Custom Beginner

Northville MI project Shadowboxing

Its back to work on the trim project, and Ive finished the crown molding in the bathrooms.
Ive moved into the dining room, where Im installing shadowbox trim below the existing chair rail. This trim has the same profile as the trim used below the crown in the bathrooms. Its mitered on a 45 at the corners, laying flat on the saw.

Here are some before and after photos of the work I accomplished today. You can see what a nice addition this makes to the look of the room!

My technique is this: I begin by making a layout on paper, and transferring this to the wall. I leave a 3" space all the way around the shadowbox. Having a 3" wide block of wood with reference marks on it makes it easier and quicker to do your layout. Then, I hold each piece in place with blue painters tape (wont pull the paint off upon removal). This allows me to fudge in the corners to fit perfectly before I nail it secure. After all corners of a box are secure, I then locate any available studs, and put in additional fastners into the stud locations to further secure the trim. The end result will be a perfect rectangle with perfect miters!

Since the miters are a good fit, I only need to fill the nail holes. Touch up paint will complete the job. Here are the pics...