Installed base for door trim - am I insane? - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

wallmaxx · 09-23-2009, 01:32 AM

I was asked to help set some interior doors and do some trim on a house I recently framed. I'm not too busy, so sure.

The guy running the show says that the 2 1/16" wide wood door trim is not what the HO wants. (it has the shape carved into the length of it - sorry, I don't know the proper trim term.)

Instead, they want the same look as the base...which is an MDF 7/16" x 3 1/2" x 16' stock, primed, kinda square with only an 1/8th inch round over on the top and bottom of the outside edge. I mentioned that I thought that the door trim was supposed to be more proud (thicker) than the base, and if you do a top cap trim piece over both side pieces, that it is more proud than the side trim (by maybe an eighth each time).

He said shoot it on. So it did. I had to micro-shim a couple base to make them flush with the side trim but it turned out okay - I guess.

I was giving him a hard time at lunch at the decision he made. I said if I posted this on CT that I would get a "hack" typed as a response in some fashion, from someone.

His response was that everyone online are just posers sitting at home rather than working..........

I don't have pics (I will tomorrow) but we also argued about mitering the inside corners. He said just cut them square and butt them into the wall or the next piece. I said I would agree to at least a miter cut, but not square cut (even though it was a pretty tight joint and only the top little round over would ever give you away). I told him to do his rooms his way and I would do my rooms my way......................well, he caved and we miter cut them all.

I am open to doing something that might seem weird if that's what the HO wants...I just felt like this was odd.

Oh, and then at 5:00 pm the replacement trim showed up to replace the base that we had used up for door trim. They sent out actually 3/4 thick door trim (rather than more base) and 5/4 top of door trim.

too much fun.

bert0168 · 09-23-2009, 05:26 AM

The trim profile sounds like sanitary trim.

Yes, installing butt corners is hackish, mitering inside corners, slightly less hackish. Should be coped.

Same size base and casing, wrong but if it's what the HO wants, it's their house (and dime).

CookeCarpentry · 09-23-2009, 05:30 AM

I was going to say it sounds like sanitary casing.

But usually, doors and windows are cased with 2 or 2 1/4" and base is 3 or 3 1/4".

Still cope inside corners with the base.

**Gus Dering** · 09-23-2009, 07:07 AM

You guys would actually cope eased edge square stock? And it's paint grade.

It only has an 1/8" round over for a profile.

At least thats the way I read it.

I would be inclined to butt the base in the corner a put a dab of goo in the little tiny void. The friggin thing is so small I don't think you would have much of a different result trying to cope it.

The butt joint is easier to control than a 45 as it acts the same as a cope.

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something here

IHI · 09-23-2009, 07:21 AM

Well, when i went through our upstairs i installed oak colonial base on everything, we have a long narrow hallway and 6 solid oak 6 panel doors and i just wanted a more bolder appearance so i opted and installed the base for the door casings, and overall i do like it over the standard 2 1/4" stuff i replaced. Both looked fine, but me personally, just wanted a bolder look with more wood so it was a cheap and easy way to make it hap'n cap'n

Butt joints with anything trim related is the way most homeowners do it, some profiles like above windows with multi facited header sets have to have butts at that intersection, but all base should be coped. It just makes a long term better looking joint that is less proned to showing gappage due to material expansion/contraction and setteling over time, so even though right now, brand new that tiny little gap at the round over would'nt seem like much, in time it "could" open up a wee bit if just butted and caulked and leave a less than professional looking result. Not as fast as butt jointing, but having people talk smack about ya for something like this does'nt take long either when the gaps open up and leaves a less than nice looking joint.

abacab · 09-23-2009, 08:49 AM

I'm no hacker, in fact quit the opposite, but I can't imagine coping for the 1/8" mdf trim on the baseboard that's going to be painted. However I've only used mdf once in 20 years, and they had to hold a gun to my head. I'll use finger jointed primed before I use that stuff. I try not to go with fad products. Just like I rip out all the old fake wood from the 70's early 80's, I'll be ripping mdf out in a few years. Job security I guess.

Mrmac204 · 09-29-2009, 09:52 AM

I saw this on the web somewhere- I couldn't find it later, but it was pretty easy to do and it solved the problem of base being wider than casing. Its essentially just two 45 deg cuts, then trim to width. (the "shoulder" corner is two 22 1/2 deg. the other (45 deg) cut is to make it flat to the wall.)

**genecarp** · 09-29-2009, 10:07 AM

Sounds a bit odd, but if the customer is happy, so am i

. At least he did not want to trim the doors with chairail, i have seen that a couple of times, and it looks like ****. G

WarnerConstInc. · 09-29-2009, 10:14 AM

Coping eased edge square stock is a serious waste of time. Even mitering it is not really worth it.

Butt it all, that is how it is supposed to look.

trimmerdude · 09-30-2009, 09:02 PM

Right on, Gus

NormW · 10-07-2009, 03:19 PM

I was taught that on square stock trim, on doors and windows, to butt the joints. On a lot of the older houses around here it's square stock with a bead on the inside edge. We mitre the bead and then butt the rest. I think it's called a "jack mitre" when done this way. (terminology is probably home brew). I actually did mitre square stock once on the trim, and IMO I think the butts actually look way better once your used to it. I know the "jack mitres" when there is a small profile on the inside edge look awesome.

Heck, while I'm at it. I'll throw one more thing out... I'm probably gonna get scraped up on this one. Outside Mitres on exterior work! I always did outside mitres on square stock... Lately I've been butting the joints, ecspecailly on long joints. After seeing a lot of my mitres open up. Somewhere on this forum, I heard about a "lock mitre" which is made with a router bit, I'm hoping to give this a try. I like the looks of a mitre but I get sick when I see them open up. Hopefully the lock mitre will solve the problem.

Capt-Sheetrock · 10-07-2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gus Dering

You guys would actually cope eased edge square stock? And it's paint grade.

It only has an 1/8" round over for a profile.

At least thats the way I read it.

I would be inclined to butt the base in the corner a put a dab of goo in the little tiny void. The friggin thing is so small I don't think you would have much of a different result trying to cope it.

The butt joint is easier to control than a 45 as it acts the same as a cope.

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something here

your definaetly missing something here

Capt-Sheetrock · 10-07-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrmac204

I saw this on the web somewhere- I couldn't find it later, but it was pretty easy to do and it solved the problem of base being wider than casing. Its essentially just two 45 deg cuts, then trim to width. (the "shoulder" corner is two 22 1/2 deg. the other (45 deg) cut is to make it flat to the wall.)

they call that a "return"

TimelessQuality · 10-07-2009, 06:20 PM

I thought about this thread the other day..

I was working in a 100 yr old home when I noticed this...

Full 1x7

oak, eased top corner, coped tighter than ****

I know this isn't new paintgrade stuff.. I guess they didn't have a little dab of goo back then