installing hardwood
flooring
installing stair
treads and stair skirting
Carpenters often price
a job one of two different methods: the number of
square feet plus extras, or by the piece rate. An
example of square footage might be 75 cents a square
foot plus $1 per foot for shelving. When figuring
piece rate they figure a price for each part of the
job. For example, they might charge $35 to hang and
case a door and baseboard might cost $ 0.75 a foot
to install. Usually jobs priced by the total square
footage result in a lower bid, but it really depends
on the job.
Finish materials have traditionally been made from
wood. If the wood was to be painted a tight grained
wood like pine, hemlock or birch would be used.
Oak has been popular for unpainted finish trim.
Today Medium density fiberboard (MDF) or has replaced
pine for a lot of applications. MDF is straight,
resists shrinking or spliting It comes already primed
and is durable. It doesn't nail as nicely a pine,
and doesn't smell as nice as pine when cutting but
is often less expensive. If you are painting your
trim work MDF is a good option.
Hollow core doors are popular for building today.
These doors come in several variations such as flat
slab, 6 panel, 4 panel etc. These doors are made
from pressed fiber but appear like real panel doors.
Solid core doors are another option but are most
often used in custom grade homes. They are usually
made from pine panels or MDF. Solid core doors can
be stained or painted. They however cost 2-4 times
more than hollow core doors.
If the trim is to be painted, the trim and accessories
are installed immediately after the drywall is textured
. If the trim will be a natural wood finish, it
is usually installed after the painting. When installing
baseboard and trim in natural wood finish, the wood
is stained and varnished before installation. The
finish carpenter will need to return and do "pick-up
work prior to final clean and move in. Where hard
flooring such as vinyl, wood, tile or marble are
to be installed, the baseboard is installed after
the flooring. With carpet the baseboard is usually
installed before.
It is important that the finish materials are installed
properly, especially the doors.
The door should swing freely without binding.
Pocket doors slide freely and close with no gap.
Inside joints are coped, not mitered
No gaps in the joints (> 1/16")