Adding Moulding Underneath Stairs
Hey there friend!
We’re finally working on our staircase again! Yay! While I still had plenty of room to work without the railing and spindles, I wanted to squeeze in a bit more character by adding moulding underneath the stairs! This is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to add character to any staircase! Also if you missed it we started this project awhile back. We actually took down a wall creating an open staircase. Then we rebuilt the staircase itself.
You can check out how we built it HERE!
What You’ll Need
I chose a this 11/16 MDF cove moulding from Home Depot. I specifically chose an MDF option because I have found it’s more forgiving when conforming to a surface that isn’t perfectly straight or flush. And in an old house this is important! I had also planned on painting the moulding so there was no reason to spend extra for wood.
You’ll also need a finish nailer and I used 2 inch 18 gage nails, and a saw to cut the moulding. After the moulding was in place I used caulk to fill the holes and gave it all a fresh coat of paint.
How to Add Moulding
Adding the moulding is pretty straightforward. I placed the cove molding tight underneath the front of the stair and tight against the wall. Then I marked behind it with a pencil where I needed to make my cut. I always added a reference line of the direction I should be making the 45′ cut. This is just something that I’ve found that helps me prevent mistakes.
Once my first 45′ angle was cut I made sure it’s a good fit and then nailed it in place. I preferred to start on the side where the cut was made so I could make sure it was in the exact place it needed to be to meet up with the next piece.
Watch a timelapse of the process below!
Adding the Molding to the Side
After the first piece was added under the front of the step I followed the same procedure for the side of the stairs. I held the cove piece in place, and marked where I needed to make my cut. This time I would need to make my 45′ angle cut in the opposite direction as the previous one, and then a straight cut on the end.
Again, when nailing I started near the 45 so that it was lined up with the other one and worked my way to the straight end. I worked step by step because since it is an old house I knew each stair would be slightly different in dimensions.
Finishing Up the Moulding
After I had all the mouldings added I used caulk to fill in the nail holes. Then I gave the entire moulding a coat of paint. And that’s it! For about $25 I was able to give our stairs a little extra character! I’m honestly surprised by the impact a little piece of moulding could add!
Adding Moulding Underneath Stairs
The concave detail can be seen throughout our farmhouse’s original architectural details so it feels right at home here. The moulding gave them that little extra something. All those little bits of character add up to the reason I love this old home. You can see in the photo above that we’re working on adding the rest of the staircase pieces, which will be quite the challenge so stay tuned!
Thank you for stopping by the blog today!
