Best price on window, floor, door trim

[b4man]

My brother is getting to the stage in his addition to do the trim work. This would be largely done by his sister the woodworker
I'm curious as to where the best buys on this would be. He's here in the triad but if the savings justifies a road trip, we'll take it. Also, does anyone have a strong opinion on wood or fabricated?

TIA

 

[DaveD]

I've been down this road before about 5 times in the last 20 years, both stain grade and painted. I 'love' doing stain grade work. Brings out the craftsman in a person and can make a job really 'pop'.

Id.....
stay away from the borgs and stick to real lumber yards
buy all the material all at once. Different batch runs from the mill can have subtle differences.
buy it all in 12' and 16' sticks. Even better all 16' pieces
pre finish it as much as possible before cutting any of the sticks. At least the priming part.
get a good book on production trim carpentry techniques. The JLC (Journal of Light Construction) site has good ones. Mine are loaned out so I don't remember the names of them.
Stick to real wood. It works easier. I hate composite/synthetic crap.
get a finish nailer that drives 2-1/2" finish. A second gun that does1" or 1-1/4" would really help too.
if she has the confidence do cut lists by room so you make minimal trips back and forth
have a decent miter saw with a real good/excellent saw blade
learn how to cope crown and base moulding
learn how to set interior door frames or pre hung doors.

Personally I'd probably buy from Stock Building Supply or maybe even Capital City Lumber. Although Capital City has high prices.
Be wary of finger jointed material. Sometimes the finger joints will telegraph through or if you have a humidity problem the finger joints can be seen. I'd be more concerned buying it from the borgs than a real lumber yard. Lumber yard should be more consistent.

Trim carpentry should be a pleasure and not a chore to do.
Try not to count on caulking everything in sight. It will lead to doing sloppy trim work.

The trim carpenter will find out real quick about the quality of the framing and drywall jobs!!!

I missed the smiley indicating you would be doing the work!!!

 

[b4man]

Dave, I appreciate the time you put into your reply! Good advice and info:icon_thum

 

[junquecol]

Here in Apex, the ECMD truck stops at both Lowes and Stock with molding. HD uses another vendor. Lowes only stocks shorter lengths(8-12') while HD stocks 16' lengths At Lowes, you have to buy the whole stick, but at HD you can cut what ever length you want. Being able to cut pieces to approximate length can add up to a lot of savings. But choices are limited.

 

[Mike Davis]

Having done some of the trim in my house I wish i had asked Dave for advice. Everything he said would have saved me a whole lot of headaches.

This is one place where buying the best material will save lots of time and frustration.

 

[Woodman2k]

Barb,
Why don't you talk to Rick DiNardo ,at the Moulding Source .Might be a drive from Greensboro but he can make anything and you won't believe the difference in Quality from the Borg's.
Greg

 

[fergy]

I've also been buying my moulding from Rick lately, and it's been great! Were I working on house, and wanted real wood, that's where I'd go.

 

[tharindhu007]

real wood is the best,the specific look , i love it