Question for production trim guys

[dbajmf]

I did my first full house trim job and did ok, I have another one now and would like to improve my efficiency.

Do you guys install all of the doors and then full trim out in one room at a time or do you install all the trim throughout the house then all the base, then chair, crown, etc....

I have seen it done both ways...would love some feedback.
Thanks,
J

[ShaneG]

When working alone, I trim in stages. Doors, then windows, then base, etc.
Now days, I always have helpers so it's kinda everthing at once.
One note. If you are working for a "sorry" contractor who wants to bring the painters in on top of you, you can delay them by cutting your base and window parts but not nail them up til the very end.

[Trim Carp]

We group things together: Hang all doors & Adjust exterior doors, Case all windows and doors, Base, etc...

[-_wmp_-]

Im a door, window then base person. Whole house not room by room. This allows me to Cope several baseboards, I feel that im more productive doing repetition because my im focused on one aspect.

[SteveA]

I do window stool/wrap/casing/apron first, then doors/casing, then base (base-over-vinyl rooms get the parts precut and taped up and stored safely); I usually draw a "base map" for the whole house and stand at my chopsaw for a couple of hours and cut/cope like mad. Then chair rail/wainscott (if any); then the specialty stuff like crown, wall cap/trim, and stair/railing work.

After the doors are hung, I like to remove the doors and hardware myself and store all the parts where I know where they are; (Here comes the Rant): One reason is that painters only know what a #2 Philips bit is and not much else. I'm pretty tired of seeing #3 screw heads on bigger door hardware stripped out by morons. They just don't get it. Another reason is painters think it's OK to dismount hardware and leave the parts on the floor, like they won't get kicked around or lost or anything-maybe they've been huffin' too much lacquer thinner lately, you think?

[Nathan Droessler]

Our crew will go into a house and start in a back room or a corner of a house and do everything from doors to base to shelving until all is done, then close the door. The painter then can come in and do any touch up and so on. The best thing about this is that you move in and then you move out, (not setting up twice). Also eliminates the little lose ends that drives the boss crazy..

[iwoodknot]

The most efficient approach is to do all of one particular job before moving on to the next. Each job should build on the previous, while not interfering with future work. Set up a central saw station and do all your cutting there rather than moving the saw from room to room. Most trim carpenters hang doors first, then move on to windows, base, etc. Some install crown first so as not to have doors and scraps in the way. If you also install cabinets and/or counter tops, install cabinets in tight areas first so door trim dosen't interfere with cabinet installation. You will eventually develop a system that works best for you. Approach every house, no matter what size or price range, with the same system.

Paul

[davestrim]

I do all doors, window jambs or stools, wall caps, etc., then case and base afterwards. I try as much as possible to work around problems and solve them after all other production work is done (example: cutting down closet doors). That way, you can stay on a roll, and don't have to mentally shift gears so much. On a very large rambler or multi story house I would probably have to move my setup at least once.

[Wayne Clark]

I set doors, then wrap & case windows, case exterior doors, then mantel(s). If cabinets have arrived, I install them before starting on base. That way, everything that the base dies into is in place. If cabinets show up late(er), I go ahead & base except for the cabinet areas (which is really a pain but usually the norm) & come back to those areas later. I also tend to base one room at a time but may try the whole house thing to see if it is faster for me.

Side note: I ran "Spell Check" (as always) because I wasn't sure about the spelling of "mantel" (mantle). It passed as both! Now U'm relly cunfused!

[jim@miterclamp.com]

Wayne,

Side note: I ran "Spell Check" (as always) because I wasn't sure about the spelling of "mantel" (mantle). It passed as both! Now U'm relly cunfused!

Mantles are the little silk bags inside the coleman lantern that sits on top of the mantel.

regards,

jimc

[Wayne Clark]

Geez, I was hoping it was just one of those things like, "molding" & "moulding". Takes one down a notch to know it's just ignorance! Thanks, Jim! ;)

[Dick Seibert]

Here is what American Heritage says:

man·tle (măn'tl)
n.
A loose sleeveless coat worn over outer garments; a cloak.
Something that covers, envelops, or conceals: “On a summer night . . . a mantle of dust hangs over the gravel roads” (John Dollard).
Variant of mantel.
The outer covering of a wall.
A zone of hot gases around a flame.
A device in gas lamps consisting of a sheath of threads that gives off brilliant illumination when heated by the flame.
Anatomy. The cerebral cortex.
Geology. The layer of the earth between the crust and the core.
The outer wall and casing of a blast furnace above the hearth.
The wings, shoulder feathers, and back of a bird when differently colored from the rest of the body.
Zoology.
A fold or pair of folds of the body wall that lines the shell and secretes the substance that forms the shell in mollusks and brachiopods.
The soft outer wall lining the shell of a tunicate or barnacle.

man·tel also man·tle (măn'tl)
n.
An ornamental facing around a fireplace. Also called mantelpiece.
The protruding shelf over a fireplace. Also called mantelpiece, mantelshelf; Also called fireboard.
[Middle English mantel, as in mantiltre, beam over fireplace opening (perhaps from its use for drying wet clothing). See manteltree.]

[Derrell Day]

Here's my order. Production or custom. (Is there really a difference?)

1. Crown
2. Set & trim doors
3. Case openings
4. Window stools, casing and apron
5. "%&$#*$#&*" Baseboard.
6. That thing around the fireplace.

[finish-works]

For some reason I think Derrell doesn't like doing base.
Not long ago I was asked what part of trim work I don't like. I love it all because a day trimming beats any day drywalling.
CA

[-_wmp_-]

I love it all because a day trimming beats any day drywalling.
CA

I concur! Though my back and knees hate base as much DW, my lungs and skin beat out and make DWing unbearable.