Yeah, sanding is basically a gym workout nobody asked for. That’s the main reason I keep circling back to farmhouse style—imperfections actually add to the look, instead of making it seem like you just got tired halfway through. I did one room with clean, modern trim a couple years ago and every little dent or uneven spot drove me nuts. With farmhouse, you can just call it “character” and move on.
The wire brush trick is gold, especially on soft woods like pine. Sometimes I even use an old chain to whack the boards a bit—makes me feel like I’m in some DIY therapy session. The only thing I’d say is watch out if you’re using super rough lumber; splinters are no joke. But yeah, farmhouse is way more forgiving if things aren’t laser-straight or perfectly smooth. It’s honestly made my projects way less stressful.
- Totally get the “gym workout” with sanding. Did my first farmhouse-style window trim in the kitchen last winter and honestly, not stressing about every little flaw was a relief.
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—that’s exactly how I sold it to my spouse when there was a gap in the corner.With farmhouse, you can just call it “character” and move on.
- Used the chain trick too. It’s weirdly satisfying, but yeah, splinters are real. Gloves help.
- The one thing I miss from modern trim is how crisp it looks in photos... but day-to-day? Farmhouse hides my rookie mistakes.
I totally relate to the “character” argument—my partner just rolled their eyes when I called a misaligned joint “rustic.” I get the appeal of farmhouse for hiding small errors, but one thing that bugs me is dust buildup in all those nooks and crannies. With simple trim, it’s so much easier to wipe down, especially in the kitchen where grease seems to find every surface. Has anyone found a good way to keep farmhouse-style trim looking clean without spending ages on it? Or is that just part of the charm...
Has anyone found a good way to keep farmhouse-style trim looking clean without spending ages on it? Or is that just part of the charm...
Honestly, I think you nailed it—"part of the charm" is code for "I gave up trying to keep it spotless." My kitchen windows have those chunky farmhouse frames and, yeah, every groove is basically a dust magnet. I tried using one of those tiny paintbrushes to get in the cracks, but after a couple months I just sort of... stopped caring? Now I just swipe over everything with a microfiber cloth when I remember.
The grease situation is real. We have an open kitchen and somehow oil finds its way onto every surface within a ten-foot radius. The simple trim in our hallway wipes clean in two seconds, but the kitchen farmhouse trim? If I want it really clean, I have to break out the soapy toothbrush. Not happening every week.
On the flip side, I will say the rustic vibe does hide fingerprints and little dings way better than the plain stuff. Our old house had super simple trim and every smudge was obvious. With the farmhouse look, you can pretend it's "patina" or "character," which is my favorite excuse when my mom visits and points out the dust.
If you’re someone who loves things looking crisp all the time, I’d lean toward simple trim. But if you don’t mind a little chaos (or want an excuse to ignore the dust), farmhouse might be your jam. For me, it’s 50% style, 50% laziness.
Haven't found any miracle cleaning hacks yet—unless you count lowering your standards. That works pretty well for me...
I hear you on the grooves being dust traps. We put farmhouse trim in our mudroom a couple years back, and honestly, it looks great from a distance but up close? Not so much. It’s just not realistic to deep clean all those edges every week. I do think the imperfections blend in better though—our old flat trim always looked dinged up. If you’re good with “good enough,” farmhouse has its perks, but if seeing dust drives you nuts, maybe keep it simple.
- We had the same debate when we moved in—my partner really wanted the farmhouse look, but I kept thinking about cleaning.
- Ended up trying it on just one window in the laundry area. Honestly, it does hide scuffs way better than our old trim, but those grooves? Major dust magnets, even after just a few weeks.
- Not sure I’d do it again for high-traffic rooms. Maybe it’s less of a hassle if you’re not picky about a little dust, but I notice every bit... probably overthink it.
- Visually it’s nice, just depends how much the cleaning part bugs you.
those grooves? Major dust magnets, even after just a few weeks.
That’s exactly why I ditched the idea for our living room. We did shiplap trim in the mudroom once and it looked great, but man, those little ridges collect everything—dog hair, dust, even cobwebs. I’m not super picky, but it bugged me enough to regret it. Curious if anyone’s found a good way to keep those grooves clean without spending all weekend wiping them down?
Curious if anyone’s found a good way to keep those grooves clean without spending all weekend wiping them down?
I hear you—those grooves are like little dust highways. I tried the whole shiplap thing in our hallway a couple years back, and honestly, it looked awesome for about a month. Then I noticed every speck of dust, especially with the sun coming in at the right (wrong?) angle. I even bought one of those fancy microfiber dusters that’s supposed to “grab” everything, but I still ended up crouched on the floor with a paintbrush trying to get dog hair out of the corners. Not exactly my idea of a relaxing Saturday.
I’ve seen some people swear by using compressed air cans, like the ones for keyboards, but that just felt like overkill for me. Plus, then you’re just blowing dust around the room, right? Maybe there’s some magic trick I’m missing.
“Even after just a few weeks”—yep, that’s the part that got me. I thought maybe it’d be a once-a-season chore, but nope. If you have pets or kids, forget it. The grooves are basically a magnet for anything that floats through the air.
Has anyone tried sealing or caulking the grooves a bit so they’re not as deep? Or does that just defeat the whole “farmhouse” look? I’m leaning toward simple trim for our next round of windows just to avoid the hassle... but then again, there’s something about those chunky farmhouse frames that looks so good in photos. Wondering if anyone’s found a happy medium—something with a bit of character but not a total dust trap?
I get the appeal of chunky farmhouse trim, but honestly, I’ve found the grooves less annoying than I expected. Maybe it’s just our house, but after a while I stopped noticing the dust unless I was looking for it. If you’re really into the look, I’d say don’t let cleaning scare you off too much—sometimes we overthink this stuff and end up missing out on details that make us happy. That said, if you’re a clean freak or have allergies, yeah, simpler trim might save your sanity.
sometimes we overthink this stuff and end up missing out on details that make us happy
That’s honestly so true. I used to stress about whether the chunkier trim would collect too much dust, but after living with it a while, it’s not as bad as I thought. One thing I noticed, though—if you’re thinking about energy bills, the trim itself doesn’t do much, but if you’re already doing work, it’s a good time to check for drafts around the windows. Sealing those up made a bigger difference for me than the trim style ever did. And yeah, the farmhouse look just feels cozy on gloomy days...