Trim Installation Cost Calculator

Trim and molding installation runs about $2 to $12 per linear foot installed, covering both the trim and the labor. Simple paint-grade baseboard is $3 to $6/ft, door and window casing $4 to $8/ft, crown molding $6 to $12/ft (more because of the overhead work and miter cuts), and wainscoting $10 to $20+/ft. A single room of baseboard, casing, and crown can total a few hundred to over a thousand dollars, and a whole house runs into the low thousands. The main drivers are the linear footage, the trim type, the material, and whether painting or staining is included.

Crown is more labor-intensive at almost every step. It's installed overhead at the ceiling line — slower and harder to work than baseboard at the floor — and it sits at an angle across the wall-to-ceiling corner, so the miter and coped joints are trickier and less forgiving. Inside and outside corners have to be fitted precisely even though walls and ceilings are rarely perfectly square, and larger built-up (multi-piece) profiles add even more difficulty. All that skilled cutting and fitting is why crown typically runs $6 to $12 per foot installed versus $3 to $6 for baseboard.

Paint-grade trim is made to be painted — usually MDF or finger-jointed pine, which are economical, stable, and smooth once coated, but their joints and material wouldn't look right stained. Stain-grade trim is solid hardwood (oak, maple, poplar) chosen for its grain and meant to be stained and sealed so the natural wood shows. Stain-grade costs more per foot and demands more careful, seamless joinery because stain reveals every gap and imperfection. If you want painted white trim, paint-grade MDF or pine is the value pick; for a natural wood look, choose stain-grade hardwood and budget for the higher material and finishing cost.

Often not — installation and finishing are usually priced separately. Base installation covers measuring, cutting, fitting, and nailing the trim, and sometimes filling nail holes and caulking. Painting or staining is extra labor: priming and painting adds roughly $1.50 per linear foot, and staining and sealing about $2. Some homeowners save by buying pre-primed or pre-finished trim, or by painting it themselves after the carpenter installs it. This calculator lets you pick unfinished (install only), prime & paint, or stain & seal so the estimate reflects whether finishing is in the number.

For baseboard or crown, the linear footage is roughly the room's perimeter — add up all the wall lengths. A 12×12 ft room has a 48-foot perimeter, so about 48 feet of baseboard (a bit less if you subtract door openings). For casing, figure about 17 linear feet per standard door and 14 to 18 feet per window depending on size. Always add 10 to 15% for waste from miter cuts and mistakes — more for patterned or intricate profiles. This calculator works from the total linear feet you enter, so measure your wall runs and openings, add them up, and include the waste factor.

Usually yes for the cleanest result — especially if you're switching to a new profile, the existing trim is damaged, or it's been painted so many times it looks thick and sloppy. Removal adds labor (about $1 per linear foot here) plus haul-away, but it also lets the installer inspect and fix any wall damage behind the trim and start with a clean edge. New trim can occasionally go over or beside existing trim, but mismatched profiles and built-up paint usually make removal the better call. For a crisp, professional finish with a fresh profile, plan on taking the old trim off first.

Baseboard and simple casing are popular DIY projects if you have a miter saw, a nail gun, and patience — and doing it yourself saves the labor line. The hard part is the cuts: clean inside and outside miters, and coped joints on baseboard and crown, are what separate professional-looking trim from amateur work, and corners are rarely square. Crown molding is markedly harder to cut and hang well, and stain-grade work is unforgiving because every gap shows. Basic baseboard and casing suit a careful DIYer; crown, wainscoting, stain-grade trim, and whole-house jobs are where a finish carpenter's speed and precision usually earn their cost.

It depends on the amount and type of trim. A single room of baseboard might take a few hours, while baseboard, casing, and crown throughout a house can run several days. A skilled finish carpenter installs roughly 100 to 200 linear feet of straightforward baseboard a day, less for crown or intricate work. Finishing — caulking, filling nail holes, priming, and painting or staining — adds time, often a separate day, and removing old trim or repairing walls extends it further. Most single-room jobs wrap up in a day, but plan more time for crown, wainscoting, and multi-room work.