Lots of people want and try to do their own finish carpentry. They begin with high hopes and good intentions. They buy books, watch videos, talk to professionals, and use the web for information only to end up with total aggravation.  Failure is often inevitable and they reluctantly end up giving up because their trim work doesn't turn out as good as they expected. They then have to spend precious dollars to hire a professional finish carpenter to come in and finish and sometimes repair the job they have started.  Here are some good tips and general information to help get that professional looking trim work for your project and hopefully keep the aggravation at bay. You always pass failure on your way to success.

 First, when doing finish carpentry work, your attitude and mood directly affects your performance and quality of the trim work. Some of the best finish carpenters have a difficult time doing quality work if they are upset or mad or depressed about something in their life. To prevent this, in the morning before you begin working, take a shower, eat breakfast, put on some new shoes, have a clear mind, be in a fantastic mood and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish. Focus is the key. Having the right tools for the project is also a huge factor for quality. Poor tools can some times produce poor quality. Poor tools can fuel aggravation. So be sure to buy or borrow the best tools you can. Make sure the saws have sharp blades, keep your pencil sharp, your knife sharp and your mind sharp and your work will be sharp. Remember - success doesn't come to you, you go to it.

 Knowing how to use these tools safely and effectively is also a big factor. Practice a while with them before working with them if you are not familiar with them.  Practice making some angle cuts that are involved with trim work. All the different joints and miters can be a bit of a challenge at first - so practice making miters or coping or doing outside corners before cutting and installing the actual pieces. Practice with the different trim pieces like the casing or baseboard or shoe or chair rail whatever the job entails. Practice makes perfect.

 Another factor that can distract you is the environment you are working in. Interruptions like too many people around or in the way, interrupting phone calls, working where it is cold or hot or what ever the case, all of these should be addressed before you begin. Do your best to make it as comfortable as possible. When you get to your working area clean it up and do what you can to keep it clean and clutter free. Walking over wood scraps and cords and hoses is not only annoying but also dangerous.  I once tripped over a hose with my hands full and fell to the floor. I caught my self with one hand hitting the floor and fractured my wrist. The best part is that I am indestructible and that sort of thing never happens to me....Yea Right! 

Your goal is to make it as comfortable and as safe as you can any way you can, given the situation. Even after taking all of these suggestions into consideration this work can still try your patience. There may be times when no matter how hard you try you can't make something work.  When this happens, take a break, clean up, or go start something different, chances are when you come back it will work.  Remember this, wisdom and experience doesn't come without a little suffering and rarely do we experience success without practice. If you take the time to prepare both mentally and with your technique, you will end up with a finished project you can be proud of. 

These days trim wood shrinkage in finish carpentry does cause some problems and has tested the reputation of even the most seasoned finish carpenters. This can be controlled some what if it is properly addressed however the shear speed at which houses get built and the use of new growth lumber these days poses a lot of the problems that are unfortunately some times unavoidable.

Trim wood should be acclimated to the inside environment of the house where it will be installed. This does also apply to the wood of a new wood floor to be installed. What this means exactly is the wood needs time to adjust to the temperature and humidity levels of the house where it will be installed. This in turn reduces the shrinkage of the wood and that helps to keep miters tight and doors working properly. There is much discussion on how long this acclimation period should be and a few variables do come into play here especially with a newly built home. A very minimum of an acclimation period would be 48 hrs. if the environment change of the storage place of the trim wood or the store to the house environment is not a huge difference. Another factor is after the acclimation period it is best to get the wood finished and sealed whether you do it before or after installation.

Ultimately wood is going to shrink and swell according to the seasons. Some places more than others due to the climate differences. The best way to reduce this is to try and keep the environment in the house relatively even with just the temperature although I have seen a new house with new trim work sitting empty with no activity like cooking or showering for a long period of time have major shrinkage in the trim wood due to no humidity. I had trimmed this house and was just sick when I went back for the final; fortunately the builder that I had done the work for understood this problem and took full responsibility. I had been in the finish carpentry business for a long time and had a good reputation of doing good work but some times that reputation doesn’t mean anything to the people that don’t understand these problems.

For the do it yourselfers doing trim work, there are a few things to consider. If you are remodeling or doing renovations to an existing home just simply taking the precautionary measure of acclimating the wood will eliminate the major shrinkage problem in most cases. On new homes it is however nice to know the humidity levels in the house as well as the wood. One easy way to check the wood is with a moisture meter tester. This little meter is relatively cheap or can be borrowed from a contractor that does building or remodeling. The use of a dehumidifier is recommended in a new house or new construction and doing a little research for the moisture content that is recommended for the area that you live in is also advisable. This is due to the different climates in the country and various temperature changes for the different areas. As a finish carpenter it is important for people to understand some of these issues concerned with wood shrinkage whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring a professional to do the work for you ultimately to protect yourself.

Finish carpentry refers to the installation of the decorative wood around doors, windows and base board. This also includes much more such as hand railings, cabinets, stair cases, crown molding, chair rail and can include even more depending on the wood finishing's in the home, office or business. There are many choices when it comes to choosing this trim wood. Let's look at some of these choices. 

Sometimes this trim wood is referred to as molding. This decorative trim wood or moldings come in many types of wood and is not limited to any type of wood. Some of the most common are oak, maple, birch, mahogany, cherry, pine, hickory, walnut and so on. These moldings can also be made of man made materials like high-density polymers. This trim wood or moldings can also be purchased in raw form or even prefinished form. 

This trim wood comes in a wide variety of styles also. Some of the most common styles include ranch style, colonial style, Princeton style (which is close to colonial), Victorian style and so on. You could even create your own style. Some places you may see a home made style is in cabins or lake homes. One thing to keep in mind when choosing your style and this is just a suggestion is to stick with one style throughout for conformity although not necessary. 

These different styles also come in different sizes. Some times in the older Victorian houses the trim wood is quite big. For example, let's say baseboard is commonly around 3" in height (at least in a lot of the newer homes) and in the older Victorian homes it can be as tall as 6" or more in height. This applies to the door and window trim also in these older homes, they liked it big. They not only liked it big but also very decorative. 

One of the next choices would be how this trim wood is to be finished. By this I mean the color of the stain or if it would be painted. If the trim wood is painted you would not need to go with the more expensive hard woods for your trim. Paint grade trim can be for example pine and is much less expensive and going this route of painted trim would cost considerably less especially if you are doing the painting on your own.  

So with all of these choices regarding finish carpentry no matter what is chosen it serves a number of functionalities, adds beauty, and you will have your own distinctive style.  After all the decisions, the installation process is next. If you elect to do your own finish carpentry I have found it to be very very rewarding work how ever it does take a little practice and patience. If you have access to all the right tools for the job and the time, it is well worth doing it yourself and saving yourself a bundle of money. There are plenty of instructions and a lot of good information with tips and tricks on the web to be able to pick up this unique craft without too much trouble without having to be an actual carpenter.  

Finish carpentry is one of the projects more and more people are doing on their own. A few reasons for this are because of money or the lack of money, or because of the availability of all the information that is accessible. Some times even with all the information through books, videos, or the web people still have trouble with finish carpentry. Some reasons for this is because it is a type of craft that requires actually doing it and learning the different variables and problems involved with for example, hanging doors or just every time a stick of trim wood goes up. Some of these variables may include crooked floors, crooked walls, crooked framing or maybe even something like extra wide jambs. Here I am going to give some advice and tips to help explain some of these variables and problems you might encounter while doing your own finish carpentry.

Hanging Doors

I have found that casing my doors on one side before installing the doors makes it much quicker and easier in most cases. This of course does not hold true every time but for the most part it does. Be sure to case the side which goes to the inside of the room. To make it even quicker some times you can order or buy these doors precased on one side straight from the factory, store or lumber yard.

Casing doors or windows

.One common problem when applying casing to a door or window is the jamb does not come out flush with the sheetrock of the interior wall. This is particularly true on outside doors or garage doors. One way to remedy this is to take your hammer and hammer down or crunch the sheetrock down next to the jamb. Be careful as to not damage the sheetrock out past what your trim will cover. If you do, it can be fixed with a little spackle or sheetrock mud but try to avoid this. The idea here is to get the casing as flat against the wall as possible so it is not tipped in toward the jamb. The more it is tipped the harder it is to get nice mitered corners.

For casing windows for the first time

With windows sometimes curtains or window dressings will cover up the trim. Start in the bedrooms or back rooms first or where you think there may be curtains. Casing windows does take a little practice and patience so take your time with the miters. Try to keep your reveal as uniform as possible but if you do need to fudge it a little to tighten up a miter that is ok as long as its just a tiny adjustment. The reveal is not as eye catching as a loose miter. If you look at trim work in restaurants and businesses and other homes you will see a huge variety of the quality of work. Some of the quality is really nice and some is so bad you wonder how it passed. I can almost guarantee yours won’t be absolutely perfect every time so know your tolerances and what your expectations are that you will except from yourself. A good trimmer knows his tolerances well.

Using hardwoods

When using hardwoods such as oak or maple or whatever stay away from knots in the wood when nailing. If you shoot a nail in near a knot you risk splitting the wood. These hardwoods will undoubtedly split on you at one point or another. If the wood splits it can be filled with wood filler if it’s not split to bad and would look just fine. If by chance a piece ends up splitting right off it can be glued and clamped back together without to much trouble and again would look ok. If possible use this piece in an area that is not noticeable such as inside a closet or back side of a bedroom door or some where it wouldn’t be highly noticeable. Keep in mind almost everything can be fixed.

Match your Wood

Let’s say for example oak. The wood grains and color of oak can vary quite a bit so match your trim wood ahead of time for a good uniform look in your work. For the pieces that don't match use them in closets and less conspicuous places or places only you will see like the laundry room, again just not in highly visible places. This applies to all other varieties of wood also not just oak.

Perfect measurements

In finish carpentry to obtain those perfect measurements, set the wood in place and mark the wood. It’s quicker and much more accurate then using a tape measure for the precise cuts at joints and miters. I only use my tape when it is necessary. This is particularly true when applying casing. Very precise cuts are necessary and essential at times.

By using some of these suggestions your trim work will undoubtedly be more professional looking and at the same time may save you some aggravation. A few things to keep in mind while you are working on your project, nothing is  absolutely perfect. Wood filler can and will fix some of the problems encountered. Know what your tolerances are, in other words know what is acceptable of yourself.

In finish carpentry the trim wood around doors is called casing. When casing a door you want to try and get the miters as tight as possible.  A miter joint is the point where two pieces of casing meet at a corner. At a 90 degree corner where two pieces of casing meet each piece will be cut at 45 degrees to make this 90 degree corner. In theory this should work perfectly every time but little variables and imperfections throw this theory out of whack. Here are some tips and tricks to use to combat these little variables for almost perfect miters every time.

In order to have two pieces of casing cut at 45 degrees to make a 90 degree corner the casing has to be perfectly flat. A lot of times this isn't possible because the jamb of a door either sticks out past the inside sheet rocked wall or doesn't come out flush to the inside sheet rocked wall. This causes the casing to be tipped either inward or outward and when the casing is tipped in or out this will change the degree at the corner because of the distance of the miter to close the gaps. For example; if the casing is tipped inward or outward the miter will be open slightly to the inside or outside of the joint depending on how much it is tipped. Chances are you will run into this problem while doing finish carpentry but there is a solution.

In finish carpentry when casing a door or window always start with the top piece of casing. If the casing will be fairly flat when applied in place go ahead and cut each end at 45 degrees with a slight bevel back at the cut so the face of the casing is just slightly longer then the back of the casing. To get this slight bevel at the 45 degree cut slide a small piece of card board under the casing and close to the blade before cutting to slightly lift the end of the casing up the thickness of the card board. This piece of card board should be about an inch or so wide and the length of the width of the casing.

Another technique to get this bevel is to cut the casing upside down at the saw. If you have traditional type casing the casing will be thicker on the outside edge and go thinner to the inside edge. By cutting the casing upside down you automatically will create a natural back cut or bevel to the 45 degree angle cut.

Now you have the top piece of casing tacked in place with the ends cut at 45 degrees, it's just a bit of trial and error now. Cut a piece of scrap casing at the 45 degree angle and hold it in place. This will show you where the gaps are at the joint and you can adjust the miter saw to the correct degree to close the gap. When you have the correct degree adjusted to the miter saw you are ready to cut the next piece of casing that will be installed and have a nice tight miter. Be sure to apply the bevel technique to each cut.

Always apply glue to your miters before making the joint. Then each miter will be pinned together with a small nail at the outer corner so the nail goes through the miter to hold the two pieces together tightly. I use an 18 gauge nailer for nailing the inside of the casing to the door jamb as well as at the outside miter joint. After everything is pinned with the small gun I will use a 16 gauge gun to solidly nail the outer edge of the casing to the wall. When using the bigger gun to finish the nailing process stay away from the miter joint so you don't disturb the miter.

Finish carpentry has many little tips and tricks and these little tricks can have a big impact to the over all quality and the time it takes to finish a project.

Finish carpentry came to be as an artistic craft where exactitude is crucial.  It is mainly interior trim that may come in various works including decorative moldings, casings, fine woodworking, cabinetry, joinery, furniture making but may still be used to amplify beauty in exterior jobs such as decking, siding and roofing.  Because its results is what is most noticeable than any other phase in construction, it is often considered to be the most important part of a remodeling project.  

But other than just a side-job for your home remodeling project, finish carpentry can also be a project on its own.  As it maximizes appeal, your New York home would surely benefit from the boost in overall value.  It is a project worth looking into to bring the most bang to your every home improvement buck whether you are in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island.

There are a lot of possible projects that you could undertake involving finish carpentry and here are several of the most common:

Interior Trim

Trims are closely associated with moldings and can be applied to a good number of interior features like baseboard, pilasters, columns, mantels, pediments, corbels, fireplace surrounds and spandrels.  The simplest trims come as flat boards made to accent a certain area.  Depending on the style that you want to achieve out of your finish carpentry project, different materials can be used such as plywood and battens, panels, frames, bead board, or tongue-and-groove boards.   

Moldings

Moldings, more popularly known as decorative moldings, can add a touch of classic elegance, modern sophistication or simply put—drama into just any room.  As decorative molding comes in a very wide variety of styles and sizes ranging from stock patterns to custom cuts, shop for a one designed to complement with the overall décor of the room.  In a finish carpentry project, even the simplest of molding design can add volumes to the room’s beauty.  

Door and Window Casings

These types of casings are what fill in the gaps between doors, windows and the surrounding walls.  The success of a finish carpentry job where doorways or window frames are to be cased lies in the accuracy in cutting, perfect squaring of corners and right positioning while nailing the rest of the casing.  Though the tasks may seem easy, they are actually a far-cry from what many homeowners perceive them to be.

And now comes the big question- Why hire a finish carpenter?  First off, finish carpentry requires a good eye for proportion and detail, woodworking skills and craftsmanship that only a set of good fruitful years of experience can afford.  Whether working with traditional wood other construction materials manufactured through technological advancements, proper installation is vital.  

If you decide to go for DIY finish carpentry project with savings in mind, then you are on the wrong track.  Why?  Simply because, by doing the job without the needed expertise, you are risking the results probably wasting not only the materials, time, effort and money; but you are also exposing your homes to damages which may be caused by your attempts.  Thus, finish carpentry is best handled by professionals.