DIY Network

Finish Carpentry: Installing Door Trim and Base Molding From "Trade School" episode DTRS-213

Carpentry student Dave Cosme, who wants to become a structural architect, decides to round out his skills as he embarks on an apprenticeship under professional renovator David Ades and master carpenter Steve Couper. The challenge: to give this dated living (figure A) room a complete facelift. From demolition to rough framing and from cabinetry to paint, this project encompasses several trades, but for this apprentice it's the finishing touches that have his full attention.

Dave Cosme

Figure A

advertisement

	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Dave learns techniques of finish carpentry by trimming out the doors and installing base molding in the living room.

Basic Tools:

measuring tape
prefab casing/molding strips
miter saw
nail gun
wood glue
hammer

With the new walls textured, but not yet painted, Steve gets Dave started on the mitered casings that conceal the doorjambs from the rough opening. With Steve's guidance, Dave begins measuring for a reveal, which is the amount of exposed doorjamb. Adjusting for a reveal allows the door to open and close freely. He measures the vertical jambs and across the header (figure B), adding 3/16" on each side for the reveal. (Because the header has two mitered edges, they add a total of 3/8" to the header length).

Dave uses a miter saw to cut the header and two sidepieces for the casing to length. Then, he adjusts the saw to 45 degrees for the miter joints making sure that the inside edges of each piece match his earlier measurements.

With all the sections cut to proper length and angle, Dave is now ready to install. He starts by positioning the header piece slightly off the head jamb for the reveal. Once centered, he affixes it to the head jamb with one nail through the thin, flat face of the trim (figure C). Then, he places a sidepiece into position and aligns the miter joint (figure D). Once aligned, he sets another nail into the header so that it can no longer rotate.

Next, Dave applies a bead of glue in the joint and adjusts the sidepiece for the reveal. Once properly aligned, he locks the joint in place by setting a couple of nails near the corner of the sidepiece. He then bolsters the joints by setting a nail through the sidepiece and into the header.

Using a finish nail gun, he staggers five finish nails into the sidepiece as he works his way down to the bottom. (The finish nails are easier to conceal later with caulk and paint). Dave repeats the process for the remaining sidepiece to complete the door casing (figure E).

With the door casings complete, Dave turns his attention to a simple lesson in base molding installation. Having already measured each section of wall and cut the molding strips to size, Steve locates a stud by tapping along the wall with a hammer until hearing the telltale sound. Next, he marks where the adjacent studs are by measuring and marking across the concrete floor in 16-inch intervals. Then, he places wood spacers on the floor to account for the carpet to be installed later (figure F). Conveniently, the spacers also keep the strips parallel to the floor as Dave nails them into the wall studs (figure G). Dave repeats the process throughout the room to finish the base molding.

In the next session, Dave's trim work continues as he installs chair rails and crown molding throughout the living room.

RESOURCES :

Classic House and Garden
PO Box 371138
Denver, CO 80237
Telephone: 1-303-249-0361
E-mail: ClassicHG@comcast.net