Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 20, 2000 02:06pm | #1

   *
   I generally charge $1.50 per lineal ft on crown up to 4-1/4". That's labor only of course, and if it's to have a wall or ceiling backer , the price goes up.

   I've heard of some guys charging by the cut, I like by the foot better.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 20, 2000 03:04pm | #2

   *We estimate a little differently. We start off by counting the number of corners and the number of splices necessary. We then charge an hour a corner and an hour a splice. If its a real crazy room, then you add a few more hours. Multiply by your hourly labor rate, and thats it.Eric

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 20, 2000 05:38pm | #3

   *I'm with you, Eric, but I take it a step or two further. If it's a large crown, I might multiply my labor per joint by two or more. And if the ceiling is anything but flat, I factor that in as well.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 20, 2000 10:58pm | #4

   *Frank,1.50/ft. is way too reasonable. You sure you don't bump that by so much a corner/splice? One room wouldn't hardly pay to unload the truck. Maybe if the whole house got it and you can trust the finisher to make it look good. Just curious. If that's what you charge, then you are god and I defer all crown to you bud. And I'm not pokin fun, I'm serious.Conversely, I'm also thinkin hr/corner,splice is darn good money when you add it to a buck or so/ft. In between is where I go, and I never made a killing on any crown, cept the gigantic, built up, dentil mld, to a drop shadowline ceiling at T & M in a big room way off the floor, alone. Hell, I didn't make a killing then either, did I?What Smith would say...

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 03:43am | #5

   *1 hr labor per corner - WOW! - I hope that's for furniture grade joints. Either that, or you are in a very high cost of living area.Around here (central NC) it's between $3 - $4 a cut for paint grade and $4 - $5 for stain grade. Sometimes that includes the backer (if necessary) too. That would be for 3.5" - 4.5" crown.

2. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 07:11am | #6

   *Wait a minute! Let me see if I have this right?A 12'x 12' bedroom with one closet would have six cuts. At $35.00 per hr., you would charge $210.00 for crown molding labor. Is this a price for a stand alone job or is this how you would formulate pricing if you were installing a whole house interior trim package on new construction? (set cabinets, doors, casing, base, etc)

3. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 12:36pm | #7

   *minor point of clarification: When I said $x per cut - each corner includes 2 cuts. And that's for 1 pc crown. If it is, say 3 pc crown, it can easily be $20+ per corner, since each corner would have 6 cuts.

4. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 03:19pm | #8

   *Calvin,One thing you got to remember is I'm in Abilene Tx. Way too much cheap competition out here. I normally try to charge my rate out at 25.00/hr which is considered low I'm sure, but it's hard to do when you have guys trimming new homes for .45/sq ft.This is one of the reasons I've gone almost entirely to building cabinetry, and that isn't a whole lot better. Needless to say, I don't do much work for builders or contractors, as most of them only look for the cheapest subs. I like doing jobs for the homeowner or person acting as his or her own contractor, because it is them that are more concerned with quality work rather than how fast or cheap you can do the job.It really strange, because you can be in Houston or Dallas (4hrs and 2 hrs away) and do the same work for alot better rate.

5. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 03:21pm | #9

   *Another wait a minute here...I'm currently trimming a dining room, 11x14, with new wainscoting, base, casing and one piece crown.Using the figures posted above I come up with the following for 50 lin. ft. with four corners:At $4.00 per cut, 2 cuts per corner: $32.00At $1.50 per lin. ft.: $75.00At one hour per corner (no splices) at $35.00 per hour: $140.00AND, at Sonny's rate - if I remember correctly - about $90.00 per hour: $360.00Obviously a huge disparity in possible charges for just one room. Also not factored in the example (or should it be inclusive?) are the finishing charges. If you are a one-man-band you most likely do the whole job, start to finish, which would or should include filling, sanding, priming, painting or whatever method you personally use for stain grade.The original question did not ask for that depth of information but I think it would be reasonable to include it because I now know a little about how some of you (us) work. Maybe the discussion should also have two parts: new, unoccupied and remodel, occupied.And you might as well throw in some thoughts about how you handle working in an occupied house. Do you move the furniture, roll up the persian rugs, take down the wall ornamentation (pictures, sconces) or do you have the homeowner do it before you start. Any upcharge if you have to move anything that the homeowner didn't or couldn't (too heavy)or do you just throw that in because it had to be done so you could work.Do you work any differently if it's paint grade vs stain grade? Or charge any more? Do you have a scribe charge if the ceiling or walls aren't right? I make every cut as if it were stain grade. Why get sloppy just because caulk and filler are available and coverable?

6. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 03:37pm | #10

   *Yeah; there are so many variables there...can you bring the saw into the room, or do you have to go in and out of the house, taking boots on and off....coped or mitred inside corners...On a medium sized crown, I figure twenty minutes to half an hour per joint, inside corners coped (that may be low, but I'm in a similar market to Mad Dog...only so much money out there). If it is stain grade, I usually prefinish the moulding in the shop, so all I have to do is touch ups, and that gets figured separetely. Paint grade is the same; preprimed in the shop. Runs between joints I estimate based on the job, same for extras like biger/multi-piece mouldings; I don't bid a price to builders, and I almost always work retail to the homeowner, so every job is estimated by it's own situation. No major difference in quality of work for paint or stain.

7. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 2000 03:39pm | #11

   *Yup Ralph, more complicated than it would initially appear. Never a dull moment this here carpentry.

8. 
   Guest_ | Sep 22, 2000 02:24am | #12

   *

   Here's a novel idea. . . charge whatever the market will bear in your neck of the woods. Franks correct, you can't charge $3.00 when the guy down the block is charging a buck!

   View Image © 1999-2000"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle

9. 
   Guest_ | Sep 22, 2000 03:59am | #13

   *As far as moving/protecting furniture, you have to state up front how that will be handled. They move everything, or pay for your time to move it/protect it. That's fair. You are certainly responsible if you damage something. Why should you expose yourself to that liability without opportunity for comparable reward?

10. 
    Guest_ | Sep 22, 2000 04:03am | #14

    *More clarification:Those labor prices are for new construction only.

11. 
    Guest_ | Sep 22, 2000 04:56am | #15

    *MattI live in North Louisiana....For trimming out a house the going rate is between $1 to $1.50 per SQUARE FOOT of area trimmed on most houses on new construction. This includes base, closet shelves, cabinet hardware, hanging interior doors, locksets, hardware, etc. Basically all carpentry work after sheetrock is hung excluding cabinets, mantels and custom work. These prices include workers comp.. Upscale houses with 3 piece molding, stairways, and other time consuming stuff get more. Paint or stain grade really makes no difference in my prices. you just have to think twice and forget about the caulk covering your mistakes on stain grade.....I have never bid a new construction for crown molding only so I couldnt tell you what the rate for that only is

12. 
    Guest_ | Sep 23, 2000 02:25pm | #16

    *That's a real good looking install Joe, is that all solid cheery on the mouldings, and cheery veneer on the paneling?

13. 
    Guest_ | Sep 23, 2000 03:19pm | #17

    *Frank,

    Thanks. Yes the moulding is all solid cherry and the paneling is a veneer. Here's some shots of the cherry display cases I had mentioned to you.

    Click to Enlarge Images View Image © 1999-2000"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle

14. 
    Guest_ | Sep 24, 2000 03:12am | #18

    *Man Joe,That's relly some top quality work. Do you use any cabinet software to do the designing?

15. 
    Guest_ | Sep 24, 2000 06:31am | #19

    *Frank,

    I use Autocad and pencil and paper, but that job was designed by Robert Schuster of Buday & Schuster Architects here in New York.

    View Image © 1999-2000

16. 
    Guest_ | Sep 24, 2000 10:01am | #20

    *Joe, that is one of the nicest closets I've ever seen. Your wife must really like all the jewelery you've bought for her! ....looks good. Jeff

17. 
    Guest_ | Sep 24, 2000 02:41pm | #21

    *Jeff,

    Thanks, but if I was able to afford all that jewelry for my wife I'd need to be in a different business. . . :-)

    View Image © 1999-2000"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle

18. 
    Guest_ | Sep 26, 2000 02:09am | #22

    *Joe,Beautiful work!Rich Beckman

2. 
   Chris_f. | Sep 30, 2000 04:07pm | #23

   *
   I'm in LA, MS, area and was wondering what you guys charge for installing crown.

3. 
   Steve_Masters | Sep 30, 2000 04:07pm | #24

   *
   I started out as a trim carpenter/custom mill works. Then evolved into residential remodeling, and finally a licensed home builder. I picked up a book at Home Depot, mainly out of curiosity, "Residential Construction Cost". It list everything you could imagine, and has a State and city multiplier to factor in for yore area. I don't follow the price guides to the letter but its a good place to start.