This list contains all of the supplies I use for installing moldings.
Molding Installation Consumables
Preparation for Paint Consumables
- Primer for Moldings: Sherwin Williams Premium Primer for Walls & Wood
- Spackling for Moldings
- Sanding Sponge
- Caulk for Painted Moldings
Brad Nails, 18 Gauge 2″
- Unit Price: $4.95
- Vendor: Most hardware stores
I’ve never been picky about what brad nails I buy, I just sort of grab what’s available, and I’ve never had a problem shooting any brand nail through my Porter Cable, Senco or Accustet nailers.
Silly as it sounds, the only problem I ever had been shooting Bostitch brad nails through a Bostitch 18 gauge nail gun I bought. Yeah, I returned that gun pretty quick and went back to the other brands.
Liquid Nails, Heavy Duty/Paneling
- Unit Price $2.47
- Vendor Most hardware/paint stores
Both of these adhesives are good for gluing moldings to walls and to each other, and sometimes I really don’t pay attention to which one I use — I just grab whatever is available in the glue isle. The Paneling product is less viscous and so is easier to smear around (good on scarf joints), but for gluing moldings to brick wall or for large moldings like a soffit crown, I’ll always use the heavy-duty adhesive.
Floetrol: Latex Paint Extender
- Unit Price: $7.00/1 qt
- Vendor: Most paint stores
Floetrol is a great product, one I’ve used for many years with great success. In fact, I won’t use latex paint on moldings without it or some other paint extender.
X-I-M: Latex Paint Extender
- Unit Price: $8.99/1 qt
- Vendor: Most paint stores
I’ve only used this product on our kitchen crown molding and door surround, and so don’t have many years of working with it. So far I like it a lot.
Update: Now that I’ve used on two coats of paint on the crown molding and the door trim, I think I may like it a bit more than Floetrol.
Goof Off Glue Remover
- Unit Price $4.17 small 4.5 oz can
- Vendor: Most hardware stores
This is the stuff I use to get the Liquid Nails off of my hands after a day of installing moldings.
It also takes paint off of all the other things I splatter paint, primer or glue on.