How To Make and Install DIY Panel Mouldings (For Architectural Interest)

How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings

If you have been here before, you know that I live in a house that was built with absolutely no architectural details whatsoever.

So every time I makeover a room, I try to add something that will create some interest for my boring walls.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to create the look of panels on the walls.

It is kind of a traditional way to add detail to a room…but you can do so many things with it, it is really easy to do, and it’s inexpensive.

So when I decided to makeover my home office as part of the One Room Challenge (click here to see my progress with that project), I knew right away that panel moldings would be one of the things I would add to the room.

Continue reading to see step by step instructions on how to make and install DIY panel moldings.

How Do You Want The Mouldings To Look?

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Evenly spaced panel mouldings
Evenly spaced panel mouldings

There are lots of different configurations you can use for your configurations, depending on the look you want for the room.

1. You can make repeating panels that are all the same size, which is what I am doing for my home office makeover.

One big panel that fills most of the wall | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
One big panel that fills most of the wall

2. Use one big panel that has the same amount of space around the outside of it, like the ones that I did in my bedroom.

Alternating large and small panels | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Alternating large and small panels

3. Use alternating smaller and larger panels like I did in my original master bedroom.

Split the wall with upper and lower panels | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Split the wall with upper and lower panels

4. Add upper and lower panels like I did in the den/library…in my case the upper ones had wallpaper installed in them, but the lower ones did not. Click here to see the rest of this makeover.

How Much Moulding Do You Need?

How much moulding do you need?
How much moulding do you need?

If you’re not sure how wide or tall to make the panels, try using a proportional formula, like the width of the larger panel will be twice as wide as the width of the small panel.

If I’m using wallpaper to fill the panels, I usually use the width of the wallpaper to determine the width of the panel.

That way you don’t have to do as much wallpaper cutting (or matching), which makes the job so much easier!  If you have wallpaper with a repeated pattern, you might want to use the length of the repeat to determine how tall the panel is.

Once you have figured out what kind of pattern you want to do, you will need to figure out how many pieces of molding you need to make it happen.  Just add up the width and height of each of the panels and multiply by 2 to get your final number.  I also order a few extra boards in case I make some mistakes…you can always take back the ones you don’t use.

Supplies

Materials

Tools

  • Measuring tape
  • Miter saw – I like this cordless one* for cutting small pieces of wood like these mouldings
  • Paint roller and tray
  • Caulking gun*
  • Latex gloves
  • Nail gun, or hammer and finishing
  • Paint brush

Cut the First Moulding

Cut the moldings upside down | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Cut the moldings upside down

If you are doing panels that are the same size (like I am in my office), cutting the moldings to size is actually pretty easy.  The trick is to get the first one of each length cut exactly to the right size, and then use it as the guide to make all of the others.

Since I wanted the panels to be the exact same width as the wallpaper, I knew that the inside width of the panels would be 21” (the width of the paper).

If you are using finger-jointed thin moldings like these ones, you need to be careful when you’re cutting…sometimes the wood will split where the joins are and fly off.  I found that it is less prone to do this if you cut it upside down.

1. Cut the first 45 degree angle at one end of the board.

2. Measure 21” (or whatever your measurement is) from the inside corner that you just cut and make a pencil mark at that point.

3. Turn the saw blade to the 45 degree mark on the other side of the saw.

4. Then cut so that the inside corner meets the mark you made.

5. Double-check that the molding is cut to the right size, by measuring between your two inside corners.  Or if you’re planning on installing wallpaper in the middle like I am, hold up a piece of the paper to make sure it is the right length.

Cut The Rest Of The Mouldings

Line up the edges and make sure they are flush | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Line up the edges and make sure they are flush

1. Now that the first one is cut, you can use it as a template to cut the rest of the ones that are the same length.   Line up the cut edges of your template and the board to be cut.  Make sure that they are flush.

Use a pencil to mark the other end | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Use a pencil to mark the other end

2. At the other end, use a pencil to mark the end onto the board that is being cut.

Cut the molding where the pencil mark is | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Cut the molding where the pencil mark is

3. Cut along the pencil line.

4. Repeat for as many boards as you need that are this length.  Try to always use the same board as the template…that will make sure you don’t have too many slightly different lengths.

When you are finished with all the mouldings that are this length, move on to the next size of board and repeat the same process.

Paint The Mouldings

Paint the panel moldings with a roller | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Paint the panel moldings with a roller

It is easiest to put the first couple of coats of paint (a primer and a regular paint) before you install the moldings on the wall.

1. If you are using these thin moldings, you can paint them really quickly by laying them all out on a flat surface and using a roller to go over them all with.

2. Repeat with the regular paint after the primer is dry.

3. Wait until the paint is dry before continuing.

Remove any extra paint with a scraper | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Remove any extra paint with a scraper

4. You may end up with some extra paint sticking to the boards…use a scraper to scrape it off, and you are ready to start installing!

Figure Out The Moulding Placement

Create spacers out of scrap wood | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Create spacers out of scrap wood

The easiest way to install mouldings is to use a pneumatic nail gun, but a hammer and some finishing nails will also work if you don’t own an air compressor.

Before you put them up on the wall, you might want to try laying the mouldings out in your pattern on the floor to make sure the spacing looks okay.

1. If you are doing repetitious panels, like I am, the easiest way to get them evenly spaced is to create a couple of spacers.  One to place between the sides of the panels to space them out properly, and one to place above the panel to space it down properly.

Mark the corner where the spacers meet | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Mark the corner where the spacers meet

2. Use a pencil to mark the corner where the two boards meet.

Install The Mouldings

Use one nail to hold the first molding to the wall | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Use one nail to hold the first molding to the wall

1. Install the first vertical piece so that it lines up with the corner marks you made.  Only use one nail at the top end of the moulding…don’t get it too close to the top or the moulding may split.

Use the spacer to make sure that the next board is even | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Use the spacer to make sure that the next board is even

2. Use your top spacer to make sure that the top moulding is installed evenly.

Put in three or four nails to hold the second board in place | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Put in three or four nails to hold the second board in place

3. Put in 3 or 4 nails to keep the second moulding in place.  Don’t put any additional nails in the first board yet.

Add the third molding so it meets in the corner | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Add the third molding so it meets in the corner

4. Install the moulding on the other side, again using only one nail at the top.

Fit the bottom board between the sides | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Fit the bottom board between the sides

5. Finally fit the bottom board between to the two side pieces and make sure it looks even and level.  Use 3 or 4 nails to hold each board in place.

6. Then add a couple more nails into each of the side boards, making sure they are pushed up against the bottom one.

Repeat for all of the panels that you are installing.

Note:  A lot of professionals will tell you that you should glue the mouldings on to the wall (as well as nail them).  I don’t do this because it makes them impossible to remove without damaging the drywall.  And since I like to change things around, I never know when I’m going to want to take them down.

Add The Finishing Touches

Caulk the holes | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Caulk the holes

1. Use a caulking gun and some paint-able caulk to fill in any cracks and holes in the moulding.  I usually put on some latex gloves and use my fingers to get the caulk into all of the crevices.

Use a brush to give the moldings another coat of paint | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Use a brush to give the moldings another coat of paint

2. Then use a paint brush to give the moldings one last coat of paint.

Panel moldings with wallpaper | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Panel moldings with wallpaper

Because I was installing wallpaper in the middle, I didn’t need to be too careful about getting paint outside the lines on the inside of the square.  But you do need to paint carefully to avoid getting paint outside the square.  You can also tape it if you prefer to do that rather than free-hand paint.

Finish The Center Of The Panel

Panel moulding with wallpaper
Panel moulding with wallpaper

I often finish the middle of the panels by wallpapering them.  It adds the interest of the wallpaper pattern without having to do a whole wall.

If you want instructions on how to hang wallpaper, click here.

If you’re afraid to try wallpaper because you think it will be hard to remove later, click here to find out how to solve that problem.

The molding acts as a frame for the TV cabinet | How To Add Architectural Interest with DIY Panel Mouldings
Molding acts as a frame for the TV cabinet

You can also use the molding as a frame without adding any wallpaper.

Or even paint the mouldings the same color as the wall if you want a more subtle look.

When you are done, the extra architectural details are sure to make your walls look more interesting!

Have comments or questions on how to make and install DIY panel mouldings?  Tell us in the section below.

This post was originally published on April 26, 2016 but was updated with new content on April 2, 2020.


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