Interior Trim and Carpentry: what a handyman does
A handyman can reattach loose baseboard and door casing, replace damaged sections, close open corner joints, add shoe molding, fill nail holes and caulk gaps so the trim is ready for paint. Custom millwork, historic profile matching and anything that changes walls or framing belong to a finish carpenter or contractor.
Jobs we take on
Tap one to add it to your list.
- Reattach baseboard and door or window casing that has pulled away from the wall
- Replace a damaged section of baseboard and fit it to the existing height
- Recut inside corners with a coped joint when mitered corners have opened up
- Scribe baseboard to a floor that is out of level so the bottom edge sits tight
- Add shoe molding or quarter round to cover the gap at the floor
- Fill nail holes and gaps with wood filler, then caulk joints with paintable caulk
- Install new casing around an existing door or window opening
- Install simple crown molding or chair rail in a room
- Repair split casing and trim damaged during a door or window repair
Signs it is time to call
- A corner joint has opened into a visible gap that gets wider in winter
- Baseboard is pulling away from the wall or moves when you push on it
- Door casing has split near the nails or cracked at the mitered corner
- Raised nail heads show through the paint along the trim
- A wall that is not flat leaves a gap between the baseboard and the plaster or drywall
What is not a handyman job
Custom built-ins, matching old or historic moulding profiles that are no longer made, and full-house millwork packages are for a finish carpenter or a millwork shop. Rebuilding rooms, moving walls, framing and any structural work are remodel work and out of scope. Trim that hides a water problem needs the leak found and fixed by a licensed plumber or roofer first.
Plumbing, electrical and roofing go to licensed independent contractors.
What a visit looks like
- We look at the profile and height of the trim you have and talk through what will match it.
- New trim wood does best when it sits in the room for a few days before it is installed, so ask us how timing works for your job.
- Nail holes and gaps are filled and caulked so the trim is ready to paint. Full repainting is a separate job.
- Cut pieces and dust are cleaned up when we finish.
Common questions
Why do my trim corners keep opening?
Wood expands and shrinks with humidity and temperature, and a mitered inside corner tends to pull apart as it does. A coped joint, where one piece is cut to follow the profile of the other, is less likely to open up over time. Outside corners are still mitered, usually with glue for extra strength.
Can you match my existing baseboard?
Often. Many profiles are still stocked at lumberyards, and a sample piece makes it easier to compare. Older or unusual profiles may not be available, and those are made by a millwork shop. We can tell you which case you have once we see the trim and, ideally, a piece of it to match.
What do you do about gaps against crooked walls?
It depends on the trim. Thin trim can sometimes be flexed to follow the wall, while thick trim cannot flex, so small gaps are filled with paintable caulk. For a floor that is out of level, the baseboard can be scribed so it sits tight while the top edge stays level.
Do you paint the trim afterward?
We fill, caulk and prime or touch up what we install so it blends in. Painting a whole room or all the trim in a house is a bigger paint job and is quoted as one. Tell us how much painting you expect when you book so the visit is planned for the right amount of work.