How To Install Farmhouse Window Trim

Have you been pinning homes with gorgeous, vintage windows that make you want to curl up on the couch with a cozy knit blanket and cup of tea? Me too! In this how-to, I walk you through everything we did to achieve this classic and timeless farmhouse window trim so keep reading to learn how we did it!

Installing this farmhouse window trim, or craftsman style window trim, was a challenge for me—I am not going to lie. I have little background and experience in woodworking and I was getting frustrated with these plans I was finding on the internet because they only listed 1×6 or 1×4. Not 1x6x8 and 1x4x6. Apparently, that’s because all windows are different and your measurements are going to determine how long of a board you will need (duh Marina).

So, with that said, make sure you take your measurements to the store and do the math beforehand. My issue was that I didn’t know they made 1x4x6s, why would I? So I bought too much wood and too short of wood and when I got home, I shouted some explicative words and was starting to panic at what time it was as the sun was starting to wane. Make sure that you figure out that if you make the cuts based on your window measurements, you might not need that 2^nd or 3^rd board.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

This project (including the trips to the store) took roughly two days total between planning, cutting demolishing, nailing, caulking, priming and painting. I did this project in sections as I wanted the primer to dry before I painted two coats.

Keep reading if I haven’t lost you yet because this project although it seems daunting, was worth every swear word and minute! We are in LOVE with the results and it looks so authentic.

P L A N N I N G & DEMO-ING

First, purchase the lumber required for the project. TIP: If you are going to paint, I wouldn’t recommend a high-quality wood unless you were planning to stain it. Also, I “wood” (lol) make the cuts as you work, that way you can still return the pieces if you end up not needing as much.

I sorted the wood by window (window 1, window 2, window 3), and marked where to cut, and listed which piece it was for “apron, header, sides, sill/stool” etc. Always “measure twice cut once.”

As we were demo-ing the existing trim, we found that when the windows were replaced, window was sitting on top of the sill/stool, instead of being butted-up against it. Not having planned for this, we powered up the reciprocating saw and cut the sill out.

B U I L D I N G

We used a miter saw to make the cuts and I hand-sanded any frayed edging with 150 grit sandpaper before attaching each board with 1 1/4in (18 gauge) brad nails.

We then made an L-shaped cut in the stool to create the overhang. Make sure you measure the depth of the window and the width of the window, past the side panel plus however many inches you want to extend the sill. We did about an inch on each side.

Once everything was all up and nailed, we caulked all of the gaps and edges with paintable caulk for sealing windows. We also filled in the brad nail holes to create a more seamless look. I sanded all of the caulk and wood filler and called it a night.

P R I M I N G & P A I N T I N G

On Sunday, I taped off all of the outside of the trim that I didn’t want paint getting on, and primed each window with white primer and a bristle brush. TIP: wet your brush with water and dry off before using. Keep mixing the paint during the painting process. I let this dry all day as we had other projects going on simultaneously (I know).

Monday night I finished my side tables so I didn’t get around to painting my trim but on Tuesday, I came straight home from work, had a snack, and followed the same steps when painting the trim as I did with the primer. It was starting to all come together and look amazing!

I painted a couple of coats to make sure you couldn’t really see through to the wood.

While it was drying, I slowly started to remove the painter’s tape and I was getting chills! I couldn’t wait to put my room back together!

F I N A L R E S U L T S

I am so happy I finally invested the time and money into this. We did it for our kitchen window back when we did the subway tile for our backsplash and I received so many wonderful compliments! I love this look from older homes whether Victorian, Craftsman, or farmhouse, I just feel that it gives such a traditional, cozy, and established look as opposed to our basic builder-grade trim.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and decide to attempt it! I wanted to be honest about our journey because it’s not really a project for beginners. For example, when I say “we”, I am referring to my brothers because Jon isn’t as handy as them…or even me. 🙂 I am confident you can do this, at the end of the day, I felt silly for my near meltdown regarding the measurements.

Let me know if you have any questions below about the process and I hope you try this out!

Xo,

Marina