How To: DIY Door Casings for Under $100

Design

Aug 19

Written By

The left side of my apartment (with the exception of the kitchen) gets no love, lol! That area, my dining room, is ugly af! It has an awkward shape and because of the open floor plan (laughs in Studio Apartment), I have always been afraid of making any moves that would disrupt the flow. My feelings changed immediately after watching a Homeworthy tour featuring Marianne Sides' Upper West Side apartment! The thing that really inspired me about her apartment was the black casings around her door frames. They were gorgeous and added so much interest to the space. And so I immediately grabbed my wallet and went to Home Depot.

Keep reading for the full tutorial, but check out my IG reel for a quick fix! - this went kinda viral which is cool!

Here’s what you need:

2-1/4” Primed MDF Molding (you’ll need 3 pieces - one for each side of the door frame)
1-1/2” Finish Nails + Hammer
Mitre Saw + Box
Paintable Caulk
Wood Glue
Tape Measure
Pencil
Sanding block
Spackling Paste
Frog Tape
Paint (your choice, but I used Black in a high gloss finish from Behr)

This trip to Home Depot cost me $100 (including the Uber ride back home)

The Breakdown:

Step 1: Measure your door frame & head to Home Depot

Step 2: Cut the mdf trim 4-6 inches longer than your door frame (Trim is sold by the foot - only take what you need)

Step 3: At home, cut one end of your trim at a 45-degree angle using the mitre box + saw. The other end is cut at 90-degree angle

Step 4: Repeat the cuts on second piece; make sure the cuts are angled inwards towards the doorway

Step 5: Attach the side pieces to the wall using nails & a hammer

Step 6: Grab a third piece of trim and cut both ends at a 45-degree angle

Step 7: Place the third piece at the top of the doorway and make sure it lines up with the two side pieces

Step 8: If you corners are a little off, use a sanding block to plane down the edges.

Step 9: Add wood glue to the exposed ends, and attach the third piece of trim to the wall

Step 10: Secure with finish nails.

Step 11: Fill nail holes with spackling paste (follow directions on the container)

Step 12: Use paintable caulk to fill all corner and edges (follow directions on the container)

Step 13: Paint & enjoy!

The Before - This door was was soooooo boring

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DIY