You can make your own easy custom faux “marble” trim

Marble is trendy now and is showing up everywhere. It has always been a classic look but now it is in every color. Mine is in a classic Carrara marble-type design. Because it is such a popular look, I decided to change out my old bathroom countertop to a faux Carrara marble countertop. As with most remodeling jobs, it wasn’t exactly a perfect fit. In comes, a necessary trim piece or caulk.

Filling the gap for an easy trim

There was a bit of a gap between the tile wall and the new marble countertop. This is not an abnormal thing. Caulk is used for these situations. This gap wasn’t extremely big it was a bit uneven. That still could have been covered with caulk. The problem for me was that it was pretty deep and I would probably have to use a caulk filler. Now, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do that. I decided to do something else. Another solution would be to make your own easy custom faux “marble” trim.

Square dowel

You could use whatever size of square dowel you would need for your situation. There are so many different sizes of these square dowels for an inexpensive price point. Any of the big box construction supply stores have these dowels. Even craft stores have these square dowels and even Walmart has different sizes of these dowels. Easily available to everyone.

I used a 3/4 inch X 60 ft square dowel. I could have used a 1/4 inch X 60 ft but I also have other trim pieces in this bathroom that are 3/4 inch. That made it an easy decision to use a 3/4-inch square dowel.

Peel and stick tile

Most big box construction supply stores have different sizes of marble peel and stick tile. You can also use the peel-and-stick from DIY cabinet side pieces. I would suggest that you use the smallest thickness you can find. Easier to cut and apply to the square dowel or any other type of material that fits your D-I-Y project.

Other materials for custom trim

Home Depot has 5 x 7 pieces for $2.99 a piece, Home Depot also has 5 X 12 pieces for $10.98 in a pack, and Lowes has some 12 X 24 for $2.98. In some places, you have to buy in a pack. At my Lowes, you can buy just one or a few from an open pack. That is where I got mine from and it was the 12 X 24.

The reason I got 12 X 24 peel-and-stick pieces is because I wanted fewer seams. Not that the seams are large they are regular seams, you would normally have with putting separate pieces together. I also used a tiny bit of white paint.

Placing it on the peel-and-stick

This is a simple process just put the square dowel on the edge of the square dowel. Then cut with a straight edge down the length of the peel and stick tile aligned with the square dowel. Go slowly and don’t cut all of the way through the tile. Cut as deeply as you can without going all the way through the tile. Don’t worry if you go all through the tile at any point.

Turn over the square dowel with the tile and bend it. The tile should break easily along the edge of the square dowel.

Repeat the process on each side that you want covered for your project. I did two sides and part of a 3rd side. That way you would not see the wood after it was applied to the countertop and tile wall.

You may need to use a small file on the edges of the trim piece if your edges aren’t clean or if they are jagged. Mine were not jagged but I still did it will the smallest file. Although, I would just do it if the piece is jagged. It made little difference in my project.

It is a very simple and easy faux marble trim piece. It can be customized to whatever you would like. I would guess if you want to make base trim I suppose you could do it with this process as well.

Another option – End cap solution

You could choose to use an end-cap solution for $30 to $50. I didn’t like the end cap for cabinetry or countertop it is cheap MDF and not in the shape that was needed. I am sure that the end caps kits that are available work great. Although, I am not so sure about the back of the sink that gets a lot of water. I am sure it will be damaged eventually.

Waterproofing the custom trim

Putting a wood protectant for the exposed wood of the square dowel. I think this is pretty important. However, you may even skip it as this easy custom trim piece will be glued and caulked on the top and bottom of the piece. If done completely there will also be little reason for the waterproofing as those items will protect it.

Easy custom trim piece by the tile

There is a slight gap between the wall tile and the easy custom piece. I did caulk the two edges to make it seamless and I liked it quite well. I used white caulk on the bottom near the countertop and clear on the top near the tile wall. The tile wall is painted and I will do a post on that process soon.

Other ideas I tried

Yes, I did order two marble pieces to be placed there but because it was a real marble it looked strange with the faux marble countertop. Also, it is hard to match the marble. I wanted a light gray vein marble but both of the marble pieces that I ordered were darker gray veined. Also, the cleaning of the real marble would be an issue for me. Which is also why I chose a faux marble countertop.

I hope you realize that you can do whatever you want and with more of an inexpensive price point.