Woodwork Mastery: February 2025

Our kitchen has a cozy little eating area surrounded by five big windows, which sounds great—until you realize they were covered with cheap, malfunctioning shutters. Not only did they look better from a distance than up close, but they also made opening and closing the windows a hassle. So, it was time for an upgrade with DIY Custom Window Casings!

The Plan: A Full Window Trim Makeover

I knew we wanted to ditch the shutters, and shades seemed like the best replacement. But not just any shades—smart motorized shades! Enter today’s sponsor, SmartWings, but we’ll get into that later. First, I had to tackle the window trim.

When I removed the shutters, I found that the windows had drywall returns. That meant I had a choice: slap some new trim over the existing drywall or go full-send by removing the drywall returns and making new ones as part of the window casing. Naturally, I chose the harder route in the name of quality.

Designing and Building the New Window Casing

To ensure a clean, professional look, I designed a two-frame system:

The jamb frame sits against the window.
The outer casing frame sits on top for a finished look.

Since nothing is ever perfectly square in a retrofit, I left a small gap that would later be covered with trim. I milled poplar for the job (since it would be painted) and carefully cut each piece to size.

One detail I paid extra attention to was the casing width. Because the windows are tall, I made the top and bottom rails slightly wider than the vertical stiles for a balanced look—just like on high-end doors.

Assembly and Installation

The jamb frame went together with butt joints, glue, and 18-gauge brads, ensuring everything stayed square. The casing was assembled with Dominos for extra strength because one of my biggest pet peeves is trim that separates over time.

Before installing the frames, I sanded and painted everything—primer plus two coats of paint. The biggest challenge? Waiting for the paint to dry when all I wanted was to get these things installed!

Once dry, the frames went in, but not without a little persuasion. Some old caulk and drywall mud buildup caused small gaps, but a quick pass with the sander fixed that. Instead of relying on caulk to hide imperfections, I used thin trim strips for a cleaner, more professional finish.

The Finishing Touch: Smart Motorized Shades

To complete the project, we installed SmartWings motorized shades in a 70% light-filtering white fabric. Ordering was simple, and the shades came with everything needed for installation, including mounting brackets, a remote, and a solar charging strip.

Setup was a breeze:

Attach the brackets to the window frame.
Click the shade into place.
Connect the solar strip to keep the battery charging.
Program the remote to control all five shades individually or together.

With Matter compatibility, these shades integrate seamlessly with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and other smart home systems. I even set up automations so that:

Morning sun is blocked just enough for comfortable breakfast lighting.
Later in the morning, the shades fully open to give my plants some sun.
In the evening, the shades close completely for privacy.
Voice control lets me adjust the shades on command.

Final Thoughts

This project was a total success! We now have beautiful, custom window trim and smart shades that enhance both privacy and convenience. Even our dog, Abby, approves—she still gets a clear view to keep an eye on those pesky squirrels!

A huge thanks to SmartWings for sponsoring this upgrade, and to all of you for following along! If you’re considering a similar project, I highly recommend upgrading to smart shades—it’s a game-changer.s