DIY Farmhouse Trim

Our little minimalist traditional 1940’s home was seriously lacking personality. We like a touch of rustic wood, a swirl of marble, clean white lines, mixed patterns with a few pops of color on top.

What better way to add some character to our home than farmhouse style window and door trim.

Materials needed: (lengths depend on your window)

Basically, you are going to build a wooden box to fit the inside part of your window sill (We used 1×2’s all the way around). Make sure it is flush with the wall to prevent gaps when you put the outer trim on.

Ok, then add however much you want your sill to stick out past your side trim. Double measure to make sure you have equal amounts on both sides.

For the apron (bottom piece), take your number from step 2 but subtract the extra hang over. Check your formula: width + 7 + 1 (or however much you had it hang over in step 2)=? Take a putty knife and fill all the little nail holes with wood filler. You may need to fill them a second time because the filler shrinks a little.

If you don’t get them filled completely then you will see them after you paint (found this out the hard way). I used an electric sander which saved me tons of time and elbow grease. Caulking makes the trim look like one piece of wood.

Also, wood expands and contracts so this helps to prevent cracks after you paint.

Tip: let your wood sit in your space for a couple weeks to get acclimated to your home. Caulk doesn’t sand off so make sure you put it on smooth.

I put it on and then run a putty knife over it to make sure its in the gaps and perfectly smooth. Caulk all the cracks and gaps between boards, around the window, and against the wall.

Tip: this type of trim is beautiful but a little challenging to add curtains too. Regular wall curtains will bump out over the trim and will cover up all the beautiful work you just did. I think some beautiful roman shades work best with this type of trim.