What this covers
Finish carpentry is every piece of wood you see and touch: door and window casings, baseboards, crown molding, chair rail, wainscoting, mantels, built-ins and stair parts. The carpenter measures and cuts each piece to fit the room as it is, copes inside corners, miters outside corners, fastens with finish nails, and fills and caulks so the painter has a seamless surface. Stain-grade work is fitted even more closely because filler shows.
When to call
- New drywall or doors that need casings and baseboard.
- Trim removed during a rebuild that needs replacing to match.
- A room you want to finish to a higher standard than builder-grade.
What to expect
- Select and matchProfiles are matched to existing trim or chosen new; paint-grade or stain-grade decided.
- Cut and fitEach piece is measured, cut, coped or mitered and test-fitted.
- Fasten and fillTrim is nailed, joints glued, and nail holes and gaps filled and caulked.
- Ready for finishThe painter or finisher takes over, and you check the result.
Get a certified company
Look up a certified company by ZIP code. Every company's license, insurance and trades are verified before it is listed, and placement is never paid.
Questions people ask
What is coping?
Cutting the end of one piece of trim to the profile of the piece it meets at an inside corner, so the joint stays tight when the wood moves. It is a mark of careful work.
Can old trim profiles be matched?
Common profiles are stocked; others can be milled to match a sample. The company shows you the match before cutting.
Paint-grade or stain-grade?
Paint-grade uses primed finger-jointed wood or MDF and is filled before paint. Stain-grade uses clear solid wood and tighter joints because nothing hides.
Related: Crown molding installation · Baseboard installation · Interior door installation · All carpentry and trim
This page describes what the service involves. The company you hire sets the scope, the schedule and the price, and your contract is with that company. We verify credentials and collect reviews from real jobs. We do not guarantee any company's workmanship. Safety steps are general guidance. When in doubt, leave the home and call 911.