01/25/2024
TRANSFORM BORING BUILDER GRADE WINDOWS INTO BEAUTIFUL CRAFTSMAN STYLE WINDOWS🪟
Supplies:🛠️🪚🪵
•1×4 pine board (enough for both side pieces, apron, & top fancy piece)
•1×3 pine board (middle fancy piece)
•1×2 pine board (bottom fancy piece & the piece below the header)
•1×6 pine board (header & sill)
**make sure to pick through the boards and try to find the straightest pieces possible or they won’t lay right on the wall**
•Nail gun or hammer (if you’re less lazy, with better arm muscles than me)
•Miter saw or Circular Saw
•Jigsaw
•Paint (I used Glidden “White On White” semigloss)
•White paintable caulk
•Window Sill
1) Start by cutting the 1×6 for the sill, cut it to the size of your window length plus 10 inches so that you will have 5 inches of overhang ledge on each side.
2) Next, take your 1×6 and mark 5 inches from each end and the width of your window sill. It should look similar to this:
3) Now use your jigsaw to cut out the traced lines so it will sit nicely on the sill. *Don’t panic about straight cuts, that’s what the caulk is for*
4) Nail down the sill using 1 1/2″ finishing nails.
Frame Around Window:
5) Now, its time to cut the (2) 1×4 pieces, for this measurement place each 1×4 vertically on top of the sill piece and mark where it meets the top of the window.
6) When I got ready to nail these pieces down I used a level to make sure that they were straight because your window frame might not be exactly perfect.
BIG TIP: IF YOU ARE ADDING THIS TRIM TO A WALL YOU DON’T PLAN ON PAINTING AGAIN IT HELPS TO PAINT THE EDGES BEFORE YOU NAIL IT IN PLACE.
7) Next, cut your 1×4 for the apron. Measure the length of you two side pieces, that is what you will cut the apron to be so that it will sit directly under the two side pieces.
Window Trim Header:
😎 After the sides were nailed down I cut my (2) 1x2s the width of my two side pieces plus 1″ so that I would have 1/2″ of stick out on each side over my 1x4s.
9) I nailed my first 1×2 onto the wall directly above my two side pieces
10) Next, I cut my 1×6 for the header, I made it the exact same size as the apron (width of the window plus 8in). At this point, I realized I also needed to remove the screws from the DIY wooden curtain rods I had up.
11)Once my header was nailed into place I started on my fancy top pieces. I nailed these 3 pieces of wood together before attaching them to the header. My 1×2 was already cut to size from step 6, I made my 1×3 1″ longer than the 1×2 (1/2 an inch stick out on both sides) & my 1×4 1″ longer than the 1×3.
12) After my (3) pieces were cut I nailed them together using my nail gun. Depending on your nail size you will most likely need to nail them together from the top & bottom.
13) Then, I applied some wood glue to the back of the piece, set it on top of the header making sure I had an equal stick out on both sides, & nailed it into place
14) After a brief recovery from the dance (cardio & I clearly don’t spend enough time together), I got to caulking all the not so perfect areas & filling in all the nail holes.
15) Finally, once the caulk dried I painted my new craftsman window trim in a semi-gloss finish.