Hanging trim...

[DaveO]

My wife decided that she didn't like the painted trim around our kitchen window and wanted the sill to be larger as a shelf.
So I took down the old trim, found new pieces that matched the profile, and milled my own wider sill (shelf).
After spending considerable time trying to match the color of the rest of the trim in the house, I've got it nailed. Who ever decided that Pine trim was "stain-grade" should be shot. A healthy dose of "stain conditioner" and liberal applications of a gel stain I have it looking like I want it.
I started looking at the rest of the trim in our house and realized that I couldn't find any nail holes. I have spent considerable time staining and clear coating this "stain-grade" Pine to look right and don't want to mess-up the installation. My original plan was to put some painters tape over the places where I was going to shoot a few finish nails to hang it so the subsequent filler wouldn't get spread all over the place.
But after seeing no evidence of nail holes or filler in the existing trim work, I'm wondering if using a construction adhesive would be a better way to go.

Any one have any advice as to whether "gluing" the trim up is better than nailing it up. And what might be the pitfalls.
I consult the wisdom consortment for help in this conundrum :-D

Dave

 

[Glennbear]

I have used both fastening methods depending on circumstances with equal appearance/success. I would caution though since you mentioned a portion being a "shelf" to be sure your adhesive is used wood to wood and not wood to sheetrock paper especially in a high humidity area. Picture the Titebond tests where the wood fails before the glue does. Sheetrock face and gypsum have been known to part company DAMHIKT:tinysmile_cry_t:

 

[FredP]

liquid nails would work but it sure can get messy in a hurry! but then nails in stain grade look a little tacky too. finding a way to hold the sill and trim till the glue dries is always fun when the trim is on the wall. personally I think I could live with the nails. brads!!!:wwink:

fred........... just call me norm!

 

[Gotcha6]

The secret to hiding nails in stained trim is to pre stain the wood & then nail the trim where the color is consistent enough to blend a wood filler to match. Preferrably the darker features of the wood.

 

[FredP]

on second thought...... can you drill and screw with trim screws? at least on the sill if your gonna use it as a shelf. then plug the holes with like trim.

fred

 

[MikeL]

And just a second warning on the glue; if you ever have to remove it again for some reason, you'll be replacing the drywall (if that's what it's going up against). Trim that is nailed is easy enough to remove.

 

[nelsone]

I'd nail it if I were you. Get one of those wax sticks to fill the holes.

 

[JimmyC]

I'd nail anyway, but definitely after what Mike said. I know if I had to take the glued piece off, that I would probably peel the paper off down to the floor. That's my luck.:BangHead:

Jimmy

 

[DaveO]

And just a second warning on the glue; if you ever have to remove it again for some reason, you'll be replacing the drywall (if that's what it's going up against). Trim that is nailed is easy enough to remove.

That's my biggest concern. But it has been done in my house (I think) and I haven't had to remove it yet.
I guess you pay now (filling the nail holes and not being 100% happy with the results) or you pay later (tearing up the dry wall trying to remove glued on trim).
I don't foresee this trim ever having to come off, but then I was just fine with what was originally there :eusa_doh::eusa_doh:

Dave

 

[russellellis]

Once on a house in durham that we were renovating, and converting the attic to a master suite, we had to have some curved/arched door mouldings made. WAY WAY to expensive to have it made out of wood, so we used a poly/rubber moulding with the same profile as the 80 year old stuff in the house. To put that up it was suggested to use construction adhesive. MR245 i think it was. So we said what the hey and tried it for the old wood ones we were putting back up. well the next day we were wishing we hadnt done that. it had pulled down over night and ripped the paper off the sheetrock and left a huge glue mess that was impossible to clean up almost.
we ended up using some bar clamps to secure it again and shot it with nails. the poly/rubber ones worked fine though.
i have never had luck using it for any length of time. seems it always wants to shift throughout the year, leaving your miters open.

 

[Bas]

I'd go with nails. Adhesive seems easy, but it's goopy, messy, and you'll see that after you've glued a piece piece on it's the wrong length, or the miter is off, or something like that. Once construction adhesive dries, it fuses with the wall at the subatomic level.

Filling nail holes is not a big deal. You can get filler in a variety of colors that you just smear on, no sanding or finishing afterwards. It doesn't harden, but it doesn't have to. Six months of dust, sunlight, and you won't be able to see the holes.

 

[Gotcha6]

I don't foresee this trim ever having to come off, but then I was just fine with what was originally there :eusa_doh::eusa_doh:

Look at your mailbox, Dave. It probably says 'Mr. & Mrs. Dave O'Nan'. :gar-La;

 

[FredP]

Look at your mailbox, Dave. It probably says 'Mr. & Mrs. Dave O'Nan'. :gar-La;

:laughing4 yaayyaa what he said!:rotflm:

 

[Joe Scharle]

Since it's pine this may be overkill, but the old way used a technique called "blind nailing". Peel up a little trim, nail, glue the trim over the nail head.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Use 18 ga. brads instead of finish nails to attach the trim- smaller hole, easier to putty and hide.

Do not glue the trim- you'll be sorry later if you ever need to take it down. As others have said it will destroy the wallboard.

 

[Steve W]

Joe's got the right idea and I've seen references to the "Peel, nail, set, reglue" technique before. You can use a small chisel and only have to take off a very thin layer. That way, you still have everything securely nailed (better at keeping mitres and joints in-line) and avoid the irreversible problems created by gluing (let's face it -- nothing's forever and you may want to change it by the time you're my age: DAMHIKT).

:kermit: Steve

 

[JimmyC]

Joe's got the right idea and I've seen references to the "Peel, nail, set, reglue" technique before. You can use a small chisel and only have to take off a very thin layer. That way, you still have everything securely nailed (better at keeping mitres and joints in-line) and avoid the irreversible problems created by gluing (let's face it -- nothing's forever and you may want to change it by the time you're my age: DAMHIKT).

:kermit: Steve

What do you mean 'your age', I've met you Steve, and you're not that old. Besides if you glued some thing previously, you wouldn't have to take it down,'cause it's in Mass.:lol:

Jimmy

 

[Steve W]

Thanks, Jimmy :gar-Bi I reckon I've got at least 15 years on Dave, though, and have owned 4 houses now.

The first house I "redid" the kitchen only to "reredo" it five years later. Things I put together had to be taken apart again, so I know. I've also made the occasional construction blunder or lapse of good taste.:elvis: I can right now think of the thresholds I put in between the new kitchen hardwood and the existing, darker hardwood as examples right now. I made them too wide and they don't match the doorway like they should. I should be able to get them out with a block and a hammer once I'm inclined to do it.

My opinion is that glue is for furniture and nails are for construction. Of course there are exceptions to both.

BTW that first kitchen I did in Mass. in 1988 looked exactly the same when I saw it again in 2005. My work has lasted, at least.:eusa_danc

:kermit: Steve

 

[DaveO]

Since it's pine this may be overkill, but the old way used a technique called "blind nailing". Peel up a little trim, nail, glue the trim over the nail head.

Now that's a great idea. It shouldn't be too difficult either. I know I can fill nail holes, but you'll never make them go away. The other trim in my house, which I suspect is glued, looks so flawless without any filled nail holes. Most people won't care or notice, but I will be looking at it with a woodworkers eye
Thanks for all the help and suggestions, everyone :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Dave