DIY Tips for Painting Box Molding

It’s week 3 of the One Room Challenge. This challenge lasts 8 weeks. Participants pick a room or space in their home to refresh, renovate, or makeover. For this challenge I picked our garage hallway, which is also the main entryway for our family. To see my progress in past weeks click HERE, and HERE.

This week I set out to finish the box molding and get the hallway lighting installed. I forgot that this week was the lead up to Easter and spring break. So, the lights were on hold, and I only managed to finish the box molding.

The first thing I did was wood fill all the nail holes made from installing the molding.

Then I sanded the molding. This is always tedious and the step I think I dread most. Next time, I’m going to try the baby wipe hack I’ve seen on Instagram. It involves wiping the wood fill with a wipe right after filling it. One major focus of sanding was the seam where the frame meets the outside molding for the light switch. I sanded the molding at an angle to make it flush with the frame. If we ever frame another light switch, I will try to notch the frame. This will allow the molding to fit into the frame slightly.

After sanding, I caulked all the seams and used a damp sponge to clean up any excess.

After all the caulk was dry I primed the molding with two coats of primer. I let the primer dry for 4-5 hours before I started painting.

I painted the wall with two coats of Cumulus Cloud paint, by Benjamin Moore. I didn’t want the molding to be in contrast to the wall. I want them to subtly draw the eye up to give the hallway a sense of height.

I didn’t make as much progress as I expected in week 3. However, it felt nice to have this part of the project complete. Next week the focus will be on installing new lighting and finding a mirror and picture frames for the hallway.