Carpentry: Doors, Trim, Deck Repair, Custom Shelving & Wood Rot Repair
Hire a carpenter for precise miter cuts, custom builds, and structural work. Sticking doors are usually loose hinge screws. Deck repair: use stainless or coated structural screws (not galvanized). Wood rot: cut out, treat, fill with Bondo. Murphy beds and custom built-ins are quoted per project.
Carpentry covers everything from "fix this sticking door" to "build me a custom built-in." Where carpentry separates from handyman work is in the cuts — anything that needs precise miter cuts, scribed edges, or matched grain belongs to a carpenter.
The Saws We Carry
Every carpenter has a sliding compound miter saw on the truck. The DEWALT 12" handles trim, baseboard, crown molding, and 2x12 stock with ease.
Brad Nailer — The Trim Game Changer
For baseboards, door casing, crown molding, and most trim work, a brad nailer drives 18-gauge nails almost invisibly into wood.
Door Issues — Usually Hinge Adjustment
Most "broken door" calls turn out to be hinge or strike plate issues. Common fixes:
- Door rubs the floor — top hinge screws have backed out. Replace with longer 3" screws into the stud.
- Door sticks at the latch — strike plate is misaligned. Move it 1/16" with a chisel.
- Door won't latch — same as above, plus check the latch isn't broken.
Deck Repair — Composite vs. Wood
If your deck is wood and over 10 years old, you are in maintenance mode for life. Composite decking (Trex, TimberTech, AZEK) costs more upfront but never stains, splinters, or rots.
For deck repair, the screws matter more than people realize. Standard galvanized screws react with treated lumber and weaken. We use stainless or coated structural screws on every deck.
Wood Rot — Stop It Before It Spreads
Wood rot starts where water sits. Window sills, door bottoms, fascia boards, deck post bases. Fix:
- Cut out all soft, dark, or fungus-stained wood plus 1" of sound wood around it
- Treat the cavity with borate solution to kill the fungus
- Fill with a 2-part epoxy wood filler — Bondo is the standard
Bondo takes paint, stain, and screws like solid wood.
Custom Shelving and Built-Ins
Floating shelves, mantels, built-in bookshelves, window seats — these are the projects that turn a house into a home. Most floating shelves we build run $149-$499 per shelf. Built-ins are quoted per project.
What We Charge
Our carpentry service: custom shelving $149+, door repair $99+, trim and molding $129+ per room, cabinet repair $99+, deck repair $199+, fence repair $149+, pergola/arbor $399+, wood rot repair $149+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a carpenter or a handyman?
Carpenters for structural framing, custom cabinetry, building from scratch. Handyman for hanging shelves, fixing doors, minor wood repairs.
What deck screws should I use?
Stainless or coated structural screws (GRK R4). Galvanized reacts with ACQ-treated lumber and weakens.
How do you fix wood rot?
Cut out all rotted wood plus 1" of sound wood, treat with borate, fill with Bondo. Takes paint and stain like real wood.
How much for custom built-ins?
Quoted per project. Floating shelves $149-$499 each. Built-ins typically $1,500-$5,000+.
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