Adding Trim In The Man Cave

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Once the faux roman clay was done it was time to address the baseboards and window trim. When we moved in the windows had plantation shutters on them. While they are really pretty, they blocked a lot of natural light so I decided to remove them and trim out the window the way I have in the rest of the house.

I started by removing the bottom window seal with a ledge and replacing it with a 3/4in scrap wood cut down to size so there would be no ledge.

Since my walls are textured, the insides of the windows are as well. You can skim coat this with joint compound like I did the rest of the room, or you can just put a thin piece of material over it like I did here, I’ve done both methods and prefer this. I used underlayment for this since I had it on hand, you can also use brown board. I like brown board because it doesn’t splinter like plywood underlayment does when you cut it with the saw. Once you add the framing around the window and caulk everything into place it will be all smooth. I just used my nail gun to secure these into place.

I framed the windows with scraps I had in my shed, it was a mix of 3/4in MDF and primed pine I had left over from previous projects. I prefer primed pine because the edges of MDF are rough and hard to paint but it will do in a pinch. I started with the middle window because the other 2 windows weren’t level with each other like they should be. As you can see in the photo below, the left window is about 1/4 an inch higher. I added 1x3s flat around the window and then framed the 1x3s out with 1x2s placed on their sides.

Once the middle was done I started on the side windows. I was going to add the 1x3s and the 1x2s like it did to the middle window, but I was low on 1x2s and a follower suggested I leave the side windows with just the 1x3s so the middle one stands out more. I liked that idea so I went with it! If I ever change my mind, the 1x2s will be easy to add later. I start with the bottom and top and then measure for the side pieces so I get an exact measurement by the 1/16 of an inch. I secure all these to the wall with my brad nailer, no glue needed.

Once all that was installed around the windows, I filled all the nail holes with spackle and caulked around where all the wood met each other and met the wall. Always make sure your caulk is paintable!!!

I used this painters tape with plastic attached to prepare the room for a paint sprayer. Initially I painted the door frame black but Tyler hated it so we decided to paint it Alabaster by SW with the windows.

Kind of reminded me of the show Dexter with all the plastic!

I also taped off the windows and used printer paper to go in the middle of the windows. This took FOREVER! They also make a product you can just paint onto the glass, let it dry and then once you’re done with your painting project you score the edges with a razor and it peels right off. It’s called Mask&Peel.

The paint sprayer was new so Tyler helped me figure out how to use it. I should have been wearing a respirator mask for this instead of just trying to hold my breath! Do as I say, not as I do! Although I do wear one now anytime I use the sprayer, paint is not safe to breathe in!

Then for the satisfying part of taking the tape and paper off the windows!

Once the frames were painted I taped everything again so I could paint our beige window seals black. I spray paint them with a black paint and primer in one after I clean them really well. I’ve done this with several windows and it’s held up really well!

The window panes in the middle were inside the glass so I couldn’t paint them. So I bought these window pane covers off Etsy and added them in front of the beige frames! These were super easy to put on! They come in long strips with connectors and you just cut them with sharp scissors. You can also create the look of a paned window with these if you just have one big open window.

Once the windows were done I painted and installed the baseboards. I like to paint them before installing so it’s easy to just touch up nail holes instead of having to paint them on the ground. I used Tricorn Black by SW, the same color as the cabinets. These are also installed with just the brad nailer and finished with caulk.

But then I decided I hated the black and I wanted to go with a monochromatic look with the walls, so I had the walls color matched and painted the baseboards that color. And yes, I had to paint them on the ground since I already had them installed even though I was trying to avoid that. This is in black and white because I took this photo off of my Instagram stories and I was hiding the color for a little while.

Much better! Here’s the color of the room if you are also wanting to use this color as paint and not roman clay.

Window trim and baseboards are both a very beginner friendly project! Is this something you feel like you’d like to try?

Man cave links here.

Next up, some finishing touches!