Damn I hate trim work

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
No matter how much I measure and how nicely things fit together on the bench by the time I get it installed there are always small gaps or something is slightly crooked.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
I suck at trim work too. But my-brother-the-master-carpenter lives in an apartment here in the compound, so I don't have to attempt to do it myself. ;-)
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
Shims or knife..walls and corners aren't straight and square. caulk and putty are a pain with stained trim.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
And that's the master part of master carpenter. Knowing how to massage those angles on the spot, as noted with very sharp knives and or sanders. Also where to shim the trim to keep it level top to bottom. One reason shoe mold became so popular.
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
No matter how much I measure and how nicely things fit together on the bench by the time I get it installed there are always small gaps or something is slightly crooked.

That's what caulk is for.. No corner is EVER perfect, nor is ANY saw.. and with builders around here 90degrees is more like.. 80 - 100.. close enough..
 
That's what caulk is for.. No corner is EVER perfect, nor is ANY saw.. and with builders around here 90degrees is more like.. 80 - 100.. close enough..

I have been using someone who is a perfectionist when it comes to trim. My house is old, corners and floors at weird angles, nothing level. This guy makes every corner fit just right without caulk. But he is the exception.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
And that's the master part of master carpenter. Knowing how to massage those angles on the spot, as noted with very sharp knives and or sanders. Also where to shim the trim to keep it level top to bottom. One reason shoe mold became so popular.

Yep. My brother has skills; he's been called in to do the ornate trim work in a lot of old buildings and houses, including Porto Bello, for example. Caulk "filling" not allowed.
 

getbent

Thats how them b*tch's R
Caulk and paint make a carpenter what he ain't. I hate puttying the holes and caulking. We just redid ours after we laid new flooring last spring. Looks like I need to go back and redo some of it. Looks like the caulk has sunk in?
 
Caulk and paint make a carpenter what he ain't. I hate puttying the holes and caulking. We just redid ours after we laid new flooring last spring. Looks like I need to go back and redo some of it. Looks like the caulk has sunk in?

Wrong caulk. Have to make sure you get a non-shrinking version.
 

Midnightrider

Well-Known Member
It's all about knowing how to use a coping saw. That takes care of all of the inside corners. Outside corners can be trimmed to fit if you take your time.
 

black dog

Free America
Yep. My brother has skills; he's been called in to do the ornate trim work in a lot of old buildings and houses, including Porto Bello, for example. Caulk "filling" not allowed.

I've seen your brother's work, he's very good at his job.
 

black dog

Free America
That's what caulk is for.. No corner is EVER perfect, nor is ANY saw.. and with builders around here 90degrees is more like.. 80 - 100.. close enough..

It's tough to make a square box with a cheap table saw, a $ 2,000 cast iron cabinet tablesaw and fence system is money well spent.
 
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