We added a little trim to the desk area to give the cabinets a built-in look. As I mentioned in last week’s Day In The Life post, the goal was simple: attach narrow molding along the bottom of the cabinets to conceal that unfinished gap between the floor and the cabinet faces.
I measured carefully and took a small cheat sheet to the store. When I make angled miter cuts I mark the direction on each piece so I don’t accidentally cut the wrong way. Those reminders have saved me from more than one mistake.
One key constraint: we only had under 3 inches between the floor and the cabinet doors, so standard baseboard molding wouldn’t fit. I found a narrow trim profile at the store that matched what we’d used around our bathroom mirror. Three 8-foot lengths cost about $14 total.
I measured and marked each piece, noting the miter angle so nothing ended up backwards when I cut.
Before cutting, I double-checked orientation and angles. It’s reassuring to confirm everything before making the final cut.
After each cut I tested the lengths and angles against the cabinets to make sure they lined up properly.
Once everything fit, it was time to nail the trim in place. I used small finishing nails, starting them with a hammer and then setting them slightly below the surface with a nail punch. That keeps the surrounding wood from denting and makes the nail heads easy to hide later.
Where gaps or imperfect edges remained, a bead of caulk would tidy things up — just smoothed in with a finger. We haven’t caulked or painted yet, but that’s next on the list to finish the look.
I secured each trim piece to the cabinet with two or three nails, avoiding attachment to the floor so the cabinets can settle independently. The trim color is already very close to the cabinet finish, so painting is optional for now; we’ll likely touch up paint when we caulk everything.
What stood out in the photos, though, was the tangle of cords under the desk. They were undermining the clean, built-in appearance, so we took the opportunity to tame them.
Sherry’s side was simple: two plugs on a small power strip (computer and lamp). Because the outlet sits behind the desk, we were able to tuck the strip out of sight in the small gap between cabinet and wall. The countertop overhang hides that gap so it looks seamless from above.
My side had more gear — a larger power strip, computer, phone charger, external hard drive and a wireless router — so hiding everything behind the cabinet wasn’t feasible. Instead I mounted the power strip to the wall under the counter so it’s mostly out of sight. The strip already had screw notches on the back, so I made a simple paper template to mark the drill locations precisely.
My process:
- Tape a piece of paper to the back of the strip and poke holes through the mounting notches with a pen.
- Position the strip where I wanted it and tape the paper template to the wall.
- Remove the strip, leaving the guide marks on the paper.
- Drill through the paper so the holes are perfectly aligned, install anchors, then screw the strip in place.
- Rehang the strip, plug everything back in, and tuck the router behind the cabinet.
From close up it still looks a bit busy, but when you step back the cords are hardly noticeable and the new trim draws the eye. We still need to hang art, add window treatments and finish arranging desk accessories, so there’s more to do in this room.
Here’s the before shot without the trim or cord organization — the small investment in trim made a surprisingly big difference to the polished look.
For context, here’s how the room looked right after we moved in nine months ago — it’s come a long way in a short time.
We debated adding trim to the side edges where the cabinets meet the wall, but decided the extra cutting required to make it sit perfectly flush around baseboards wasn’t worth it. Half-hearted attempts would likely have looked worse, so we’ll skip that step. Once we caulk the trim corners and fill the nail holes, this desk project will be finished.
Final cost breakdown for our 13-foot, wall-to-wall double desk:
- Cabinets (Habitat For Humanity ReStore): $6.30
- Kilz Clean Start No-VOC Primer: $0 (leftover; would be about $20 new)
- Electric sander & sandpaper: $0 (already owned; would be about $25 new)
- Benjamin Moore Advance paint (Decorator’s White, satin): $40
- Pre-primed & unprimed wood to build up cabinets: $51
- Framing lumber for counter: $27.30
- Stain & polyurethane for top: $0 (already owned; would be about $28 total)
- Drill bit for cord holes in counter: $4
- Trim for bottom: $14
- TOTAL: $142.60
We’ve already started another office project and can’t wait to share the progress — Sherry’s sore, there’s paint in her hair, and the work is far from over. Have you ever added trim to make cabinets look built-in or organized a nest of cords? We’d love to hear about your projects.