The building market is in full swing and one of my favorite things to do is walk through the new models to see the new trends in home building.  One detail I always notice is the big, oversized trim.  This is a cheap and easy home improvement project that can be done in your home if you know these tricks of the trade.

 Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

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Updated Trim Home Improvement Supplies:

Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

 

Updated Trim Home Improvement Instructions:

Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

Note: These steps were done on sample pieces of drywall.  The process is the same for existing walls.

I am going to write this post assuming you are upgrading your existing “builder-grade” trim. If you were starting with a newly constructed wall with no trim, you would install your bottom baseboard first. Then follow the rest of the tutorial.

 Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

Step 1) Add trim piece. This step can be done 2 ways, the first way is measuring where you want you trim board piece and then use a level to make sure you are nailing the trim board straight. *The second way (and my personal preference) is to use a board the width you want your faux trim area to be and use that for your guide to keep your trim board straight. This is much easier then measuring sections.

Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

Step 2) Caulk in the baseboard and trim. Let dry.

Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

 Step 3) Using bondo fill in the nail holes. Let dry. 

Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

Step 4) Sand bondo with 220 grit sandpaper. I like to use sanding sponges for this, they easily form to the wood if you have curves. Repeat step 3 and 4 if needed until nail holes are smooth with the wood.

 Cheap and easy Home Improvement DIY to add drama to builder grade baseboards by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

Step 5) Paint the top trim board, middle wall area and bottom baseboard with enamel paint. Now you have a thick dramatic baseboard using the baseboard you already have and only adding a small trim piece at the top. Think of the money you will save by just painting the wall in between instead of building up the area with wood!

Cheap and easy DIY to add drama to your builder grade baseboards and moldings by adding trim to your walls and painting the space between them.

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