Home / Finish Carpentry
Finish carpentry, trim and built-ins
The last five percent of a project is the part guests actually notice. Trim, doors, wainscot, shiplap, built-ins and stairs — cut tight and installed level.
Tight joints are a choice, not luck
Finish carpentry is where a job either reads as professional or does not, and the difference is almost entirely patience. Scribing to an out-of-plumb wall instead of caulking a wedge-shaped gap. Coping an inside corner instead of mitering it so it stays closed when the house moves through a Montana humidity swing. Setting a door with the reveal even top to bottom rather than just getting it to latch. None of that is difficult. It is just slower, and it is what we sell.
The owner of this company is a carpenter by trade — this is the work we came from.
What we install
Baseboard, casing, crown and chair rail. Interior doors, from a single replacement to a whole house, including hanging in existing openings that are no longer square. Cedar wainscot, shiplap and board-and-batten wall treatments. Built-in shelving, benches, window seats, mudroom lockers and closet systems. Stair treads, risers, skirtboards, newels and railings. Mantels, fireplace surrounds and beam wraps. Exterior trim, soffit and fascia when we are on a siding job.
Old houses need scribing, not caulk
Missoula has a lot of genuinely old housing stock, and in an older home nothing is plumb, level or square. Trim that was cut to nominal dimensions will show it everywhere. We measure and scribe to what is actually there, which takes longer and is the only way trim in an old house looks intentional instead of apologetic.
Paint-grade or stain-grade
They are different jobs. Paint-grade lets us fill and caulk a small imperfection, so material cost is lower. Stain-grade shows everything — every joint, every fastener, every grain and color mismatch between boards — so it demands better material, more careful selection and slower installation. We will price both if you are undecided, and we will be straight about the cost difference.
Finish carpentry we do
- Baseboard, door and window casing, crown and chair rail
- Interior door hanging and replacement, including out-of-square openings
- Cedar wainscot, shiplap and board-and-batten wall treatments
- Built-in shelving, benches, window seats and mudroom lockers
- Closet systems, shelving and bifold or barn door installation
- Stair treads, risers, skirtboards, newels and railings
- Mantels, fireplace surrounds and beam wraps
- Coffered and beamed ceiling detail
- Cabinet installation and filler and toe-kick trim-out
- Exterior trim, soffit, fascia and corner boards
- Trim repair and matching in older Missoula homes
Our work
Finish work from our own jobs
Real photos of our own trim, door and wainscot work around Missoula.
Questions
Common questions
Can you match trim in an older house?
Usually. Older profiles are often no longer stocked, but they can be milled to match, built up from stock pieces, or sourced as a close equivalent. Bring us a short offcut if you have one, and we will tell you honestly whether the match will read as seamless or merely close.
Do you build custom or install pre-made?
Both. Site-built built-ins let us fit an actual wall exactly, and pre-made cabinetry is often the better value for a large run. We will tell you which way the numbers point for your project.
What is the difference between paint-grade and stain-grade cost?
Stain-grade costs meaningfully more, in material and in labor, because nothing can be filled or hidden — boards must be selected for grain and color, joints must be perfect, and fasteners must be placed and plugged carefully. Worth it for a feature wall or a stair; often not worth it for baseboard behind furniture.
Will you do just one room?
Yes. Small finish jobs are welcome — one door, one built-in, one stair railing. We would rather do a small job well and be your call next time.
Do you do finish work on projects somebody else framed?
Regularly. We will point out anything in the framing or drywall that will affect how the trim can be installed before we start, so there are no surprises about a gap that was baked in earlier.
Ready for a straight answer on your project?
Free walkthrough anywhere in the Missoula area. Written estimate in 48 hours. No pressure and no sales pitch — just a number you can trust.