# Dunn Trim Co.

> Dunn Trim Co. is a dedicated trim & finish carpentry INSTALLATION crew based in Knoxville, TN, serving general contractors, custom/semi-custom/production home builders, and cabinet shops across East Tennessee. It installs the entire finish package — cabinets, built-ins, moulding, beams and ceilings, staircases, shiplap, interior doors, wainscoting, and custom accents, plus commercial casework and architectural millwork. It installs; it does not design, supply material, or assemble RTA cabinets.

Dunn Trim Co. is the install crew a builder hands the finish package to and stops worrying about. Trim is all it does, which is why it is fast and it is right: bids turned around quickly on modular pricing, work coped and scribed to a master's standard, schedules held, and jobs left punch-light and broom-clean. Founded and led by Nicholas Dunn, a finish carpenter who has spent the better part of a decade mastering trim across hundreds of East Tennessee homes.

## Key facts
- **Business:** Dunn Trim Co. — a trim & finish carpentry INSTALLATION crew (install-only). Trim and finish carpentry is the only thing the company does.
- **Based in:** Knoxville, TN. Service-area business (no public storefront); serves East Tennessee.
- **Phone:** (865) 236-1794
- **Email:** hello@dunntrimco.com
- **Request a bid:** https://dunntrimco.com/contact — send plans or a scope for a firm, per-project number.
- **Profiles:** Google Business Profile: https://www.google.com/search?q=Dunn+Trim+Co.&kgmid=/g/11z8hsd7fd · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunn.trim.co · Founder (Nicholas Dunn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-dunn-2a95303a8/
- **Founder & lead carpenter:** Nicholas Dunn. Nicholas Dunn is the founder of Dunn Trim Co. and a finish carpenter who has spent the better part of a decade mastering trim across hundreds of East Tennessee homes. He built Dunn Trim Co. to install the entire finish package to one exacting standard.
- **Primary customers (in priority order):** (1) general contractors and custom, semi-custom, and production home builders; (2) cabinet shops that build or supply cabinets but subcontract the install; (3) interior designers, executed to their spec. Homeowner work is a deliberately limited lane — defined, install-only projects only, with a $2,000 minimum.
- **What Dunn Trim Co. installs:** cabinet installation; built-ins; moulding & trim (crown, baseboard, door and window casing, built-up profiles); beams & ceilings (coffered, box-beam, tray, and plank/tongue-and-groove ceilings); staircases & railings; shiplap & tongue-and-groove; interior doors (prehung and slab) & hardware; wainscoting & wall paneling; custom accents; commercial casework & architectural millwork; and commercial door & hardware installation (hollow metal and wood veneer doors, knockdown and welded frames, closers, exit and panic devices, locksets, plates, and electrified-hardware mounting, installed to the hardware schedule from whatever manufacturer it specifies — commonly Von Duprin, Precision, LCN, Norton, Schlage, Sargent, and Corbin Russwin).
- **What Dunn Trim Co. does NOT do:** it does not design (no CAD, no 3D renderings — only light field sketches; design work is routed to a trusted interior-design partner). It does not supply materials or cabinets. It does not assemble RTA or flat-pack cabinets — it installs pre-built boxes that others supply. It does not fill its own nail holes (that is the painter's scope). On commercial door packages it does not do glass or glazing, aluminum storefront or entrance doors, or low-voltage hardwiring, and it does not supply the doors, frames, or hardware.
- **How it bids and works:** modular pricing turned around fast; every bid is signed to lock the schedule; the crew bids to scope, holds the schedule window, and leaves the job punch-light and broom-clean. Planning ranges, installed: crown molding roughly $5–12 per linear foot, baseboard roughly $3–8 per linear foot, coffered ceilings roughly $20–50 per square foot — actual pricing depends on profile, material (paint-grade vs. stain-grade), build-up, and site conditions.
- **Craft standard:** inside corners are coped, outside corners are mitered at 45 and glued, long runs are scarf-jointed over a stud, and everything is scribed to out-of-square walls and floors. Trim is installed for Tennessee's humidity swings and wood movement. (Note: cabinet crown is mitered at 45, not coped.)
- **Service area:** Knox County, Blount County, Loudon County, Anderson County, Sevier County, Hamblen County, Jefferson County. Towns served: Knoxville, Farragut, Maryville, Alcoa, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Clinton, Sevierville, Morristown, Jefferson City, Dandridge. Core West-Knox custom-home neighborhoods include Farragut, Hardin Valley, Cedar Bluff, Concord, West Hills, Karns, and Powell. Dunn Trim Co. does not serve the Tri-Cities (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol), Chattanooga, Nashville, or the Cookeville area.
## Core pages
- [Home](https://dunntrimco.com/): East Tennessee's trim & finish carpentry crew for builders.
- [Services](https://dunntrimco.com/services): The full finish package, with a page for each service.
- [For General Contractors](https://dunntrimco.com/for-general-contractors): How Dunn Trim Co. works with builders — scope, scheduling, bidding, and standards.
- [For Cabinet Shops](https://dunntrimco.com/cabinet-shops): Cabinet installation subcontracting — the shop keeps the client, the crew handles the install.
- [For Interior Designers](https://dunntrimco.com/interior-designers): Trim & millwork install executed to the designer's spec; install-only, never design.
- [For Homeowners](https://dunntrimco.com/homeowners): A limited, install-only lane — defined projects with a $2,000 minimum.
- [Residential Trim Carpentry](https://dunntrimco.com/residential-trim-carpentry): Finish carpentry for spec, production, and custom-home builders.
- [Commercial Trim & Millwork](https://dunntrimco.com/commercial-trim-carpentry): Commercial casework, architectural millwork, and finish carpentry, installed to the drawings.
- [Commercial Door & Hardware Installation](https://dunntrimco.com/commercial-door-and-hardware-installation): Hollow metal and wood doors hung, frames set, and finish hardware (closers, exit devices, locksets, plates) dressed to the schedule for GCs. Install only; no glass/glazing, no supply, no storefront/aluminum, no low-voltage wiring.
- [Our Work](https://dunntrimco.com/work): Portfolio of installed finish carpentry, filterable by type.
- [Field Notes](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes): Finish carpentry guides for builders, cabinet shops, and designers.
- [Builder Tools](https://dunntrimco.com/tools): Free tools — a trim takeoff calculator and a finish scope checklist.
- [About](https://dunntrimco.com/about): The crew, the standard, and founder Nicholas Dunn.
- [FAQ](https://dunntrimco.com/faq): Who we are, what we install, how we bid, and our standards.
- [Service Areas](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas): The East-TN towns and counties covered.
- [Request a Bid](https://dunntrimco.com/contact): Send plans or scope and get a number.

## Services (the finish package)
- [Cabinet Installation](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation): Kitchens, vanities, pantries, and mudrooms, set plumb and scribed tight so the countertop templates clean.
- [Built-Ins](https://dunntrimco.com/services/built-ins): Bookcases, entertainment walls, window seats, and office millwork, site-built to fit the room.
- [Moulding & Trim](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim): Base, casing, crown, and chair rail, single-piece through built-up, coped and tight.
- [Beams & Ceilings](https://dunntrimco.com/services/beams-and-ceilings): Box beams, faux timber, coffered and tray ceilings, plank and detail.
- [Staircases](https://dunntrimco.com/services/staircases): Treads, risers, skirts, newels, balusters, and handrail, built to code and finished to show.
- [Shiplap & Tongue-and-Groove](https://dunntrimco.com/services/shiplap-tongue-and-groove): Accent walls, ceilings, and porches. Shiplap and T&G run straight with even gaps.
- [Interior Doors & Hardware](https://dunntrimco.com/services/interior-doors): Prehung, slab, barn, and pocket doors hung true, cased, and set with hardware.
- [Wainscoting & Wall Paneling](https://dunntrimco.com/services/wainscoting-and-paneling): Picture-frame, board-and-batten, raised and recessed panel, laid out to the wall.
- [Custom Accents & Specialty](https://dunntrimco.com/services/custom-accents): Mantels, range hoods, columns, arches, and one-offs, the pieces that aren't on any order form.

## Local service pages (service × town)
- [Cabinet Installation in Farragut](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/farragut)
- [Cabinet Installation in Maryville](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/maryville)
- [Cabinet Installation in Oak Ridge](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/oak-ridge)
- [Cabinet Installation in Lenoir City](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/lenoir-city)
- [Moulding & Trim in Farragut](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/farragut)
- [Moulding & Trim in Maryville](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/maryville)
- [Moulding & Trim in Oak Ridge](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/oak-ridge)
- [Moulding & Trim in Lenoir City](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/lenoir-city)
- [Built-Ins in Farragut](https://dunntrimco.com/services/built-ins/farragut)
- [Built-Ins in Maryville](https://dunntrimco.com/services/built-ins/maryville)
- [Built-Ins in Oak Ridge](https://dunntrimco.com/services/built-ins/oak-ridge)
- [Built-Ins in Lenoir City](https://dunntrimco.com/services/built-ins/lenoir-city)
- [Moulding & Trim in Morristown](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/morristown)
- [Cabinet Installation in Morristown](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/morristown)
- [Moulding & Trim in Jefferson City](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/jefferson-city)
- [Cabinet Installation in Jefferson City](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/jefferson-city)
- [Moulding & Trim in Dandridge](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/dandridge)
- [Cabinet Installation in Dandridge](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/dandridge)
- [Moulding & Trim in Knoxville](https://dunntrimco.com/services/moulding-and-trim/knoxville)
- [Cabinet Installation in Knoxville](https://dunntrimco.com/services/cabinet-installation/knoxville)

## Service areas (town pages)
- [Knoxville, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/knoxville) — Knox County
- [Farragut, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/farragut) — Knox County
- [Maryville, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/maryville) — Blount County
- [Alcoa, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/alcoa) — Blount County
- [Lenoir City, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/lenoir-city) — Loudon County
- [Oak Ridge, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/oak-ridge) — Anderson County
- [Clinton, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/clinton) — Anderson County
- [Sevierville, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/sevierville) — Sevier County
- [Morristown, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/morristown) — Hamblen County
- [Jefferson City, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/jefferson-city) — Jefferson County
- [Dandridge, TN](https://dunntrimco.com/service-areas/dandridge) — Jefferson County

## Builder tools
- [Trim Takeoff Calculator](https://dunntrimco.com/tools/trim-takeoff-calculator): A free interactive calculator — linear feet of baseboard, crown, and casing room by room, with a waste factor and stock-length counts. Quantities only, a planning takeoff, not a quote.
- [Finish Scope Checklist (PDF)](https://dunntrimco.com/downloads/dunn-trim-co-finish-scope-checklist.pdf): A one-page worksheet for handing off the finish package so nothing falls between trades.

## Field Notes (guides)
### Interior Doors
- [Interior doors for East-Tennessee builders: prehung ordering, hanging, and humidity](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/interior-doors-for-east-tennessee-builders): How East-Tennessee builders order prehung interior doors for the region's humidity, hang them across a production schedule, and set them plumb to latch true.
- [Door anatomy: jamb, stop, casing, reveal — and what "prehung" actually means](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/door-anatomy-glossary): Jamb, stop, casing, reveal, mullion, prehung vs. slab — the parts of an interior door named the way a finish crew uses them on site.
- [Interior Door Installation Cost in Knoxville: What Drives the Price](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/interior-door-installation-cost-knoxville): Interior door installation in Knoxville is priced per door, not per foot, and the cost rides on prehung vs. slab, door count, casing, grade, hardware, and how square the opening is.
- [How to install a prehung interior door (and where DIYers go wrong)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-a-prehung-interior-door): A prehung door looks like it just drops in — until the reveal wedges and it drifts open on its own. Here's the real finish-carpenter method: check the opening, shim the hinge jamb plumb, set an even reveal, and the exact spots DIYers lose the fit.
- [Interior door styles: panel, shaker, slab & how to choose](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/interior-door-styles): Interior doors are trim you touch a dozen times a day, and the style sets the tone of every hallway. Here are the main door styles — panel, shaker, slab, glass, barn — what's inside them, and how to pick (and hang) them.
- [Prehung vs. slab interior doors: which to order](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/prehung-vs-slab-doors): Prehung saves labor on new builds. Slab wins when the opening's already framed and finished. Here's how to call it before you place the order.

### Ceilings
- [Coffered & box-beam ceilings for East-Tennessee homes and commercial spaces](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/coffered-and-box-beam-ceilings-east-tennessee): How we install coffered and box-beam ceilings across East Tennessee — layout to centerlines, box beams over structure, for builders and commercial GCs.
- [Coffered ceilings: cost, layout, and how they're built](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/coffered-ceiling-guide): A coffered ceiling is the upgrade that makes a room feel built instead of drywalled. Here's what it actually is, how the grid gets laid out, what drives the cost, and where it works — from a finish carpenter who installs them.
- [Box beams vs. coffered vs. tray ceilings: which one for which room](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/box-beam-vs-coffered-vs-tray-ceilings): Three ways to make a ceiling the feature of the room — and they don't cost, install, or photograph the same. How to pick the right one for the space, the budget, and the ceiling height you've actually got.
- [Faux beams vs. real timber: which makes sense](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/faux-beams-vs-real-wood-beams): Real timber has weight and history. Box beams give you the look without the load. Here's how to choose before you frame the ceiling.

### Working Together
- [Finish carpentry for production & semi-custom builders in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/finish-carpentry-for-production-and-semi-custom-builders-east-tn): How we run finish carpentry for production and semi-custom builders in East Tennessee — repeatable trim packages, modular pricing, and precision at volume.
- [How subcontracting a finish carpentry package works, end to end](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/finish-carpentry-subcontracting-how-it-works): Subcontracting a finish or trim package with a crew like ours runs the same loop every time: send plans, get an itemized bid to scope, sign, schedule, install, then punch and clean.

### How-To
- [Seamless Baseboard on Long Runs: Scarf Joints and Why Butt Seams Telegraph](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/seamless-baseboard-scarf-joints): Why long baseboard runs need a 45° scarf over a stud instead of a butt seam, how we glue and pin it, and how it holds through East Tennessee humidity.
- [How to Scribe Trim, Base, and Cabinets to Crooked Walls](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-scribe-trim-to-crooked-walls): Scribing transfers a wall or floor's real contour onto the trim so a straight piece closes tight against a crooked surface — the finish carpenter's fix for older East Tennessee homes.
- [How to install door casing: mitered and craftsman, done right](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-door-casing): Door casing frames the opening and hides the jamb-to-drywall gap; the whole install comes down to even reveals and tight corners. Here's how mitered and craftsman casing go together.
- [How to Install Cabinet Crown: Miter It, Don't Cope It](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-cabinet-crown): Cabinet crown is cut at 45s and mitered at every corner, then glued and pinned. It's not coped like wall crown, because it rides on the cabinet boxes instead of the wall.
- [How to Cope an Inside Corner (and Why It Beats a Miter)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-cope-an-inside-corner): Coping means back-cutting one piece of trim to match the profile of the other so an inside corner stays tight when the wood moves. Here is why pros cope instead of mitering, and how to do it.

### Moulding & Trim
- [Cove molding vs. crown: the difference, and where each belongs](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cove-molding-vs-crown): Cove and crown molding get spec'd interchangeably, but they aren't the same. Here's the difference, where each belongs, and how the corners install.
- [Window trim parts: stool, apron, sill, and jamb extensions explained](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/window-trim-parts-glossary): Stool, apron, sill, jamb extension, casing reveal — the window trim parts named right, and how a finish crew sets them on deep East-Tennessee walls.
- [Crown Molding Installation Cost in Knoxville: What It Runs and Why](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/crown-molding-installation-cost-knoxville): Crown molding runs roughly $5 to $12 a linear foot installed in Knoxville — but where a room lands in that range depends on the profile, ceiling height, grade, and corner count. Here's what actually drives the price and what to expect in a real quote.
- [Replacing builder-grade trim: what to expect and what it costs](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/replacing-builder-grade-trim): Swapping thin builder-grade base and casing for taller, heavier trim is one of the highest-impact upgrades in a house. Here's how the work actually goes — pulling the old trim, running the new — and what drives the cost.
- [How to Install Baseboard on Wavy Walls and Out-of-Level Floors](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-baseboard): Straight walls and level floors are a myth. Here's the finish carpenter's method for baseboard that stays tight anyway — coping inside corners, mitering outside, scribing to an out-of-level floor, scarfing long runs, and nailing to framing.
- [Is Crown Molding Worth It? An Honest Take from a Trim Carpenter](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/is-crown-molding-worth-it): A straight answer on whether crown molding pays off — where it earns its keep, where it's a waste, and what actually drives the price of a good install.
- [How to Install Crown Molding: A Real Coping-Saw Walkthrough](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-crown-molding): A finish carpenter's honest step-by-step: spring angle, cutting crown on the flat, coping inside corners, mitering and gluing outsides, scarfing runs, and where DIYers get stuck.
- [What Is "Production Trim," and Why Does Builder-Grade Trim Look Cheap?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/production-trim-vs-finish-carpentry): Builder-grade "production trim" is optimized for speed, not looks. Here's what makes it read cheap — thin profiles, butt joints, no returns — and what real finish carpentry does instead.
- [Types of trim & moulding: the complete guide (and what each one does)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/types-of-trim-and-moulding): Base, casing, crown, chair rail, picture-frame, plinth blocks — a finish package has a whole vocabulary, and it pays to know it before you spec one. Here's every common type of trim and moulding, floor to ceiling, and where each belongs.
- [How to trim a window: stool-and-apron vs. picture-frame casing](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-trim-a-window): There are two ways to case a window — the traditional stool-and-apron and the clean picture-frame — and they read, cost, and install differently. Here's how each goes together, where it fits, and how to spec it so every opening matches.
- [Crown molding profiles: single-piece, built-up, and cove — which to spec](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/crown-molding-types-and-when-to-use-them): Crown is the trim everyone notices and nobody specs right. Here's the difference between single-piece, built-up, and cove crown — and how to pick the profile that fits the room, the ceiling height, and the budget.
- [Baseboard styles and heights: how to pick the right base](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/baseboard-styles-and-heights): Base is the trim that touches every room, and the one builders default on without thinking. Here's how baseboard style and height actually change a room — and how to spec a base that fits the house instead of fighting it.
- [Door and window casing styles: a builder's quick guide](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/door-and-window-casing-styles): Casing is the frame your client's eye lands on every time they walk through a door. Here's how the main profiles read, where mitered beats butted, and how to spec it so every opening matches.

### Commercial Millwork
- [Commercial finish carpentry for East-Tennessee GCs, installed to spec](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/commercial-finish-carpentry-east-tennessee): Who Dunn Trim Co. installs for on commercial jobs, the East-TN verticals we work in, and what installed-to-spec finish carpentry means for a GC.
- [Commercial Casework & Millwork: What to Have Ready Before the Install Crew Shows Up](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/commercial-casework-install-scope): A commercial casework and millwork install goes fast when the shop drawings, finished openings, blocking, and delivered boxes are ready. Here's the pre-install checklist for East-TN GCs.
- [Casework vs. millwork vs. cabinetry: what the words mean on a commercial job](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/casework-vs-millwork-vs-cabinetry): Casework, millwork, and cabinetry get used interchangeably on commercial jobs, and they aren't. An install crew's plain read on what each word covers and how it sets.

### Craft
- [What are trim reveals, and why do consistent reveals matter?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/what-are-trim-reveals): A reveal is the small, even setback where casing steps back from the jamb, usually about a quarter inch. Holding it consistent around every opening is what separates custom trim from builder-grade.

### Scope & Bidding
- [What a Trim Subcontractor Costs in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/what-a-trim-subcontractor-costs-east-tn): A trim or finish carpentry sub in East Tennessee quotes install labor to your plans, not a flat rate. What drives the number, rough ranges to check a bid, and how bidding works.
- [What a finish-carpentry punch list looks like (and how a good sub keeps it short)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/what-a-finish-carpentry-punch-list-looks-like): A finish-carpentry punch list is the short list of small fixes a builder walks before closeout. Here's what belongs on a trim punch, what never should, and how a good sub keeps it short.
- [What wainscoting costs in Knoxville and East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/wainscoting-cost-knoxville-east-tn): There's no flat price for wainscoting in East Tennessee. The same wall can be a light picture-frame run or a full raised-panel build. Here's what drives the cost and how we bid it.
- [What a staircase and railing installation costs in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/staircase-and-railing-installation-cost-east-tn): Staircase and railing installation in East Tennessee is priced by scope, not a flat rate — shape, riser count, baluster material, newel count, and finish all move the number.
- [How to write a trim scope so bids come back apples-to-apples](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-write-a-trim-scope-for-bids): A vague finish line on a bid comes back as five different scopes at five different prices. Here's how to write a trim scope item by item so every sub prices the same work.
- [The install crew you pick is a reflection of you](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/install-partner-that-protects-your-client-relationship): A designer's reputation rides on the crew that shows up on the client's site — how they conduct themselves, whether they respect the drawings, and whether they stay in their lane. Here's what to look for in an install partner that protects the relationship instead of putting it at risk.
- [A designer's guide to speccing trim and millwork that installs cleanly](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-spec-trim-that-installs-cleanly): A design that looks right on the elevation can fight the wall when it hits the miter saw. Here's how to spec reveals, returns, and grade so the install crew executes your intent instead of guessing at it — from the carpenter doing the installing.
- [What finish carpentry costs — and what's actually in the bid](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/finish-carpentry-cost-guide): There's no honest one-number answer to what finish carpentry costs — but there is a real one. What actually drives the price, general East-TN ranges for the common pieces, and how to read a finish bid so you know why two came back hundreds apart.
- [One finish crew vs. multiple subs: why builders consolidate the trim package](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/one-finish-crew-vs-multiple-subs): Splitting cabinets, millwork, and trim across three subs looks like coverage. On the schedule it's three handoffs and three fingers pointing when a joint opens. Here's the case for handing the whole finish package to one crew.
- [Why hire a finish-carpentry specialist (instead of the framing crew)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/why-hire-a-finish-carpentry-specialist): The material's cheap and how hard can base and casing be — until the miters open over the first winter and the finish punch list runs longer than the rest of the house. Why the finish package is a different trade, and how to vet who runs it.
- [What's actually in a finish carpentry scope (and what to hand your trim sub)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/finish-carpentry-scope-checklist): The finish package is the part of the build a client touches and judges — and the easiest scope to under-define on a bid. Here's everything that lives inside it, and how to hand it off so nothing falls between subs.
- [How finish carpentry makes or breaks your build schedule](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-finish-carpentry-affects-your-schedule): Finish carpentry is the last trade in and the one buyers actually touch. Sequence it wrong and it eats your schedule. Here's how to keep it off the critical path.

### Cabinet Shops
- [Should a cabinet shop do its own installs?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/should-a-cabinet-shop-do-its-own-installs): Should a cabinet shop run its own install crew or hire it out? From the install side, the honest answer comes down to your volume and what a crew costs on the slow weeks.
- [Cabinet-install overflow: when to sub out installs instead of hiring](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-install-overflow-crew-east-tn): Carrying a full-time installer means paying a salary through the slow weeks. Here's when it pays to hand overflow installs to an outside finish crew instead, and how to keep the client yours.

### Hiring & Sourcing
- [Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Trim or Cabinet-Install Sub in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-trim-sub): Before you hand a trim package or a cabinet set to a new sub, get straight answers on eight things. Here's the builder's checklist we'd run in Knoxville and across East Tennessee.
- [How to Find a Trim Subcontractor in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-find-a-trim-subcontractor-in-east-tennessee): How a general contractor or custom builder in East Tennessee finds and vets a finish-carpentry subcontractor: where to source them, what to check, and how to tell a real finish sub from a handyman.

### Staircases
- [How to Install a Stair Railing: Newels, Balusters, and Rail to Code](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-a-stair-railing): A stair railing has to be solid and to code: newels anchored into framing, baluster gaps a 4-inch sphere won't pass, a rail cut to the pitch. Here's the order it goes in.
- [Stair anatomy: treads, risers, newels, balusters & rail explained](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/stair-anatomy-glossary): Treads, risers, stringers, newels, balusters, rail — a stair has a lot of parts, and naming them right keeps a bid and a build from drifting. Here's the plain-English glossary, the way a finish crew uses it.
- [Iron vs. wood balusters: cost, look, and install](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/iron-vs-wood-balusters): Iron or wood balusters change the whole feel of a stair — and they don't cost, install, or maintain the same. Here's how to pick between them, and how each one actually goes in.

### Cost
- [Baseboard Installation Cost in East Tennessee: What It Runs and Why](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/baseboard-installation-cost-east-tennessee): Baseboard installation runs roughly $3 to $8 per linear foot installed in East Tennessee. Here's what moves a job inside that range — profile, grade, corners, and how out-of-square the room is.

### Cabinets
- [Cabinet Installation Cost: What You Pay a Pro to Set Them](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-installation-cost): What actually drives the cost to install cabinets — box count, assembled vs. flat-pack, out-of-square walls, filler and scribe work, and countertop coordination — and why it's always quote-based.
- [Cabinet Installer Near Me: What to Look For Before You Book the Job](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-installer-near-me): Searching "cabinet installer near me" in East Tennessee turns up everyone from handymen to real finish carpenters. Here's how to tell them apart — what to ask about scribing, reveals, insurance, the floor's high point, and whether they'll set the cabinets you supplied.
- [Bought your own cabinets? Here's how professional installation works](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/professional-cabinet-installation-homeowner-supplied): You bought the cabinets — now they have to go on the wall straight. Here's how a finish crew installs homeowner-supplied or RTA boxes: verify the order, lay out from the floor's high point, hang level, scribe to the walls, and set the run tight.
- [Cabinet door styles & overlays: shaker, slab, inset vs. overlay](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-door-styles-and-overlays): Two different decisions hide inside "what cabinets do you want" — the door style and how it's mounted. Here's shaker vs. slab vs. raised panel, plus inset vs. full vs. partial overlay, and what each one costs you.
- [Why cabinet shops should outsource installs to a dedicated crew](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-shop-install-subcontractor): A great box built in the shop can still get wrecked on site by an install nobody owns. Here's the case for handing installs to a dedicated finish crew — the fixed-vs-variable math, the reputation you're protecting, and how you keep the client either way.
- [How to vet a cabinet installation subcontractor](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/choosing-a-cabinet-install-subcontractor): Your boxes leave the shop perfect. Whether they read custom or cheap in the client's kitchen is on the installer. Here's what a shop owner should check before putting a sub's hands on your name — from a finish carpenter who does the install.
- [RTA vs. semi-custom vs. custom cabinets: an installer's take](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/rta-vs-semi-custom-vs-custom-cabinets): RTA, semi-custom, custom — the names get blurry. Here's what actually changes for the install crew, and where each grade earns its money.
- [What builders should know before cabinet install day](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/cabinet-install-day-prep): Cabinet install day goes fast when the site's ready and slow when it isn't. Here's what has to be done before the boxes get set — so your finish crew sets plumb and leaves the kitchen counter-ready.

### Custom Accents
- [How much does it cost to install an accent wall?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/accent-wall-cost-what-drives-the-price): There's no flat price for an accent wall — a slat wall and a raised-panel wall aren't the same money. Here's what actually drives the cost, from material and wall height to outlets and prep, and why it's quote-based.
- [How to Install a Board-and-Batten Accent Wall: Layout, Spacing, and Seams](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-board-and-batten): A real, weekend-doable method for a board-and-batten accent wall: even batten spacing math for your wall and outlets, battens plumb, a dead-level top rail, a clean base tie-in, and seams filled paint-ready — plus the failure points that give DIY walls away.
- [Fireplace surround & mantel ideas (and how a finish carpenter builds them)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/fireplace-surround-and-mantel-ideas): The fireplace is the room's anchor, and the surround and mantel are where finish carpentry makes it the feature. Here are the surround and mantel styles that work, how they're built and sized, and the one thing you can't get wrong.
- [Wood range hoods: a finish-carpentry showpiece](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/wood-range-hood-ideas): A wood range hood turns the stove wall into the focal point of the kitchen. Here's how they're built, the styles that sell, and what to plan for.

### Wall Paneling
- [Board-and-Batten vs. Slat Accent Walls: Which Is Right for Your Room?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/board-and-batten-vs-slat-accent-walls): Two of the most-requested accent walls we install, side by side. How board-and-batten and slat walls actually differ in look, room fit, and what drives the cost.
- [Wainscoting styles for East Tennessee homes: which one fits yours](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/wainscoting-for-east-tennessee-homes): A homeowner's guide to choosing wainscoting for the houses we actually see around Knoxville — matched to your home's style, the room, and East Tennessee's humidity.
- [How to Install Shiplap: Nailing, Gapping, and Fitting Around Outlets](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-shiplap): A finish carpenter's step-by-step guide to installing shiplap: finding studs, setting a dead-level starting course, holding a consistent nickel gap, and cutting clean around outlets.
- [How to Install Wainscoting: Frame-and-Panel and Flat-Panel Methods](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-install-wainscoting): A finish carpenter's full DIY walkthrough for installing wainscoting two ways — true frame-and-panel and applied flat-panel — with the level cap line, scribing, outlet, and paint-prep tricks that separate clean work from homemade.
- [Picture-Frame Molding: The Affordable Upgrade That Transforms a Room](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/picture-frame-molding-guide): Picture-frame molding is applied trim boxes on a flat wall — a low-cost, paint-grade accent that reads as custom millwork when the proportions and layout are right.
- [Accent wall ideas that go beyond shiplap](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/accent-wall-ideas-beyond-shiplap): Shiplap is the default, but it's not the only move. Here are the accent-wall treatments a finish carpenter reaches for — slat, batten, picture-frame, fluted, geometric, two-tone — and what makes each one read custom.
- [Wainscoting styles: picture-frame, raised-panel, board-and-batten & shaker](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/wainscoting-styles-explained): Wainscoting is one of the highest-impact, lowest-risk upgrades on a finish package. Here are the four styles that get requested, what each one costs in labor, and where they actually belong.
- [Shiplap vs. nickel-gap vs. tongue-and-groove: the differences](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/shiplap-vs-nickel-gap-vs-tongue-and-groove): Three plank treatments that get used interchangeably — and shouldn't. Here's how shiplap, nickel-gap, and tongue-and-groove actually differ, where the reveal comes from, and which one fits your wall or ceiling.
- [Accent walls that add value (and which to skip)](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/accent-walls-that-add-value): Not every accent wall earns its keep. Here's which feature walls read as built-in quality and which ones look like a weekend project gone wrong.

### Finish Carpentry 101
- [Who to hire to install trim and molding — and who to avoid](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/who-to-hire-to-install-trim-and-molding): A handyman and a finish carpenter will both quote your trim — but only one leaves joints that stay closed through a Tennessee winter. The questions to ask, the red flags to watch, and what good work actually looks like up close.
- [Signs You Hired a Handyman Instead of a Real Trim Carpenter](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/signs-you-hired-a-handyman-not-a-trim-carpenter): Open miters, caulk used as filler, wavy reveals, trim that flexes when you push it — the tells that separate a handyman's trim job from a finish carpenter's. Here's what to look for.
- [Trim Carpenter Near Me: How to Choose the Right One in East Tennessee](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-carpenter-near-me-how-to-choose): Searching "trim carpenter near me" in the Knoxville area turns up everyone from real finish carpenters to handymen with a nail gun. Here's how to tell them apart, what to ask, and what good work actually looks like before you hire.
- [Trim Carpenter vs. Finish Carpenter vs. Handyman: What's the Difference?](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-carpenter-vs-finish-carpenter-vs-handyman): "Trim carpenter," "finish carpenter," and "handyman" get used like they mean the same thing. They don't. Here's the honest difference in scope, skill, and tolerances — and which one a given job actually calls for.
- [How to prepare your home for a trim carpentry project](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-a-trim-project): A little prep before the trim crew arrives buys you a faster, cleaner install. Here's what to clear, what to decide, and how to sequence paint, pets, and dust so nothing stalls the work.
- [What is finish carpentry? A plain-English guide to the finish package](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/what-is-finish-carpentry): Finish carpentry is everything that goes into a house after the drywall — the visible, touchable woodwork a buyer judges the whole home on. Here's exactly what it covers, where it fits in the build, and how it differs from framing and cabinetmaking.

### Built-Ins
- [How much do built-ins cost? A finish carpenter's honest breakdown](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/how-much-do-built-ins-cost): There's no per-foot price for a built-in — it's carpentry built to your wall, not a catalog item. Here's what actually drives the cost, why design lives with a partner, and what an honest built-in quote should spell out, from a finish carpenter who installs them.
- [Custom built-ins: the install process, start to finish](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/custom-built-ins-install-process): A finish carpenter's walk through the real install sequence for a built-in — from templating the opening and scribing to out-of-square walls, to leveling and fastening the boxes, trimming out, and dialing in the doors and drawers.
- [Mudroom built-ins: benches, lockers & drop zones that actually work](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/mudroom-built-in-ideas): The mudroom is the hardest-working square footage in the house, and built-ins are what make it work. Here are the bench, locker, and drop-zone setups that earn their space — plus the dimensions that keep them comfortable.
- [Built-in ideas that sell a custom home](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/built-in-ideas-that-sell): The right built-in makes a house feel custom and buyers remember it. Here are the built-in ideas that earn their cost — and how to keep them from looking like an afterthought.

### Trends & Style
- [10 ways trim carpentry adds value to your home](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-carpentry-that-adds-home-value): Trim carpentry is one of the few upgrades a buyer reads instantly — it makes a house feel built instead of thrown up. Here are ten finish-carpentry moves that add real, visible value, and why each one lands.
- [Trim by home style: farmhouse, craftsman, transitional & modern](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-by-home-style): The same crown that makes a traditional home sing looks wrong on a modern one. Here's how to spec a trim package that matches the architecture — modern farmhouse, craftsman, transitional, or modern — instead of fighting it.
- [Trim & millwork trends for 2026: what builders are getting asked for](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-and-millwork-trends-2026): Plain square trim is on its way out; layered, characterful millwork is back. Here's what's driving finish-carpentry requests in 2026 — taller profiles, warm woods, color-drenched trim, fluted detail, and curves — and how to spec each one so it lands.

### Trim & Materials
- [Stain-grade vs. paint-grade trim: how to spec it right the first time](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/stain-grade-vs-paint-grade-trim): One word on the finish schedule changes the material, the labor, and the joinery on every linear foot of trim. Here's what "stain-grade" and "paint-grade" actually mean on the job — and how to spec so the bid matches the build.
- [MDF vs. solid wood trim: which to use where](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/mdf-vs-wood-trim): Primed MDF or solid wood for the trim package? It's not one-or-the-other — it's which material goes where. Here's how a finish carpenter decides, room by room, so the trim looks right and holds up.
- [Trim that survives Tennessee humidity: wood movement & how we install for it](https://dunntrimco.com/field-notes/trim-that-survives-tennessee-humidity): East Tennessee swings from muggy summers to dry winters, and trim moves with it. Here's why miters open and gaps appear, and how we install so they don't.

## Full corpus for ingestion
- [llms-full.txt](https://dunntrimco.com/llms-full.txt): The full text of every service page and Field Notes guide in one file.

## Contact
- Request a bid: https://dunntrimco.com/contact
- Phone: (865) 236-1794
- Email: hello@dunntrimco.com
- Location: Knoxville, TN — serving East Tennessee.