How to install box molding on walls

November 04, 2009

For a few weeks, I've been feeling like something was missing in my life...an itch that needed to be scratched. I felt a longing for something, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Then, one day, looking around our house, it hit me...I haven't done a molding project for EIGHT months. 

That's like a millennium in Sarah time. I needed to squelch the need for molding STAT. I knew just the project to attack. I decided to add picture frame molding to the living room so it would continue around the room from our foyer. Here's what I did years ago (the pic is from years ago too):

So I took a trip to the greatest, most amazing place on earth. That most amazing place would be Lowe's. My Squeeeeee-zay Lowe's. When I pick out molding, I lay it out on the floor to make sure it lays fairly flat and straight before I buy it:

This is the part when about 15 sweet Lowe's employees come up to me and ask it I need any help. Little do they know, I am very familiar with my lovely molding. We are tight.
I have been wanting to make a video for you all for months now, but couldn't' figure out the right topic. When I started this project, I realized it would be perfect!!
I'll have you know, I took one take each peeps. No rehearsal. No make up. It's scary.
Things you need to know before watching:
1. My eyes may look like they are as big as saucers, but they really aren't. (I don't think.) For some reason I look like I'm buggin' out. My hubby has always told me my eyes are his favorite feature of mine, but now I'm wondering what he's seeing. All I'm seeing is B.U.G.
2. I guess I have a turkey neck. It's been 34 years and I didn't know this until now. It's really, really pretty, let me tell you.
3. You'll see the back of my head for an extended period of time and my hair color looks really nice. I like it. Hope you do too.
4. I'm trying to decide if I should cut my hair again or grow it out. And it shows. ;)
OK, enough about me and my issues with the videos. The first is introducing myself, like you don't know who I am: I showed you how to cut molding on this post back in March. In this video, I show you how easy it is to get this stuff up on the wall: All of the molding in our foyer was done before I had a nail gun, so you don't have to have one. It just makes the process much quicker! I had my finger on the microphone for the next one, so I had to redo it. I'm new at this peeps, bear with me: Whew, I need a nap. Or a drink. Or somethin'. Be kind to me people. ;)
I will show you the final result later this week! Only one more coat of paint to go and I'm done.
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Comments

  1. You are so awesome....you can even shoot that thing left handed! I MUST get me one!! Thanks for the video. You rock!

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  2. Ohhh laa! I love the video instructions! I am totally visual and like to see HOW things are done. I do like you highlights...too. You are tooo cute Sarah I love you, love the blog. I totally wish we were neighbors!

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  3. I have a big stick of baseboard I bought last year lol. Need to get that put up (hmmmm wonder where that went??)

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  4. Revamped site ... now videos ... you're going Hollywood!!!!

    Seriously ... loved the videos and got to get me a nail gun.

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  5. Totally loved it and was so much better to have you there walking me though each step!

    You totally rock!

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  6. Very helpful. Would love a video on cutting it and your measurements for the boxes!!! P.S. your hair color IS great!!!

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  7. You are too cute! Love this! Great tutorial, and we got to see your fab hair color and hear your accent...what...what accent? Say "Minnesota"...just say it...for me ;).

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  8. I had to copy your molding project in on your wall (the boxes above your couch) It turned out great except I couldn't get the square right! I love all your molding projects! Great video

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  9. Prepare your HUSBANDS?

    I need to prepare my WIFE!
    You made me want a nail gun SO BAD!

    Thanks for the great tutorial, and the moulding looks fantastic!

    Kevin

    PS...Does my comment make me a "thrifty chick"? :-) j/k

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  10. ;) You're hilarious! Love the videos- I doubt anyone will be 'mean' to you! We all appreciate the lesson! Thanks~

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  11. Okay, can I just say that I am so going to put molding in my new house just so I can watch your video over and over again!

    You are TOO CUTE!

    And you make me LOL that you said you looked like BUTT! One because you SO didn't look like butt, but two because that is so something I would have said about myself!

    Have I mentioned lately that I love you and your fabulous blog!

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  12. I love nailguns!!! Thanks for the video~it was very informative!

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  13. I have the mitre box like yours...now I am coveting the nail gun. Love the videos and your hair color is great.

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  14. Okay, I have to agree with Mr. Lettered Cottage. I think a nail gun is on my Christmas list.

    And would I sound like a crazy stalker if I tell you again how much I adore you! ;D

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  15. Nice! I am a bit power tool phobic but you made it not scary.

    And the back of your head looks FABULOUS dahling. Seriously.

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  16. Good Job! It's nice to put a voice with a picture and words. So now when I read your blog, I know what you sound like!

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  17. Sarah you are just the cutest! I would never be brave enough to put a video of myself on my blog.
    You rock!

    Great job telling us about the molding. I want it in our formal dining room now. Let me go call my husband. He! :)

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  18. As another person commented, you used your left hand?! I was sitting here watching thinking, huh? And then right on over to your other hand! Great job...you make it look easy!
    Janell

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  19. Great videos! I like your hair the way it is, so I say grow it out? I'd love to see a video, or even just a picture of the finished edge of your chair rail sometime. I'm so going to do molding in my new house after our move!

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  20. Ok, it's settled. I'm doing my living room. Thank goodness my hubs has a nail gun. He'll be jealous that I'm using it and not him.

    Great job with the videos - you are so much fun!

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  21. Sarah you are my handy-WO-man! Thanks for that. My dad too will totally rearrange Lowe's to find the best pieces of any kind of wood, hehehe.
    Anyways I've got to ask you, and forgive me for my ignorance. . . the molding we can see in your top pic- how are you doing that? I mean the white background? Have you painted everything below the chair molding white? Or is there actual wood there? I've always wanted to do that.

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  22. Thanks for the video. Now I am thinking you should do a video for all the projects.. hehe j/k.
    You are truly gifted!!
    Make it all look so easy..Thanks!!!

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  23. THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU for making these videos. I've been wanting to do our living/dining room with the chair rail / box and these little extra tid-bits make me feel more confident. Your hair color is beautiful & I like your hair length & NO you do not have a turkey neck! Thanks again for imparting your molding wisdom for all of blogland :-)

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  24. So fun to finally put a voice with the face! :) Loved the videos...keep 'em coming!

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  25. Ha ! You don't look like butt at all. But you totally make me laugh. I love that you shoot your own video without help, just like every other marvelous thing you do !

    Great videos girl !

    P.S. Hair = cute.

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  26. First Video: I spent the first five minutes AFTER watching this laughing. It's so nice to hear someone else say "I look like butt" and several times at that!
    Second Video: Still rolling on the floor laughing. Living in Los Angeles, I get giggled at for my "sayings" and "I look like butt" is one of them. Sorry. Moving on. This video was done really well. It made complete sense to me and as a complete beginner living in an apartment, that says a lot. Then I started laughing again at your comment about the nail gun. I'm known for being a klutz so I can't wait to see the looks when I buy one for myself.
    Thank you. These videos were wonderful to watch. And you don't have bug eyes, you don't look like butt and you were enjoyable to watch and listen to.

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  27. THANK YOU! Those videos really inspire me to finally get to doing some molding projects. What do you use to cut the foam chair rail? Can you use the miter box for it? Thanks again! Btw, you look lovely, especially for not primping! :)

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  28. You do make it look so easy. I really do have to try this. Thanks for the video. Hugs, Marty

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  29. I could get used to this! I loved watching you and seeing just how easy doing molding is. I've always loved molding. I guess it stems from our apartment days when they had chair railing and molding all over the place. I can't wait to ask my husband for a nail gun, and a few other tools. I bet he gets turned on...you know men. ugh! TMI sorry. Anyway, I have so many places where I want to do molding and NOW I KNOW I can do it!

    THank you, thank you, thank you for sharing!
    Cristina

    PS If that was you looking like butt it was a nice butt
    pps the back of your hair was nice too!lol!

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  30. Thank you so much for posting this!! My husband and I are working on a stairwell project and doing this type of molding up & down the stairwell! Can you come hold our hands :)

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  31. How cute are you?! I totally wish we were real life friends - your videos were great! I love that foam stuff too, it's so much easier to cut (I'm all about quick and easy!).

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  32. Oh you do NOT look like butt...that is going to be my new fave saying though. Thanks for this...I have foam molding lurking in my foyer waiting for me to give it a try. Home depot told me it had to go into studs...that's part of what's holding me up cause what if the studs aren't where I want the molding?? But after watching your video I don't think I need to nail into studs. Right?

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  33. I love it! You did a great job, AND you said "butt" twice. I giggled. :)

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  34. First-hair color is great!
    Second-great job on the one handed video.
    Third-awesome molding! I love putting up molding and I hope this gets more people to try. My tip, paint prior to cutting and once it is in place on the wall you only have to touch it up.

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  35. you are so cute! It's fun to actually hear you talk the way that you write (probably visa-versa, but not to me!) one question though... how wide is your level? because I would be soooo tempted just to do that distance between all of my boxes an the door frame... would it work?

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  36. PLEASE share where you got the foam molding from...Lowes?

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  37. Foam chair rail? WHHAAT? My hubs & I just bought chair rail last night at the Lowe's for a dining room project and had I read this prior to our visit I would have been better informed. Now I need to know where you got it. It may be a better/safer bet for our skill level ;) Also nail guns...are they super expensive? Will one cause my husband to "make up" projects he needs to do just 'cause he has one? These are the important questions...help a sista out :)

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  38. You have encouraged me to try this. I love molding as much as you and now I simply MUST. HAVE. IT. I really love your video. It is so much easier to understand how to do something when you view it instead of read about it.

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  39. You are too cute! Love the hair color! This video came just in time, because I will be redoing my master bedroom soon and have been contemplating adding molding and a few other touches on the walls and ceiling to add some warmth and character. Right now everything is removed from the room and I have a completely blank slate to work with.

    Thank you for sharing your talent with us!

    ~ Tracy

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  40. Wow, your blog today was exactly what I needed. I started my beadboard project last Fri and today I got up before my kids (miracle), brought my breakfast to the computer to research how to put up my chair rail, AND THERE WAS YOUR BLOG with this fabulous video! Thank you so much!

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  41. I am adding a nail gun to my Christmas wish list....can you tell me what kind you use?
    Thanks
    Laura

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  42. Oh my THANK YOU! I can't wait to try this! We're going to move into our first house next week and I have tons of plans with moulding, but I'm planning on doing it in our living room first to see how it goes and if I can do it! Thanks again I love your blog!

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  43. Is this perfect timing or what?! You know I'm afraid of molding but I'm deperate to install some. AND I'm at the point in my DIY M-bath redo where I have to get molding to frame the mirrors, or pay a fortune to a framer. So, molding from Lowes is on my list of projects for next week, once I plan to take a couple of days off. I can't wait to see your video.

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  44. Good job :-). And I like that you said you like your hair color (I do, too). Most of the time people just pick themselves apart!

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  45. Haha! I always lay my wood on the floor at Lowe's/Home Depot to make sure it's straight and they look at me like I'm crazy! Glad to know I'm now alone.

    I would love to see a picture of what you put behind the trim in the last video.

    I think I now have the courage to try out this project. Thank you!

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  46. i so want to do this in my living room!!! thanks for making me feel like i can do it...now i just have to convince my hubby that i can! ;)
    i hope you didn't already answer this, but how high off the floor do you make your chair rail? i've seen so many different heights, but wondering what you prefer.

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  47. Sarah, your so darn cute and I loved getting to see you in video...I have yet to be brave enough. ;) This is just what I needed to see today! We are getting ready to add all kinds of molding on our remodel and my honey even got the power miter saw...excited to see how it will all turn out! Love all of your molding, beautiful! Thank you for your sweet message of thanks about my husbands service, very much appreciated. Hugs and love friend!

    ~Victoria~

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  48. Thanks Sarah for the wonderful instructional video! That was awesome & you are soooo Cute! Love your eyes & hair color. YOu are so thoughtful to share this video with us. Bonnie

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  49. very informative and p.s. you're adorable!!! No B.U.G. about it!

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  50. Sarah, i love both of them and can't believe how easy it is to crown molding now. I mean I always knew it is easy when you wrote about it, but nothing compares to seeing it as it's being done. Wow. Please keep more videos coming - and if that's you without makeup, then girl you are blessed! Seriously!

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  51. SO glad I found your blog!! Definitely keep the videos coming! Thank you so much for sharing! You are an inspiration!!!

    Heather

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  52. I love that you did this! I Just got a house and all the molding is the HIDEOUS brown molding and I wanted to change it out but seriously had NO idea how to even go about it! You seriously answer evry question I have with all your posts...I LURVE your blog and you are the cutest thing ever!

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  53. I love that you did this! I Just got a house and all the molding is the HIDEOUS brown molding and I wanted to change it out but seriously had NO idea how to even go about it! You seriously answer evry question I have with all your posts...I LURVE your blog and you are the cutest thing ever!

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  54. Loved the tutorials! Of course, I'm asking for a nail gun for Christmas ~ if I don't run out and buy myself one sooner!

    Love, love, love the hair!

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  55. Whaaaa! This is amazing! I am so PROUD of you!! Yay. I feel so much closer to you now...does that make me a total creeper?? Bahaha! It is nice to have a voice to go with the profile pic and querky sense of humor. It is amazing. I love it. Thanks a million!

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  56. Girl, THAT was the most entertaining instructional video I've watch, EVER! Love the hair color, BTW. :) Thanks for sharing your skills.

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  57. Okay...so I am watching you installing the moulding now and I just had to pause and leave you a comment that I am coveting your nail gun! Can you tell me your exact set up so that I can tell Santa? :o)

    ...going to watch the rest of the video now. You are so cute!

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  58. You are too cute!! You totally cracked me up when you said you looked like "Butt"!

    You were right, I want a nail gun!! The tutorial was great (especially for your first go round and all by yourself).

    BTW, your hair is great.

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  59. Great job! So no wood glue huh? Seems easy enough! I think I may try this in my dining room on the bottom half under the chair rail. Need to get me one of those nail guns. Oh, I'm a hair stylist and I like your hair color too!

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  60. You are darling and brave! You did a great job. I loves it.

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  61. VERY Good job for your first video!! I think you are a natural. I really love molding, but have been scared to try it by myself. I think it really adds to the walls and makes the value go up as well. Thanks for the tutorial.

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  62. Thanks for this post! I always DEPEND on my husband, so I have to wait for him to do it (he is very willing though). But now I know I could do it by myself, that is awesome! Love the video even if you felt like a nerd :)

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  63. i need to tutorial on the cutting part asap. i have wanted to do this in our guest bedroom forever and i never thought it was so easy.... but I am not so handy with a circular saw so i will def be needing some tips. would love to have this does as a surprise for the BF when he comes home from his weekend trip next weekend!
    hope thats not your last video! very sweet :)

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  64. Ok, so I've watched the first video about 6 times and it CRACKS. ME. UP!!

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  65. Sarah, it was fun to watch these videos, mostly because it was SO NICE to hear your voice. I "hear" your voice often--I read every one of your posts, so I will "hear" you say this or that a lot. Now I know the real sound of your voice to go with the voice in my head! How cool is that?!

    I have to admit, though--now I really, really want a nail gun. How much do they cost?

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  66. This is awesome! I was just finishing up a kitchen island project with molding when I saw this post - perfect timing!!
    Now for some molding on the dining room walls.... wanna help??

    haha - just kidding!!


    Danielle

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  67. Okay, here's one for you! My husband and I hung cabinets in our laundry room and we have molding to put up around the top to "finish" them. The molding corners go in and out and for the life of him, he can not figure out the inside corner. Do you have an answer for that one. Oh and we have big man tools at our house, no miter boxes, a miter SAW. That thing scares me to death but if you could tell me how to 'work the angles', I'll do it myself! I WILL! I SWEAR TO YOU I WILL!

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  68. nice highlights LOL

    sweetjeanette.blogspot.com

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  69. ok me again... you said it was foam...do you nail it or glue it? I've wanted chair rail for a million years, ok, not a million, but at least 100!

    sweetjeanette.blogspot.com

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  70. Super good job so far. Keep going. Really like the video. It's always worth to come to your blog. Always something new to learn from you.

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  71. Sorry for posting so many times. IE8 locked up on me while trying to publish my comment and I re-tried and re-tried it. Sorry for that. I for sure don't spam!

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  72. it's that easy? very cool!!! thanks!
    p.s. your eyes def don't bug out - you need to see mine lol

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  73. Ok.. Totally stupid question, but...

    Your walls look totally smooth. Mine aren't :( Would it look goofy on a knockdown textured wall? Maybe I just can't picture it... but I don't want to invest time and money adding this to my house if it's gonna look funny...

    I love it so much, and I need it in my house though!!

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  74. Your videos are fantastic!!! I've been 100% clueless about how to install moulding up till now, and your videos were so helpful! I hope you post more in the future! :)

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  75. I need to get a nail gun for shtuff--what kind do you have and do you like yours? Thx.

    Gail D.

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  76. Thank you so much for posting this video. I just built some boxes on our walls and this was my go-to guide! Thank you!! (If you want to see my finished product, feel free to visit here: http://racksandmooby.blogspot.com/2011/07/boxes-on-our-walls-part-4-assembling.html) I've linked back to your video! :)

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  77. Nice tutorial Sahra! Decorating with mouldings can just get so addictive. Do you have any other moulding projects in the works?

    Thanks for the great video!

    Cheers,
    Ken

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  78. Hi!! I LOVE your blog!! I just found you a week ago and I'm addicted!! You've inspired me to do so many projects I have been putting off :-). Is this molding video still available? I can't find it. Thanks! Email kellybanana@yahoo.com

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If you have a specific question I will do my best to answer you back here!

You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!