Modern Farmhouse Window Trim

Time: 1 Hour

Cost: $25

Skill: Easy

If I could, I would work my regular job three days a week, have two days to work on the house, and then still have two days for the weekend. A girl can dream, right?

For now I will continue to tackle projects like this Modern Farmhouse Window Trim on my weekends.

Considering I have had a cold/cough for three weeks that just won’t go away, I was surprised when I woke up Saturday with a considerable amount of motivation.

So this weekend I started by teaching myself to frame a window. I’ve been waiting to do this project until we made some progress on our attic remodel. There was no sense in starting until our walls were done!

I am a visual learner, and while I can follow written directions well, I feel so much more confident when I can actually have a model of something in front of me. So to conceptualize this project I took a close look at our custom framed windows to break down the structure.

It was very easy to determine that they are made up of 1×4 boards, a thin horizontal piece of wood at the top, and then decorative crown molding at the very top. I love the custom farmhouse feel that our downstairs windows have, so I was happy to recreate this look.

Plus Farmhouse Window Trim is the perfect excuse to make your own Roman Shades. I promise, you will never want to cover your windows with curtain rods and drapes again.

As is typical for Saturday mornings, I set out for home depot. I grabbed a small stock pile of 1×4’s and perused the aisle for something the mimicked the horizontal piece that could sit between the side casings and header piece. I couldn’t find anything thin, and I didn’t want to use a 1×2, so this was a bit of a struggle.

Ultimately I found this general purpose nosing. At first, I wasn’t sure how well it would work, it was a bit thicker than I would have preferred, but once I got it up I loved the look.

For the 1×4’s I chose to go with common board as it is a bit cheaper than pine. I took a careful look at all the boards and chose ones that had consistent coloring and no dents/chunks missing.

Here is a look at the window without any trim on it.

Keep reading to see the full tutorial of how I installed a simple DIY Farmhouse Window Trim.

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How to DIY Farmhouse Window Trim

Here is a list of the tools and materials I used to complete this project.

Materials:

• 1×4
• 1×1 or Nosing
• Caulking

Tools:

• Saw
• Nail Gun & Nails
• Compressor

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Step One: Cutting the Window Stool (Sill) Piece of your Farmhouse Window Trim

The windows I have are very shallow, so there wasn’t much room for a sill. I did consider ripping it down an inch or two., but I decided I liked the look of the wide 1×4, and that there was plenty of room to put a plant on there!

To get the length of the stool I held a vertical 1×4 on either side of the window and marked the outer edge. I measured the distance between each of the lines and added 1.5 inches so that I would have 3/4 inch overhang on either end.

Once I cut the 1×4 to length I centered it on the window and marked a line where it would need to be notched. Then I measured how deep the notch would need to be.

I completed this process for each side.

Using a miter saw is a bit difficult for making a notch like this, but I was able to get it by putting a spacer block in front of the 1×4 so the whole blade didn’t hit the board. I cleaned up the inside corner with a hand saw. This was not overly difficult, but it was the hardest step! So if you can do this, the rest will be a breeze 🙂

Once you have you sill notched you can fit it in place. I got a great close cut so it stayed without nails while I got the other pieces in place. If the piece doesn’t stay on its own, you can go ahead and nail it in place at this step.

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Step Two: Cutting the Side Casings of your Window Trim

This step is simple!

Take a scrap piece of wood, or the board you will be cutting and hold it across the top of the window. Since our windows are uneven, like everything else in this house, I chose to do a slight reveal. This helps disguise any discrepancies.

All you do is offset it a little from the inside header. Once the header is held where you want it, simply mark the bottom of it on either side of the window. Then measure from the sill to the marking.

This is the length of your side casing.

Note: Do not assume that both sides are the same!

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Step Three: Start Nailing your Modern Farmhouse Window Trim Pieces into Place

It took me a bit to get comfortable with using a compressor. I think the noise was more intimidating than anything. At this point it doesn’t even phase me.

It’s loud.

There is nothing I can do about that. If you don’t have a compressor you can use thin nails and a hammer to do this. I nailed every few inches across the sill, and rows of two up the side casings.

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Step Four: Adding the Header Pieces for your Window Trim

Starting with the decorative nosing piece (the one that sits directly above the side casings and below the header) I measured from the top outer edge of each side piece, and added an inch so that it would overhang a half an inch.

I cut the nosing to size and using the brad nailer I nailed it through the top and into the side casings.

I then took the same measurement (not including the extra inch) and cut a 1×4 header to size. I centered it, and nailed it into place.

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Step Five: Cutting the Apron for your DIY Farmhouse Window Trim

Following the exact same process as I did for the header, I measured from the bottom outer edge of each side piece to get the apron length. I cut the 1×4 to length, centered it below the sill and nailed it into place.

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Step 6: Add an Optional Top Molding

I have yet to complete this step, as I wanted to wait to get the crown molding in place and better assess how much space I have to spare. I like the look without it, but I will be sure to update if I do add a decorative trim piece around the very top.

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Final Look – Enjoy Your New Modern Farmhouse Window Trim

I absolutely love how the windows came out! I can’t wait to caulk and get some paint on them.

I highly suggest that anyone interested in revamping their window trim invest the $25 dollars per window, and take the hour or two to tackle this project!

It is so simple, and the outcome completely changes the look of a room.

Happy Building 🙂

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Are you looking for more home or craft inspiration? Check out how I built this adorable Wooden Book Bin for my nephew, or how I transformed this old window into a Wedding Seating Chart!