I just started following another fellow DIY-er on Instagram @remingtonavenue. She’s a mom that loves to complete little reno and design projects, sounds familiar 🙂 . So after checking out her page, she re-inspired me to keep going on my trim update.

I have to say, painting trim isn’t one of the most exciting project but it’s one that packs a big punch! I’ve been slowly working away at this with my dining room being my last project (check out my feature wall BLOG post), but hit the pause button once this was complete. After a bit of a break, it was time to keep going and tackle the living room.

Now the living room is a bit different than the dining, in that in the dining I incorporated the plate rail into my feature wall. The living room has a small trim running along the top quarter of the wall. Not really something that I can easily incorporate into a design (at least without a bigger plan). Removing it would likely be a disaster given the plaster walls, however I could paint it white so that it would blend in with the ceiling. The door frames, like those in the dining, would also get a coat of paint so I’m consistent throughout. Check out the before. Don’t mind the photo-bomb, Kia loves to get involved.

PREP

Long ago, I decided to take down our french doors that separated the hallway from the living and the living from the dining. So before I painted the trim, I had to remove the door hinges and fill the gaps. That took a few applications. Fill.  Allow to dry. Sand down the excess.  Do a second application for any additional little spots. Once that was prepped I did a first coat of paint. Doing the first coat prior to filling in ALL the gaps with DAP allows you to really see all the spaces. Given my house is over 100 years old, trust me, there were A LOT OF SPACES! The DAP product I used dries in 30 minutes, so by the time I was finished the application around the room and both door frames, I was ready to paint the second coat.

*Note – using DAP is a must! If you don’t, you’ll have all these little black holes and cracks that will pop out against the white paint. Doing this step fills it all in nicely giving it a cleaner look.

***Pro-tip, when applying any kind of caulking, have a small bowl of water with you. Once you’ve applied your bead, take your finger, dip it in water, and run it along the bead. This gently pushed the bead into the little crevices and provide a smooth finish! 

FINISHED PRODUCT

I cannot tell you how much I’m loving all the white trim! Now I know there’s probably a few people out there that feel like I’ve lost the character of the home or that this was a huge mistake…but just hear me out. As with our stairwell (see my BLOG on that too), the wood trim was looking a bit rough. And with the dining room already done, it was just a matter of time that it naturally continued on to this room.

It’s now so bright and makes the room actually look a bit bigger!

With only the hallway entrance left to go, I’m super excited!

***Pro-tip #2, if when you’re painting you get a drip or two on the floor, don’t stress and rush to clean it up! Wiping it off right away could potentially just spread it out and into all the little crevices of your 100+ year old floor. I just allow them to dry and once I’m done my entire project, I take a razor or sharp knife and just lightly scratch it off. Super easy. 

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