Have you ever seen the exterior of a home and just knew it was missing something? It’s common to install new siding, new windows, and top it all off with a fresh coat of paint only to be underwhelmed at the curb appeal after having spent all of that money, time, and effort. In this post, I’ll show you how easy installing modern exterior window trim can be, and how much of a benefit it can bring to the curb appeal of your home
Most of the time we will be installing new trim while installing new siding. However, if you aren’t installing siding we can still get the job done. The bulk of this post is going to focus on installing modern window trim around a window before or during a new siding install.
Exterior Window Trim Ideas
The first thing you’ll want to do is get an idea of the style or styles window trim you want. For my home, I looked around the neighborhood at some of the newer craftsman style homes that were being built, and took pictures of the window trim styles they were using. Here are a few of the modern styles I found to be popular. (Yes, I made up the names.)
Picking a style of trim can be a bit overwhelming, especially when there are so many window trim options. Since I was taking this on as a DIY project, I decided to keep it simple. I went with the winterfield. I found it to be the most simple, and best looking.
Options for Exterior Window Trim
Although other tutorials will tell you to use pressure treated wood for trim, just prime and paint. I do not recommend pressure treated wood. It’s a good idea to spend the money up front for a quality trim product such as trex, or other composite trim materials.
Using a quality trim material is key because you’ll notice on older homes, the trim is where the leaks form, where the wood rot starts, and where it eventually needs to be replaced. Good trim products are made of materials more durable than wood, and are often already primed. Couple this with good caulking and a coat of paint and the trim will be indestructible.
If you want something that will last a lifetime use PVC trim like I used for my front porch columns. PVC trim is above and beyond durable, trex will do just fine.
Recommended Reading: How to Choose an Exterior Color Scheme (and get it right the first time)
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How to Install Modern Exterior Window Trim
Now the fun part, installation! For modern trim, I recommend using a coil nailer like this one.
In these steps, I’ll be explaining how I installed the Winterfield style of trim. I find that these same steps usually apply to any of the listed trim above.
Step 1: Start with the Vertical Trim Boards (on the sides)
Measure the two vertical sides of the window, cut two pieces of trim to fit flush along both sides of the window. You don’t want any overlap above or below the edges. Nail them into place. (Be sure you are nailing into studs)
Step 2: Install the Bottom Board
Next, we are installing the bottom trim board. The one that will only be flush with the edges of the two vertical boards. This measurement is easy since you are now measuring across both vertical boards to come up with the measurement for the bottom board. Remember this measurement for Step 3
Step 3: Install the Top Board
Take the measurement from step 2, and add 2 inches to it. This is so there is an inch of overhang on each end of the top board. Make sure the top board is centered and nail it into place. Be sure to check the top board twice before nailing into place. It can be easy to get just a bit out of alignment, and this is very noticeable from the ground. Maintaining symmetry is key
Step 4: Caulk and Paint
Ill Discuss this further later in the post. But this is one of the more crucial steps that should be done soon after installation
Recommended Reading: Dewalt vs Porter Cable: A Year with Two Drills (One Drill Broke)
Helpful Tips
- If the windows on your house are all the same style, my recommendation is to keep the trim the same style all the way around. You can mix it up if you have a large or grand window that you want to highlight, but try to keep it close to the same style.
- Install drip edge on top lip
- There’s a good chance some of your windows are the exact same dimensions. Once you know this, pre-cut all of the trim for these windows at once. This saves hours of back-and-forth to the saw.
- Like any renovation, measure twice. Trim is expensive, and there’s nothing worse than cutting a $20 piece of lumber to the wrong length.
- Plan your scraps – For example: if you are cutting 60 inches off of an 80 inch trim board, but you have a few smaller windows that need 16 inch boards on the side, make sure to save those scraps for that. You want to be left with as minimal scrap boards as possible.
How to Paint Exterior Window Trim
After installing the trim, you can now install the siding around it. Start by Caulking all of the seams between trim boards. Once that’s done, caulk the seams between the trim and the siding very well. Painters should do this, but if you want to be sure, go ahead and caulk it yourself so that any caulking the painters do is just extra insurance.
Cost to Paint Trim
If it’s only the trim you need painted, a professional painting company should charge somewhere between $1,000-$2,000 depending on the size of your home. If you are painting your whole home exterior, including the trim, this can cost anywhere from $6,000 for a smaller home up to $11,000 for a large home.
Get To It!
New modern window trim can make a world of difference in your home’s look. Hopefully you found a style of window trim to fit your home’s essence, and bring up your curb appeal. Although it may seem like a large task, with the right planning this can be completed over a weekend. Following the steps above will lead you to an exterior with more pop in no time!
Max
Max Lowrie, founder of MySplitLevel.com® and author of The Live In Flip© bought his first split level house in 2016. During a lengthy renovation, Max noticed that there was little useful content online specific to split-level homes. Max now devotes his time to share his knowledge hoping to help homeowners avoid unnecessary mistakes, and provide a blue print for split-level owners nationwide.
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