FIT AND TRIM

January 1st, like many, we grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at our breakfast table jotting down a list of resolutions for 2008. "GET FIT AND TRIM" was on top of the list. Our fitness routine, however, didn't involved strapping on running shoes and heading to the local gym. Yes, I could stand to lose a few pounds but for now I'll be standing on a ladder with a hammer in hand! Just when we thought we were rounding the corner to the finish line of our projects, we sat and made our "TO DO" list which, after completing, sent us both into shame spirals. What had we been doing with our weekends for the last several months? Were we lazy, worthless do-it-yourself wannabes? Of the many items on our list, TRIM was high on it and missing from most rooms in the house. When the contractor knocked a hole in our living room to make room for the staircase to our second floor addition, for example, he removed the 90 year old crown molding and baseboards. In our new kitchen(which was once three separate rooms) we faced matching existing trim around windows, chair rails and baseboards. It's these little details..tedious, little details, that often send people over the edge but, in the end, can bring it all together. So, we finished our coffee, took a deep breath and attacked it head-on.

HERE'S WHAT WE DID:

1.) Dug through our totally disorganized garage and garden shed (realizing we had two more things to add to our list: Organize Garage and Garden Shed) searching for the original trim.

2.) This gave us a good idea of what we needed from the home improvement store. So, we measured (in the kitchen, for example, we had an original piece of 4.5" thick trim at chair rail-height that we wanted to match and wrap around the entire kitchen..see above pic). So, with measurements in hand we headed out the door.

3.) After a few cuts with the saw (if you take measurements with you and find a nice employee, chances are they'll cut the pieces for you...some home depot's and Lowe's stores have saws available for customers. Don't bother on the weekends as these and morning hours tend to be the most hectic) we were ready to hang the trim with finishing nails (skinny nails that won't leave unsightly marks)

TIME TO COMPLETE PROJECT: 4 hours

COST: $110 (wood, finishing nails, woodworkers pudy)

STRESS LEVEL: Low