You can use trim to hide drywall seams at the corners of windows and doors and along the point where the ceiling meets the wall. However, similar to painting drywall seams, it is best to properly tape and patch all seams. Taping and sealing drywall joints provides increased fire resistance to your walls and helps prevent infiltration by water and pests.
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How Do You Hide Drywall Seams with Trim?
In order to hide visible drywall seams with trim, first, assess where the seam is. A seam near an unfinished window or door can easily be covered by adding trim. Seams where the ceiling meets the wall can be hidden behind crown molding.
- Cover drywall seams around doors and windows with trim.
- Hide visible seams at the ceiling level with crown molding.
- Avoid using trim in corners of rooms or in the middle of walls.
Trim should not be used to hide drywall seams in the middle of the wall, or in corners where two walls meet. Trim used in these places has an out-of-place appearance and an unfinished look. It’s much better to take the time to properly finish drywall joints rather than cover them quickly with trim.
How Do You Hide a Drywall Joint in the Middle of Your Wall?
If you wish to reduce the number of visible drywall seams in the middle of your wall, you can install your drywall horizontally (with the long side of the drywall panels parallel to the floor). This creates a continuous horizontal seam about 4 feet high. You can install a 1×4 board over this horizontal seam as a chair rail. Below or above your chair rail, you can install wall paneling to hide all the drywall seams in an area.
- Use a chair rail to hide a single horizontal seam.
- Use paneling to cover drywall seams entirely.
- You will have drywall seams throughout any newly constructed wall or ceiling. Covering all of them with trim is expensive and impractical.
Drywall joints will be present in more places than just the corners and edges of your wall. No matter how you install your drywall, you will be left with both vertical and horizontal drywall seams. Additionally, you will have visible places where drywall screws were used to secure the drywall sheets to the wall studs. Covering all of these with trim is a nearly impossible task. It is much less expensive and results in a better-finished product if you finish the drywall properly with drywall tape and joint compound.
Do Drywall Joints Have to be Taped?
It is essential to tape and seal drywall joints properly. This process isn’t just for aesthetic purposes. Drywall is an excellent building material because it is fire-resistant, but it can’t provide this fire protection if it isn’t properly taped and sealed. Additionally, properly sealed joints keep water, insects, and rodents from invading your walls, where they can cause real damage to your home.
- Tape and seal all drywall joints.
- Properly taped drywall joints have increased fire resistance.
- Taped drywall prevents moisture from infiltrating walls, where it could damage wiring and wooden wall structures.
- Untaped seams are prone to invasion by insects and other pests.
Even drywall joints that will be covered by trim should be taped and mudded. If you are not concerned with the look of the space, simply do a single coat of paper tape and drywall mud before covering the rough seams with trim. This will protect your home in the long run.
How Do You Cap Drywall Edges with Trim?
In order to properly cap drywall edges with trim, install a window or door frame in the opening. You can purchase a prehung door that includes the frame, to make installation much easier. Then, once the door is installed, nail trim to the studs around the door or window, making a seamless door frame with trim. This will hide the edges of the drywall.
- To cover drywall edges with trim, first, install a framed door or window.
- Install trim at the edges of the door or window.
- If you want to hide drywall edges at an open doorway without a door, replicate the doorframe look by installing trim around the edges of the opening.
You may not wish to install a door in every opening in your home. Hallways and living rooms may have open entryways. In these cases, you can hide the drywall seams at the edges of the entryway by installing trim around the opening.
How Do You Cover Drywall Seams Using Trim?
You can use trim to cover drywall seams in the following places:
- Around doors and windows.
- At the edges of open entryways.
- Where the wall and ceiling meet.
These are all places where a drywall seam can be covered by trim. However, drywall tape and joint compound should still be used on all joints, whether they will be covered or not. It increases the safety and durability of your structure. Remember to use trim sparingly on drywall joints. Adding trim to seams in the middle of the wall seldom looks good or turns out as elegantly as properly finished drywall.
