A DIY Tutorial on Window Trim

Woodshop Diaries
by Woodshop Diaries
2 Materials
We’ve all heard the story of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Then he wants some milk, then a straw, then a napkin….And eventually you wind up giving him another cookie and on and on the story goes. Seriously this is my life. I start one thing then that gives me an idea to do this, then I have to do that, then what if we did this, but then I’d have to do something with that. It’s a vicious cycle.

So, making the above introduction relevant, we got new windows in our house….which of course leads me to thinking “now we have to redo all the window trim.” Which will then lead me to “now we have to do something different with the curtains.” Which will then lead to “I think I want a window seat there.” See how this goes?

Good news for you is that this provides me an opportunity to give you a tutorial on window trim…maybe that’s good news, maybe not ha!

So to begin, let’s discuss my previous window. They were old, single pane windows like I’ve never seen before. I can almost guarantee that your windows will be easier to trim than mine were because these are so weird. Most windows will sit back from the drywall some and provide a little place for a sill. Mine did not…in fact, mine had this jamb that was acting as the trim. That’s it.
This is the before with the old window. It sits back a little further than the new ones. By the way, I know this is rule number one of how NOT to hang your curtains. I am well aware....just haven't decided what I want to do yet...keep the curtains or go another route.
This is with the new window. It sits flush with the window jamb, which does not sit flush with the wall.....which is not how it should be. But, this is something that I cannot change at this point, so I just have to work around it.
I added a sill to the jamb using pocket holes. If you have a window that sits further back, I have more details and pictures in the blog. The link is below.
Then I added sides and an apron.
Finally, I added the top piece and some crown moulding. More details in the post below on how to cut the moulding.
Window selfie! haha, no seriously don't look at me, look at the new window trim! Please ignore the gap under the top piece. My window jamb wasn't 100% square and this will be covered with half round moulding once I can get my table saw fixed and cut it.


A more detailed how-to can be found in the blog post below. Happy trimming!
Woodshop Diaries
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 4 questions
  • Arlene Comollo Arlene Comollo on Apr 15, 2018

    What are pocket holes?

  • Kelley843 Kelley843 on Apr 15, 2018

    Love it!! Do you really need curtains? I love it as is.

  • Debbie Green Debbie Green on Apr 15, 2018

    Where did you get your curtains?? I like them. They would fit into my decor in my living room that I just finished. Just haven't found any curtains that I like yet.

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  • Living Free Living Free on Apr 28, 2018

    LOL! That is the motto in our 100 year old home when we start any project. You have to have humor to get the job done. Great job and thanks for sharing.

  • Carol moffatt Carol moffatt on May 09, 2018

    I wouldn’t cover your beautiful work. Go for a Roman shad or something similar that you can hang in the recess.

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