How to install wood trim

Trim is the finish line on a room. The cuts have to match what is already in the house. That is the part most weekend installs miss.

Before you buy boards

• Pull a short piece of what is there and take it to the lumber yard.
• Measure each wall. Do not assume rooms are square.
• Acclimate the wood in the room a couple of days if you can.

The work

• Casing first around doors, then base.
• Cope inside corners on base when the profile is detailed. Miter only if the profile is simple and the corner is truly 90.
• Nail into studs where you can. Fill holes. Caulk the top edge to the wall, not a fat smeared bead.

Call me when

• You are matching old plaster walls that wave.
• A basement or addition needs a full run of base and casing.
• Someone already cut it short and you want it to look like one job.

Trim carpentry service.