make it monday: DIY fancy door or window molding

Hello and happy Make it Monday!  My little man Hunter woke up sick early this morning :(, so instead of getting this post out a bit earlier, mommy duty called and it is here now, during afternoon nap time.

I hope you all got to check out my Secret Recipe Club reveal of bircher muesli – not  your average overnight oatmeal.  It’s an awesome and quite refreshing summer time make ahead breakfast.

Now, on to Make it Monday!

If you are anything like me, you’ll want to print this out and tell your husband to do this in your house.  But, if your husband is anything like mine, he won’t want to see it and will just figure it out on his own.  It’s like asking for directions, men just won’t.  Maybe he’ll use this tutorial and the pictures as inspiration???

Recently Jacob installed a new to us, old back door in our house.

Along with the door install, he added some fancy shmansy molding above the door.  The door was already really cool, then the molding took it over the top and made it fit in even better in our old house.

Here’s how you (or your man) can do this, in just 10 easy (or challenging, depending on skill level) steps!!

Gather your supplies.

• exacto knife
• pry bar
• liquid nails
• nails and screws
• electric drill
• hammer
• miter saw (10″ blade)
• finishing nails
• nail set
• 5″ x 1″ wide molding (width based on need)
• decorative molding (width based on need)
• caulking
• paint

Step 1) Take an exacto knife and run it along the paint between the existing molding and the wall.

Step 2) Isolate where the existing nails are and pry the molding off of all 3 parts around the door (top and both sides).  Make sure you are careful to not break the existing side molding, as this will get put back on.

Step 3) Cut a straight horizontal line across both pieces of side molding, at the top (if it is angled like ours was).  Run your liquid nails along the back of the molding.  Hold it there to allow the liquid nails to set.  Use your finishing nails and hammer them into the existing door.  Use the nail set to set the nails into the molding.  Repeat on with other piece, so both side molding pieces are reattached.

Step 4) Measure the width between both outer pieces of side molding.  Cut your large 5″ x 1″ top molding piece, allowing 2 extra inches (which will be 1 inch on each side).

Step 5) Run your liquid nails along the back of the molding.  Put it in place above the door.  Make sure it is evenly spaced.  Hold it there to allow the liquid nails to set.  Use your finishing nails and hammer them into the existing door.  Use the nail set to set the nails into the molding.

Step 6) Take 3 small pieces of remaining top molding and drill screws them into the wall above the molding (at both sides and center).  Make sure the pieces are not taller than your decorative molding.

Step 7) Measure by the base and cut your decorative molding at a 45 degree angle (using the miter saw), the same length as your top molding.  Use liquid nails to put it onto the small pieces of molding.  Have someone hold it (this is where I got to help!!) while you very delicately hammer in finishing nails and finish it with the nail set.

Step 8) Measure by the base and cut two small side pieces of decorative molding, cut at a 45 degree angle.  Attach with liquid nails.

Step 9) Caulk around all of the molding, so there are no gaps showing to make it look like it is one big piece.

Step 10) Once the caulking is dry, paint all of the molding.

And that is it! Here are the 10 steps to an awesomely improved door or window but just remember that there is always the possibility to get a  window replacement!

Right next to the back door is the dining room.   The two windows in that room have the same molding too, which Jacob did a couple months ago.

It made such an improvement to the very blah looking dining room.

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‘); // ]]> What did you do over the weekend?  Any fun projects or crafts? Heather