Elevating Space with Box Trim

When it comes to these columns that sit at the entry of my music room, I never really gave much thought to them.

The walls were painted years ago and I’ve pretty much ignored the columns ever since. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to freshen them up a bit. 

Throughout this post, I’ll show you how I elevated these columns with simple box trim (and fresh paint).

You’re going to love this.

First, here’s a view from inside the music room.

It’s always been one of my favorite rooms and you can read more about how it all came together in my previous post HERE.

Anyway, getting back to the columns, it recently occurred to me that the entire column should actually be white (as opposed to the wall color, which was different depending on what side of the room you’re standing in).  

As I considered painting the columns white, even more came to mind in the form of trim.

I immediately had one of those, “I can do that” moments and I suddenly got very ambitious about it all.

Before adding box trim, I had to determine how much clearance to use on all sides of the column.

I settled on 2.5-inches all the way around and I used small, 2.5-inch decorative wood blocks to help mark the measurement.

No need take a ton of notes on this, I’ve included a list of critical supplies and more details on how I used each one, a bit further down in this post.

Before cutting any trim, it’s always a good idea to tape off the size of the box trim to help determine if it’s the desired length and width.

After taping off the desired box, stand back and take a good, long look to determine if that’s the size that will look the best for the column.

Now you can start cutting your trim.

I admit, I did briefly consider buying an electric miter saw but in the end, I opted for a simple, inexpensive $10 miter box and hand saw.

While it may have been faster to cut all the pieces of trim at one time, it turned out that my columns were not all the same size.

Of course, that’s a builder issue but it wasn’t apparent, until I started this project.. 

So, before you start a project like this, double check the size of your columns so you’ll know how best to proceed.

I ended up cutting the trim for each box as I went along.

(EDITED 6/24 to add this tool tip)

I recently discovered this tool that I wish I had purchased before I started this project.

If you pick up a pair of miter shears, this job will be so much easier for you. You can line wood trim to cut your 45-degree angles and you can cut it, like “buttah”.

Consider using one of these tools instead of a miter box.

I found mine HERE. I posted about this tool and Instagram recently and you can see the short video clip HERE.

Anyway, even though each one of my boxes is a tad different in width and length, they all look the same size because I maintained the exact same 2.5-inch clearance all the way around the trim on each column.

Using the 2.5″ decorative blocks was a lifesaver in this regard.

Also, in order to measure the inseam along the edge of the column, I glued two decorative boxes together, as you can see in the above photo. 

This made it so much easier to slide the block along the edge of the column for consistent 2.5″ measuring.

After marking the 2.5″ clearance, I gently tapped the trim into place using finishing nails.

I hammered all the nails by hand and only half way in, just enough to hold the molding in place.

Notice the use of the decorative block on the top to keep me on track with my clearance as I positioned each piece of trim.

You just can’t measure and double measure too much on a project like this.

Now, you might be asking yourself right about now, why I did not use a hydraulic nail gun instead of doing all this hammering by hand (more than 300 nails).

Tapping in the finishing nails in this way, allowed me to make small, necessary changes in the position of the molding, as needed.

And I did end up having to make small adjustments along including re-cutting some of the trim pieces.

When I needed to change a piece, it was so much easier to pull the trim off the wall because it wasn’t permanently secured yet to the wall.

This approach did take extra time but it was worth.

I think I would been screwed with a hydraulic gun. 

Don’t forget to use a small leveler to double check each side of the box trim is straight.

Again, no harm in checking measurements and position at every turn.

Required Tools and Supplies

Meanwhile, here’s a quick list (with links) of the critical tools I used for this project:

• PAINTER’S TAPE Use this to mark off the length and width of the box trim. This will give you a good idea of what size looks best before you start cutting the moulding.
• DECORATIVE MOLDING STRIPS This molding comes in 8-foot lengths and is thin and very easy too cut and work with. 
• MITER BOX/HAND SAW If you don’t have an electric miter saw, this will work for this size project. I considered getting an electric saw but I was really under a time crunch to get the trim finished over a particular weekend.
• SANDING BLOCK  I used this to sand the edge of the moulding after cutting it. This just smooths the mitered corners so there is no rough wood edges.
• DECORATIVE WOOD BLOCKS These blocks are available in multiple sizes and were helpful to me as a way of creating a consistent measuring guide. Because I wanted a 2.5″ clearance all the way around the moulding, I used 2.5″ blocks. I bought 4 blocks and I glued 2 of them together to create a grip around the outside of the trim.   
• FINISHING NAILS These nails are also referred to as wire brads. They’re small in diameter and will easily sink below the surface of the wood trim with zero visibility (after puttied).
• LEVELER Small leveler that can be used with one hand to make sure the molding strips are lined up and straight.
• NAIL SETTER I recommend buying 2 of these and labeling them A and B.  I used the flat side of A to gently tap the nail closer to the molding. Then, I used the pointy end (B) was used to tap the finishing nail just below the surface of the wood.
• WOOD PUTTY After the finishing nails have been set, use the putting to cover the holes. You’ll only need a small dab but still scrape as much excess putty off the trim as possible, before it dries.
• FINE GRIT SANDPAPER After the wood putty has dried, use a small piece of fine sandpaper to smooth the putty so that there are no rough spots in the trim. I used 220 grit paper and I also wore rubber gloves while sanding. The gloves make it so much easier on the hands.
• TACK CLOTH After the trim is sanded, definitely use a tack cloth to pick up all dust and any debris from the trim, before painting.

So, this is what two of the sides looked like after installation.

Note that the nails have yet to be set.

This is the point where I double checked the trim and made adjustments to my trim position, if needed. 

Here’s a look at the boxes from the other side of the music room after I decided to also add box trim to the bottom of the column.

My hubby thought I was going overboard with the trim after I decided to add it to the lower portion of the columns.

Adding trim on the upper AND lower column areas was definitely the right thing to do.

Once I was satisfied with all the trim placement, I used a nail setter to help push the finishing nails just below the surface of the wood.

Then, I covered the tiny nail holes with wood filler, sanded it and wiped it all down before painting.

The white paint really pops, doesn’t it?

And can you imagine what these columns would look like without any trim at all? I think they would be pretty boring without it.

The trim adds so much dimension, interest and even a little more formal character (which I prefer). 

Here’s a look at the columns side by side, before and after the box trim treatment.

As you can see, I also changed the window treatments in the music room.

I love the transformation and the success of these columns has me eyeing other possible areas of my home that could benefit from box trim. 

There’s going to be no stopping me now.

So, what do you think?

Do you now anticipate some possible DIY box trim in your future?  I hope so.

Thanks for popping by.

See you back here next time.♥