One of the easiest ways to elevate your space on a minimal budget is to install box moulding! There’s a reason this trend has gone viral! For our entryway makeover, I knew I wanted to add some sort of wall paneling to help the space feel more cohesive and elevated. I considered vertical shiplap, but I couldn’t get the idea of installing box moulding out of my head. Read on for how to install your own DIY box moulding, and specific tips to consider for walls with doors and windows.
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One Room Challenge Entryway Makeover Updates:
First of all, thank you to Sashco for partnering me on my entryway project! I used their eXact color caulk for my box moulding and it definitely helped simplify the steps needed to accomplish this project!
If you’ve missed my previous updates, you can find them here:
How to Install DIY Box Moulding Around Doors and Windows
Box moulding, also known as picture frame moulding or wall frames, is a classic architectural feature that adds depth, character, and visual interest to any room. It’s timeless, yet modern, and so customizable! From the box sizes and orientation to the endless moulding profile options, there’s truly no limit to what you can create with box moulding! In this guide, I’m specifically covering how to install box moulding when you have doors and windows to plan around.
Tools & Materials:
- Moulding
- Miter Shears
- Measuring Tape
- Level – I wish I had this folding level for this project!
- Laser level (optional but helpful!)
- Painters Tape
- Baby Wipes
- Scrap wood for a spacer block – optional but helpful!
- Brad Nail Gun
- 1.25″ Brad Nails – 18 gauge
- Color Match Caulk
- Wood Filler
- Paint (I used this door & trim enamel)
Step 1: Determine Your Box Moulding Layout
Start by measuring the walls where you plan to install the box moulding. Determine the height and width of each frame, as well as the spacing between frames. A few layouts I considered were: full height boxes, one lower and one upper box, a lower and upper box split by chair rail moulding, or even a lower-middle-upper box option.
I used painters tape to tape it out on the wall to help me visualize the different arrangements on my wall. This helped immensely and is why I chose to orient my moulding a certain way. After asking my husband what he liked best, we both agreed on the lower and upper box option.
How to Determine Spacing for Box Moulding:
Honestly, after taping out what looked right on my walls, I simply measured the space around the tape to determine my spacing. For my moulding, the vertical spacing is 5.5 inches and horizontal is 3.5 inches. I highly recommend cutting a spacer to use while installing to help keep the gaps even.
One important thing to note is that walls and even frames are not perfectly level or square. So although you want to aim for even, level spacing all around your moulding, you will have to compromise in some areas for it to LOOK level and even.
My largest discrepancies were ½ to ¾ inches difference in spacing between certain areas. In order for my moulding to appear level but also have an even-looking gap, I opted to split the difference. That meant allowing the moulding to be slightly off level in order to appear even with the window frame or wall. The gap was slightly off at one end to accommodate for this. In my opinion, it looks much better to split the discrepancies so it’s all slightly off than to have only one portion further off.
Tips for Planning Box Moulding Around Doors and Windows:
Unlike a large open wall, planning box moulding on a wall with windows and doors requires some different considerations. For our entryway, we have two large windows on either side of the front door. I also have an unframed door opening on either side, and the other two walls are blank. As I was planning, I noticed the top of the window frames were ½ inch shorter than the door frame, and the unframed openings another inch shorter than the top of the window frames. So, I needed to figure out how to install the moulding so it looked best. Should I keep the bottom of the moulding at the same height or should I keep the same spacing from the bottom of the moulding to the window/door?
There was a clear winner: keep the moulding level and let the spaces be different sizes. The subtle differences in the spacing is almost unnoticeable and doesn’t look wrong by any means. However, when the moulding is just slightly uneven, it’s quite obvious and ends up looking like it wasn’t installed properly.
How to Choose Box Moulding Profile:
There are so many moulding profiles to choose from these days, it can be a bit overwhelming! The first thing to decide on is how thick you want your moulding to be. Do you want it to be wide and prominent or more small and subtle? For our entryway, we chose to go with a 1inch moulding thickness.
Next, you’ll want to consider the architectural style of your home and the desired look you want to achieve. For our entryway, I considered keeping with the traditional moulding in our home, but I ended up wanting to lean a bit more modern for a more transitional look. I bought a few different options to take home and taped them up on the wall to see what we liked best.
The moulding I ended up going with is this 1’ quarter round! I love how it balances out the other moulding and find the mix to be beautiful. It’s a simple profile, but slightly more prominent, which helps lend to a more modernized look. Now that it’s installed, it blends perfectly with the rest of our home!
Step 2: Measure and Cut the Moulding
In order to avoid the constant back and forth of measuring and cutting, I opted to use miter shears for this project instead of my miter saw. I will say, the miter shears aren’t perfectly accurate, but they ended up being close enough that you can’t notice once the seams are filled in. I did find that they cut most accurately if I clamped it down more quickly, as this didn’t allow the moulding to flex and change the angle.
Cut the box moulding pieces to the correct length according to your measurements. Remember to cut the ends at 45-degree angles and for your total length to measure from the longest side of the angle.
If you are using a miter saw, I recommend taking good note of your measurements and cutting all the pieces at once. Then label the pieces well and hopefully avoid having to go back and forth to trim them all.
Step 3: Install the Box Moulding
TIP: Make it visually level, vs actually level. While installing your moulding, you do want it to be level. However, it’s very common for walls, openings, existing trim, etc. to be uneven and unlevel. See my note above under spacing for my best solution if you run into this issue.
Use a level to ensure that each piece is installed straight and level. I used my small level where the large one wouldn’t fit. I also found using a laser level helpful to see across multiple pieces of molding. I wish I had found this foldable level before doing this project as it would have really come in handy to get my moulding even around the corners!
When installing boxes next to each other, I made sure to keep the moulding in line with the other pieces and adjust the gaps if there were discrepancies. It ends up being much less noticeable this way. And if you’re not sure, then just tape it out and see what you think looks best!
Secure the moulding to the wall using a nail gun with brad nails. Place nails every 8-12 inches along the length of the moulding. I found it easiest to start at the top and install my top piece so it was level and in line with the box next to it. Then attach the vertical pieces with one nail each at the top, making sure I had a nice, tight corner. I then used painters tape to hold the bottom of the box in place, and nailed it all in.
Step 4: Fill, Paint and Caulk
Once all the moulding pieces are installed, use wood filler to fill in the nail holes and any gaps at the corners. Allow it to dry, then use my no-sanding trick, and take a baby wipe to wipe away the excess so it’s perfectly smooth!
Apply a bead of caulk along the seams where the moulding meets the wall. Use a baby wipe to wipe away any excess caulk and achieve a clean, professional finish. Finish the look by painting or staining your new box moulding.
Tips for Using Color Match Caulk:
For this project, Sashco was kind enough to gift me some of their eXact Color Match Caulk to try. I was actually already planning to use this product to make the finishing process a bit easier! This caulk is tintable, and you actually add some of your actual paint (or stain!) into it for it to then match.
Since this was my first time using tintable caulk, I wanted to share some of the things I learned in case you want to try it too!
- Mix Your Paint Well – In order to get the most accurate color, make sure to mix your paint well right before adding to the caulk. I made the mistake of not re-mixing my paint my first time, and my caulk came out a shade lighter than my actual paint color.
- Mix the Caulk Fully- the directions say to mix it for at least 1 minute. The bottle is transparent. So, if after 1 minute, it does not appear mixed to the bottom, I would keep shaking it up until it looks evenly mixed!
- Mix in the Thickener and Wait – the directions again say to mix for 1 minute and then let it sit for at least 30 minutes. I would say it was still quite thin at 30 minutes in. I went to go run some errands and came back to my project a few hours later, and found it a bit easier to use at that point. So I would say mix it up and wait 1-2 hours before use.
- Use their Tip as is (don’t cut it!) – This tintable caulk is thinner than some other products I’ve used, and it spreads quite well, so a little goes a long way! I would say the consistency is halfway between the regular caulk I’ve used and my enamel paint. Their tip actually comes with a small hole in the top, and I found that to be the perfect size to apply this specific caulk. It left a small, continuous bead along all of my seams, and they were easily filled by sliding my finger along it (with a baby wipe) with minimal cleanup needed.
- Give it Time to Cure – It does take 48 hours to cure (or up to a week where more was applied). This product will definitely come in handy for future uses. You can also use it to color match stain, so I’m super curious to try that out!
Step 5: Admire Your New DIY Box Moulding
This is the best part! Stand back and admire the transformation that box moulding has brought to your space. The added dimension and visual interest instantly enhances the overall look and feel of your room, creating a refined and timeless atmosphere. I’m absolutely in love with how my entryway looks with the box moulding. It feels so cozy and intentional, I just can’t believe what a difference it’s made!
Have you considered installing box moulding in your home? It’s such an easy and affordable way to upgrade your space, and can be done quite quickly as well!
If you’ve enjoyed this transformation, be sure to check out the other projects on the One Room Challenge Blog!
