Giving trim a makeover is an affordable way to bring an upscale appearance to your home.
Many of us live in homes with builder-grade finishes - homes built in cookie-cutter fashion with standard, cost-effective cabinetry, trim, flooring, etc. This can cause our homes to lack features that make them look upscale. While there are a variety of ways to get the upscale look for less, one of the best ways to add instant appeal and the appearance of a well designed home is by enhancing existing trim or adding additional trim details. To transform existing trim with paint, as I did in our new home, see this blog post Trend Alert: Painted Trim.
Whether you will be selling your home or staying put, a trim makeover will give your home beauty and sophistication.
Here are 3 easy trim makeovers to consider for your home:
1. BEEF-UP BASEBOARDS
Remember, the taller the baseboard is, the more upscale it looks, so my advice is to go with as much as you can afford.
There are two common ways to affordably enhance baseboard. Here, a thin piece of trim is added above existing molding, then the space in between is painted for an eye fooling, money saving fix.
Another method that Pewter and Sage used (photos below) is to use RapidFit baseboard to completely cover old baseboards without having to remove them. The new look is updated and high-end.
2. ADD CROWN MOLDING
Crown molding is typically applied where a ceiling meets the wall and is pretty much non-existent in builder-grade homes and modern architecture. Adding crown molding lends drama and sophistication for little cost and effort.
Jolly Little Times shows how adding crown molding in their living room transformed the space.
Young House Love shows how to install crown molding as they did to add impact in their daughter's bedroom (below).
Another favorite application of crown molding is on the top of upper cabinets in the kitchen. Whether or not the cabinet faces are refinished, adding a strip of trim to the tops of kitchen cabinets ups the appeal and grandeur.
3. ADD WAINSCOTING
If you want to add a more traditional, vintage or cottage style to your home or even just more interest, opt for wainscoting. Wainscoting is a decorative paneling that has been used for centuries as 1) a wall accent 2) insulation 3) to prevent and cover up damage to walls. It's typically made of wood and covers the lower three or four feet of an interior wall. There are many styles including raised panel wainscoting, flat panel wainscoting, board and batten, and beadboard. Wainscoting can also include stone or brick veneers used on the interior or exterior of a home.
Adding wainscoting can be more labor intensive than installing baseboard or crown molding, but the payoff can be huge. These updates catapult the homes pictured from ho-hum to pretty enough for a magazine! Here are some of my favorite applications including the use of wainscoting for an exterior makeover.
Products available on Amazon now for your trim makeover:
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