Trim carpentry
Crown molding, wainscoting and trim carpentry in Atlanta
New trim changes a plain room more than almost anything else for the money. We install it, fill and caulk every joint, and paint it ourselves, so there is no gap between the carpenter leaving and the painter arriving.
Calls answered 24/7. Crews staged from the Atlanta service office.
- Answered 24/7
- Installed and painted by one crew
- Profiles matched in older homes
Quick answer
Trim carpentry in Atlanta covers crown molding, wainscoting, board and batten, and replacement baseboards and casings. The quality shows in the joints: coped inside corners, glued outside miters and caulked seams that disappear under two coats of semi-gloss. In older intown homes, we match existing profiles so new pieces blend with original trim instead of standing out.
Updated September 2026
The job
Installed and finished in the same job
Most trim jobs are split between a carpenter and a painter, and the handoff is where nail holes stay unfilled and caulk lines go wavy. We install, fill, caulk, prime and paint, so the finished trim looks like it came with the house.
Walls and ceilings are rarely straight. We scribe and shim to follow them, cope inside corners so they stay tight through seasonal movement, and glue outside miters before nailing.
What moves the price
What moves the price of trim carpentry
- Linear feet
More running feet of trim means more material, cuts and joints.
- Profile and material
Wide, stacked or solid wood profiles cost more than stock MDF.
- Wall and ceiling condition
Uneven walls need scribing, shimming or skim coating first.
- Corners and openings
Rooms with many corners, windows and doors take longer.
- Matching old trim
Recreating a period profile can mean combining moldings.
- Paint finish
Painting trim and walls at the same visit changes the scope.
What we handle
Trim we install
Crown molding installation
Crown gives a room a finished top edge and hides the uneven line where wall meets ceiling. Size is chosen to suit the ceiling height, since crown that's too small looks thin and crown that's too big crowds a low room. We cope inside corners rather than mitering them, which keeps them tight as the house moves with the seasons, and we glue and pin outside corners. Once installed, nail holes are filled, seams caulked, and the crown primed and painted to match the rest of the trim.
Wainscoting installation
Wainscoting adds a panelled lower wall to dining rooms, halls and stairways, and it protects the wall where chairs and bags hit it. We install raised-panel, recessed-panel or picture-frame styles, laying the panels out so they're evenly spaced around windows, outlets and corners. The cap rail height is set to the room rather than a fixed number. Everything is caulked and painted in a durable semi-gloss or satin, and the wall above is painted at the same visit if you want a two-tone finish.
Board and batten installation
Board and batten builds a grid of vertical and horizontal strips over the wall, usually in entries, mudrooms, bedrooms and behind beds. The spacing is laid out to the wall's actual width so the end bays match. We smooth or skim textured walls first where needed, since heavy texture shows between the battens. Seams are filled and caulked until the wall reads as one surface, then primed and painted, often in a single strong color across both the boards and the wall.
Baseboard and casing replacement
Damaged, undersized or mismatched baseboards and door casings are common after flooring changes or old remodels. We remove the old trim carefully, install new pieces sized to the room and the door heights, and cope inside corners so they close tight. In older houses we match the existing profile, sometimes by combining stock moldings, so a replaced section doesn't stand out next to the original. New trim is filled, caulked, primed and painted before we leave. Where flooring was replaced, we set the new baseboard to the new floor height.
Your options
Choosing trim material
Three common trim materials and where each one fits.
| Material | Finish | Moisture tolerance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDF | Smooth, paint only | Low | Dry rooms, crown, wainscot panels |
| Finger-jointed pine | Paint only | Moderate | Baseboards and casings |
| Solid hardwood or poplar | Paint or stain | Moderate to good | Stain-grade trim, baths, historic matches |
Around Atlanta
Matching trim in Atlanta's older neighborhoods
In Grant Park, where many 1890s to 1940s houses have been restored while keeping their original character, and in Inman Park, laid out in the late 1880s as the city's first streetcar suburb, owners usually want new trim that looks like it has always been there. That means matching tall baseboards, wide casings and period crown profiles, often by stacking stock moldings, rather than installing the thin modern trim sold for new builds.
What is included
What a trim job from us includes
- Measuring and layout of every wall
- Trim acclimated before installation
- Coped inside corners and glued outside miters
- Nail holes filled and sanded
- All seams and wall gaps caulked
- Primer and two coats of trim enamel
- Cleanup and final walk-through
Step by step
How a trim job runs
- 1
Measure and choose
Rooms measured, profiles and layout agreed, materials ordered.
- 2
Acclimate and protect
Trim left to adjust indoors; floors and furniture covered.
- 3
Install
Scribed, coped, glued and nailed to walls and framing.
- 4
Fill and caulk
Nail holes filled and sanded, every seam caulked.
- 5
Prime and paint
Primer and two coats of trim enamel, then cleanup.
Questions
Trim carpentry questions
MDF is smooth, stable and paints well for most rooms. Solid wood suits stain-grade trim and damp areas like bathrooms.
Yes. We scribe and caulk to follow the ceiling so gaps don't show.
Usually, often by combining stock profiles. Very old or unusual profiles can be recreated more closely.
Yes. Filling, caulking, priming and painting are part of every trim job.
It depends on the room and layout; we give a schedule with the quote after measuring.
Also in Repair & Restoration
Related work from the same crews
- Basement and bonus room drywall
- Glazing putty replacement
- Railing and baluster repair
- Fire and Smoke Damage Repainting
- Drywall Repair
Before you book, read How to Choose a Painting Contractor in Atlanta.
Give a plain room some architecture
Tell us which rooms and what style you have in mind, and we'll set up a time to measure.
Call (470) 887-8741Answered 24/7 from 565 Tift St SW Ste b, Atlanta.
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