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      April 4, 2013 at 1:35 pm

      Thanks Tracie! I think you might need to install a jamb around the frame of the opening first, then it can be trimmed. Be aware that window hardware can interfere with jamb installation.

      Reply
      • Julie says

        March 2, 2014 at 9:59 pm

        I couldn’t tell from the pictures. Is there a jamb installed on your windows? If not, are the insides of the windows textured? Ours have an orange peel texture and I am trying to decide if it would look awkward not being a flat surface?

      • Brittany Bailey says

        March 4, 2014 at 10:04 pm

        Julie, I’m replying for Cristina. Since you have orange peel, I do think it would look a little funny. But, you can buy a small tub of joint compound and apply a layer to smooth that area. After the joint compound dries give it a light sanding. The other option would be to buy thin plywood or pine molding stock (sometimes called hobby stock) and glue that to the sides of the window opening.

  4. The Gold Rush Exchange says

    April 4, 2013 at 10:49 am

    The trim looks great and the explanation was perfect but I really enjoyed the paint color you used to contrast the trim.

    Reply
  5. Feral Turtle says

    April 4, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Awesome tutorial Cristina with stunning results. You will bring so much to Brittany’s team! …. And to Brittany…. Excellent choice! Cheers.

    Reply
    • Brittany (aka Pretty Handy Girl) says

      April 11, 2013 at 11:13 pm

      Thanks Gal! I love having Cristina on board! She rocks!

      Reply
  6. Barb says

    April 4, 2013 at 12:15 am

    THANK YOU for posting these clear instructions. When I shared them with my husband he went into a panic over the possibility that HE may be asked to follow the instructions! When I said a woman did this, he relaxed and said, “There you go! Do it!” He may not have allowed me to start without your proof! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      April 4, 2013 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks Barb! That’s a similar reason why I got into this kind of projects! My husband wasn’t that helpful and was very scare of doing more bad than good! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Cath says

    April 3, 2013 at 9:44 pm

    Really interesting tutorial. For my skill level (and tool collection) it seems challenging but not completely beyond me. I like the final outcome (it would have been nice to see the before and after side by side). As someone who scours ReStore for windows rather than buying the custom made ones I’d need for our old house’s odd window sizes, I can see a use for this treatment. When you buy thrift windows, you take what you can get, whether it’s the right size or not. (If the window’s $18, I’ll buy it and deal with it!) This kind of treatment could cover up a gap at the top nicely. Thanks.

    Reply
  8. Janet says

    April 3, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    The trim looks amazing! Thanks so much for taking the time to write a tutorial to share with us! 🙂

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:19 pm

      Thanks Janet!

      Reply
  9. Carla says

    April 3, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    Why was it necessary to remove the original stool and apron?

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:10 pm

      It would’ve been to short with the added side casings.

      Reply
  10. Angelica says

    April 3, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    Me encanto ese tutorial Cristina , Ese borde de la ventana le da mas elegancia a la ventana
    cariños

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:12 pm

      Muchas gracias, Angelica! Que bien que te haya gustado!

      Reply
  11. Andrew Callaway says

    April 3, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    I’ve been doing lots of trim and crown molding lately but I have to say yours looks amazing! A couple questions…
    -Do you ever do any of the priming/painting before installing the pieces?
    -And how do you get your cut lines against the blue so exceptional with 3 passes of white (primer/paint)?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:05 pm

      Thanks Andrew! As soon as I began painting the trim I knew I should have done it before it was installed. It was hard to paint the trim sides, on one side I had the wall and on the other the bookcase!
      The trim was painted first, a coat of primer and two of paint was all it needed, the wall got a good share of trim paint, that’s why I had to reach into my left over paint to create a striking hue for the trim to pop up! That’s not going to be the final color in that room.

      Reply
  12. Donna Rosberg says

    April 3, 2013 at 11:59 am

    Beautiful!!! Do you mind sharing the color of paint?

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 12:20 pm

      Thank you so much, Donna! That’s a custom color created by mixing left over paints from past projects. Sorry about that.

      Reply
  13. Jacque @theDIYvillage says

    April 3, 2013 at 11:34 am

    Its amazing how a little trim can really totally change the look of a window! I think I may have added a few new items to our to-do list!

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:15 pm

      Thanks Jacque! It is indeed a great change, I still need to do some more.

      Reply
  14. Mindi says

    April 3, 2013 at 10:40 am

    This is an awesome tutorial and totally inspiring, I think I could do this! Thank you so much Cristina! And I am excited for your awesome team Brittany!

    Reply
    • Cristina Garay says

      April 3, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      Thanks Mindi! Good wood working skills is what you have, you can totally do this and lots more! 😉

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl. I like the smell of coffee and sawdust in the morning. I live to break stereotypes and empower you to take on your own DIY project.

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