One Room Challenge Week 4- Trimming out the slat wall and base cabinets

Here’s where we are at Week 4 for the One Room Challenge:

I realize you may be thinking that this looks the same as last week- but I assure you that it is not! I spent all weekend making tiny complicated miter cuts to install the toe kicks and corner trim on the base cabinets, the baseboards underneath the desk areas, and then shoe molding at the base of the slat wall and all around the cabinets. (Catch up on previous blog posts here: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3).

I must admit that this was actually my first time making miter cuts like this. I usually leave that task up to RJ while I do other things, but this time, I got down to business and accomplished all of the precise cutting myself. Because of this, I have a few basic tips about miter cuts and installing trim to share:Paint your trim before cutting it and installing it! This might seem like it goes without saying, but painting long, single pieces of trim is wayyyyyy easier than painting after you cut it into tiny pieces or after you install it. Especially for trim that touches the floor- how much of a pain would that be to tape off the floor and try to paint after you install it? I’m just telling you that it makes SO much of a difference to paint on a flat surface before cutting and installing. Since I did this prep work beforehand, I only have to touch some areas up and paint over the nail holes after I spackle and sand.

//Plan how you want your trim to look like first. I’ve never trimmed out cabinets before so I had NO CLUE what to do! Fortunately, I studied our cabinets in the kitchen and realized that they have a beautiful trim combination consisting of a toe kick, corner piece, and shoe molding. See how I mimicked the trim in the first picture?

Now I’ve noticed that there are many ways to trim out cabinets, but I also wanted trim pieces that would work with my plan to put the baseboards back under the desk areas.

//Put the baseboards back on when installing an accent wall. This isn’t a hard and fast rule by any means, but trust me, it makes a difference. In our master bedroom, it made our accent wall look very professional (read about that here). Underneath the desk areas, I put the baseboard back on over the shiplap. This helps the desk areas look “built in” and trims out the bottom of the shiplap nicely.

//When making miter cuts that join in an inside corner, here’s my formula for the miter cuts: for the trim piece that will come into the corner from the left-hand side, move your miter saw to 45 degrees to the left; for the trim piece that will come into corner from the right-hand side, (you guessed it!) move your miter saw to 45 degrees to the right. Here’s a visual- the baseboards are meeting in an inside corner here. For the piece on the left-hand side, move your miter saw to 45 degrees to the left, and for the piece on the right-hand side, move your miter saw to 45 degrees to the right.

I’m looking forward to this long weekend so I can cross more items off the list! Principally, I’ll be tackling the crown molding and painting my curtains- yes! Painting curtains! Cannot wait to show you everything in store.

Catch up on all the progress here: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.