How to Install and Caulk Picture Frame Molding

I know a lot of you were really invested in Paisley’s powder room makeover last winter, understandably so! And ever since then, she’s definitely caught the design bug. She has been begging to tackle another room in our house. But, since we don’t have any more rooms that we’re willing to set her loose in, we decided to let her redo her side of her bedroom. First things first, our girl immediately knew she wanted picture frame molding below the chair rail.

*This post is sponsored by our friends at DAP. Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible! This post contains affiliate links.*

That ‘before’ pic (above) was taken 3 years ago when we let the twins each paint their side of the room whatever color they want. That’s right, we divided the room right down the middle, and they had different paint colors, different area rugs… etc! More on that here.

Before you feel bad for Della (her twin) for not getting to redecorate her side, know that she’s not in her decorating era and is far more interested in fashion right now. So we’re feeding her passion differently than her sister. They’re SO DIFFERENT!

Lay out your plan for where the picture frame molding will go

One night when Paisley couldn’t sleep, she used painters tape to map out how she wanted moulding below her chair rail. Since she didn’t have the vocabulary to tell me she wanted picture frame moulding, this was her solution. So cute!

Measure and cut flexible trim with miter shears

I’ve been eyeing this flexible trim that I’ve seen circulating the DIY space, and I thought this would be the perfect project to try it out on! Walking up and down two flights of stairs to the miter saw for each and every cut did not sound enticing. Instead, this little tool called miter shears cuts like butter and gives you the perfect angle for these mitered corners. Be careful though, they are SHARP!

To make things easy, we decided to have 4″ of space above and below the picture frame trim, as well as between each subsequent “picture frame”. For us, this meant each picture frame is 15″ tall. This meant we only had to do math to figure out the horizontal dimension of the frames! Yay for minimal math!

Peel and place trim

The backing of the self-adhesive flexible moulding peels off, and you simply press into place. For the horizontal pieces, it’s helpful to lightly draw with a pencil where you want the trim to line up. Because of the flexible nature of this moulding, you really need a line to follow to make sure that it truly goes on straight.

You could do the same for the vertical pieces of moulding, but we just used a laser level and that was so helpful.

Look how proud Paisley is of her work!

Time to caulk your picture frame molding!

If you’re looking closely, you might notice that some of the corners are not quite perfect. But a wise friend once told me do your best and caulk the rest. LOL!

Honestly, caulking all the edges in addition to the imperfections is what makes them truly look like they were always there!

We love Alex Flex caulk by DAP, and how easy it is to use! It goes on so smooth and wipes off for a flawless finish. And it’s specifically formulated for interior trim and molding, giving you a crack-proof seal.

Perfection!

You know we love our DAP products, and are always impressed by the quality and versatility of their formulations. The Alex Flex caulk is ready to paint in 30 minutes! And that brings me to how excited Paisley is to paint and wallpaper this room. Are you on the edge of your seat?

Standby for more progress coming SOON!

Bethany

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