Matt Risinger’s Secrets to Modern Details

Matt Risinger — who you may know from his wildly popular “The Build Show” series, in addition to all the content on The Build Show Network — has gained nearly a million followers on YouTube showing them how to execute modern, elegant designs with simple solutions. In one of his latest videos, he reveals a few of his secrets to modern details in drywall, like flush baseboards and trimless doors. How does he do it? He chooses Trim-Tex!

Check out the video from Matt’s “The Build Show” below, where he’ll take you though a modern home he’s currently constructing, and shows how you can create modern details and trimless looks in your next project more easily:

As Matt points out, when people think of a modern aesthetic in a home, they’re probably picturing a general lack of trim and a smooth, level-five finish. The first thing to know is that modern trimless details aren’t easy, or cheap. Whatever money you're saving on trim materials, you'll be using up on labor. This is because you’ll have to sequence your trades and labor differently than usual and put a lot of care into your planning phase. But they can be easier and less expensive by using vinyl beads like one of our Reveal/Shadow Beads and Tear Away L Beads.

In Matt’s project, he used Trim-Tex’s F Reveal Bead to pull off his flush trimless bases. These are far more cost-effective than using aluminum reglets for creating reveals in these areas and saves you time by not requiring you to pre-paint them. (Just make sure your baseboards are cut to be the same thickness as your drywall. In this case, both are 5/8” for a perfect level-five finish.) Again, your biggest challenge here will be in the timing of your labor — in Matt’s case, he had the drywall hung first, then installed the reveals along the bottom of each sheet, then installed all flooring before the base trim.

That means, when your painters come in, they’ll have to be extra-careful to mask off all the floors before they get to work. Far from impossible, but certainly more challenging. But the extra challenge brings higher rewards: the final look of trimless bases with the drywall “floating” a half-inch above it is a stunning look that will wow clients and visitors.

Same goes for trimless door casings — in this case, the door jambs will need to be installed pre-drywall. After drywall is hung, your best friend for a trimless door will be our Tear Away L Bead, a very popular solution among drywall finishers. This vinyl bead has a leg that slots right in between the edge of your drywall and your door jamb, helping you accomplish a trimless look more easily.

Once you’ve installed these beads using 847 Spray Adhesive and staples, drywall finishers will find it easy to mud the bead all the way up to its tear-off strip, which serves as a built-in mask for your mud. Once that’s dried, rip away that tear-off strip for a clean, finished edge. Apply a bead of caulk in between that small gap left over in between the jamb and the drywall if needed, then you can paint the entire area (jamb included) all together for a smooth, modern finish.

Be sure to subscribe to Matt’s YouTube channel for more tips on modern details and beyond like these! Reveal and Tear Away Beads are just the beginning of the solutions Trim-Tex has come up with to give you a flawless finish in less time using fewer materials — hit the button below to request a copy of our latest catalog to browse our massive inventory of options for your next project.