MITRE CONTRACTING, INC.

Wainscoting or Shadowboxes?

Is the application of an applied panel moulding under a chair rail a real wainscot?

I have been asked this question on more than one occasion, and I always have to say no. A real wainscoting, in my view consists of lining a wall with wood of some type.

Even though I have placed some shadowbox installation photos under the album "Wainscoting", and even use the term wainscoting when talking about shadowboxes, there is a definite difference.

Some different types of wainscoting are:

• a wall paneled wainscot
• a flat paneled wainscot
• a raised panel wainscot
• a beaded panel wainscot
• a beaded wainscot

All these types can be made from any species of wood, and have many varying design differences within each style. Wainscoting can be any height, but usually is either designed at 36" or 60" tall, or can accent the entire wall.

Besides the protection a wainscot treatment gives you from wall damage and everyday wear and tear, it can transform an ordinary space into a beautiful inviting room. The various different options available allow you give your home dramatic architectural impact, that can never be attained with other types of wall treatments such as wallpaper or chair rail alone.

But even using a chair rail and then using a panel moulding to define applied panels, with the right paint job, can make an enormous difference in a rooms appearance. It is alot more economical, and seems to be what most homeowners choose.

If you live in the Northern Virginia area and would like to check into having an area of your home transformed with wainscoting of any type, please don't hesitate to call us anytime. We will be glad to set up an appointment, offer advice and provide you with a no obligation proposal.

Thank You, Roger Beesley

www.mitrecontracting.com

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WAINSCOT EXAMPLES

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SHADOWBOX EXAMPLE

To Cope Or Not To Cope?

Coping Mouldings ... Does it even have to be a question? 

I've always considered coping to be the "standard" for joining the inside corner of mouldings. That's what I was taught. Whether it's baseboard, chair rail, crown moulding, etc., in my view it is  proper procedure to cope all the inside joints of any type of moulding. I don't even remember questioning it, we just did it. Back in the day, if someone just mitered all their inside joints it was considered to be lazy, a short-cut, the wrong way to do it.

It seems to be a lost art nowadays, at least around this area. I'm noticing more and more that no one seems to cope anymore. In the past, it seemed rare to find someone just mitreing all their corners, now it's rare to find carpenter's who cope their corners.

A few months back I was on a jobsite talking to a lead carpenter for a trim crew and he actually laughed and made fun of the fact that I coped my trimwork. He just thought that was the stupidest thing he had ever seen. Nobody on his crew  even owned a coping saw, never mind used one. I honestly believe he had never even heard about the technique before.

What's ironic in all this, is the fact that I lose contracts to companies like that. It seems that neither the builders nor the homeowners seem to care or know the difference anymore.

I have even noticed  alot of these, do it yourself how to articles and videos instructing people to just mitre the corners. It's frustrating when you see a television show, and they are just mitreing all the inside corners, then to top that off you see them installing the crown moulding upside down sometimes. What have things come to? The other day I was at your local big box supply store and they sell a book on crown mouldings that blatantly discouraged the practice. In my view, when he did describe the coping process in the book, it wasn't anything I have ever done. I would be firing people if they tried to cope moulding like he described. It isn't any wonder he discourages the practice.

Now there are instances that you need to mitre inside corners. I will mitre them if they are really short returns. Usually under an inch or so, for instance around keystones, mantels, pilasters etc. And another example is certain types of crown mouldings don't cope well, some have almost negative angles on the profiles that are impossible to cope without cutting into it. Another example would be certain conditions encountered on cathedral or vaulted ceilings.

This article seems to be one of the better ones I have found to date concerning the practice: Coping Moldings

Whether or not to cope mouldings... not a even question in my book, and never will be.

Mitre's New Home Page!

We developed this website as a means to introduce our company, showcase some of our work, and hopefully provide you with some information and inspiration for your next home improvement project.

We have continuously provided our carpentry and home improvement services to homeowners and builders throughout the last 25 years.

In perspective, that translates into literally thousands of rooms of crown mouldings and miles and miles of chair rail and baseboard. I have personally constructed over two thousand stair railings, and have installed over 75,000 interior doors. I wouldn't even try to guess how many kitchen and bath cabinets I've installed.

Our longevity and project history speak volumes about our commitment to upholding our reputation through a solid work ethic that values integrity. Mitre's image and reputation are far more valuable to me than any monetary gain that could be achieved through cutting corners or defrauding customers.

A companies fancy marketing sales pitches about quality and workmanship start to ring kind of hollow when a "carpenter" shows up at your home with only a few years of experience. All the gimmicks they promote, and uniforms they wear can never replace over 30 years of carpentry and millwork experience.

If your so inclined you can check out our "Company Information" links for more information, then look through the "Archives" at some articles on different subjects pertaining to our work and past projects.

Take a few minutes to browse through our "Photo Albums" to see some of our work. I have posted over 300 or so pictures for your perusal, with more being added on a regular basis. Whatever home improvement project you can come up with, I'd like to think we have it covered and have performed it many times over.

For large projects such as one or two story additions, design & build full home remodels, detached garages, custom homes, etc. we are trade partners with Quaker Remodeling & Additions  and can confidently refer all larger scale projects through them.

Our goal is to ensure our continued success through providing complete customer satisfaction in every  project we undertake. Satisfaction in the presentation, the product, the process, and the workmanship, All the way through to the clean-up, I will personally do my best to see that goal achieved.

Roger Beesley, President

 

Not Your Ordinary Mantel

Fireplace mantels can be more exciting than just your typical run-of-the-mill mantels. Why limit yourself to the ordinary, when you can make a dramatic statement by going the extra step. Take a look at this fireplace addition we built a few years back.

Usually in this situation most people just install a standard style mantel, which would be squeezed in-between the two windows. I never liked the look of seeing a mantel ledge crowding or even notched into the window casings.

We opted to go with these fluted pilasters instead. The two 1/2 columns at the fireplace are twice the depth of the two outer columns. They serve the purpose of trimming the fireplace surround, casing out the windows and allowing for a mantel shelf, all at the same time. I believe that bringing in and including both the windows in this fireplace millwork detail makes a dramatic statement and definitely adds alot of architectural interest to this master bedroom. We have taken what would have otherwise been, just another fireplace mantel, to something that gets remembered.

The actual mantel shelf is made from a build-up of several stock mouldings, and everything is topped off with a two-piece crown moulding which runs through-out the entire bedroom. This design also includes a recessed compartment for a TV and components over the fireplace. This was installed before flat screen TV's became the norm, and having large recessed cavities for CRT TV's was no longer necessary.

You can see a few more pictures and close-ups of this project in our photo albums, and we also have before & after pictures of this particular job on our Master Bedroom Fireplace - Before & After Page

Why Install Mouldings

There are many great reasons for installing mouldings in your home. Whether your goal is to increase the value of your home, to showcase your own sense of style, to generate a faster sale of your home, or to simply reduce finishing costs. Mouldings offer you the opportunity to design and create the home you have always imagined!

Mouldings are one of the few things that you can add to your home that have the potential for immediate reward. Simply stated, installing wood mouldings increases the value of your home or business. Installing crown moulding, wainscot paneling, chair rails or ceiling treatments enhances architectural elegance and will distinguish your home from others. Using a variety of moulding profiles, moulding build-ups, in addition to traditional baseboards and casings will upgrade the look of different rooms and help to highlight the special care that you have invested into your property.

In addition to their structural appeal, mouldings also serve a wide range of functional purposes. Baseboards, for example are used to conceal the gap between your floor and wall. Similarly, casings serve to cover the openings between your doors or windows and wall. Mouldings also serve in the transition from different materials such as paint and wallpaper, or can be used to emphasize contrasts between the same materials. These extra details can help you to significantly reduce the finishing costs in your home.

Your home should be a place of comfort and inspiration. It is a true reflection of the way you live your life. Installing wood mouldings in your home allows you to display your creativity to everyone that comes into your home! Take a look at our photo galleries for some inspiration on how to turn your home into a unique and timeless masterpiece!

A versus B ..... Better Quality?

Does hiring a "Class A" contractor get you "Class A" quality?

Last year Mitre Contracting, Inc. was contracted to rebuild a customer's front porch. The customer had the porch repaired about 5-8 years earlier for the same reason; water damage. Upon initial inspection you could see it had extensive water damage and was beyond a simple repair job. The rot was through the roof sheathing, down into the joists, cornice and ceiling.

The porch was relatively small consisting of an almost flat roof with a decorative rail, supported by a couple columns.

As we got into the demo we could see the reasons for the damage.

1. Improper installation of the roofing materials & an improper application for this roof.
2. Damage to the newly installed roofing when they installed the rail posts.

Without getting into details, the previous contractor had simply put on some drip edging then laid down a membrane without adhering it. Then to top that off, when they installed the rail system they simply screwed the little post brackets they used, through the roofing  and applied some caulking over the screw heads.

Needless to say this project had water problems from the day that contractor walked off with the check.

I would find out later that the contractor they hired is a "Class A" contractor. They even have a website that promotes  their "Class A" status. I've since encountered many home improvement contractor's websites that recommend homeowners only give their business to "Class A" contractors, in order to get quality workmanship. I feel that position is misleading and shortsighted. I've met more than a few people who have their Class A license, that I would never let work on my home.

I'm not questioning the character of any contractor. You can have impeccable character and the best of intentions and still lack the know how or skills for certain projects. Just because a company has one representative that qualifies and gets an "Class A" license, doesn't automatically mean that the company as a whole or the people they hire are all of a sudden extra qualified. I would bet that a whole lot of so called "Class A" contractors in this area, sub out some of their work to unlicensed companies and even to day laborers.

I feel that quality workmanship comes from improving your skills through years of experience, enjoying your work, knowing the products, and having a desire to be the best at what you do.

The point that I'm trying to get across by this one example is that just because a contractor has a "Class A"  license doesn't mean your going to get "Class A" workmanship.

"Class A" is not synonymous with "Quality"

Wine Cellars

Our latest  projects update:

Over the last few months we have been contracting the installation of wine cellars. We now have contracts with two different companies that specialize in the design and sales of custom wine cellars. They seem to be getting more and  more popular in this area. Wine cellar rooms can be as simple as a single wall unit, or can be complete rooms with all the options and extras. Hopefully this will be an area of our business that will continue to grow. You can take a look at some of the wine cellar projects that we have installed  in our Photo Album entitled  WINE CELLARS.  The file "Wine Room Preparation" in the Resources & Info section has some information on the construction details you need to know if your thinking of building  a custom made wine room in your home.

Take a look at more wine cellar installations here: www.winecellarcatalog.com

Call or Email us for more information if you are interested.

The two companies we install for are:

1. Home Design Elements:   Home Design Elements Home

Contact: Dan Shannon

Email: dshannon@hdelemnts.com

2. Vintage Wine Rooms:   Vintage Wine Rooms

Contact: Ben Crawford

Email: crawfobc@gmail.com

HGTV.COM Dream Home Giveaway

Just a little note to let you know that until Feb. 19th you can enter to win the HGTV 2008 Dream Home. You can enter once each day.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dream_home_2008/text/0,,HGTV_30596_65296,00.html

Let Us Turn Your Home Into A Showpiece

You can dramatically increase the look and value of your home by installing some basic millwork. Crown moulding, Chair rail, Wainscot, Ceiling treatments, etc. can give you alot of bang for the buck when it comes to improving your home. Adding mouldings is a fast easy way  to add instant value and aesthetic appeal to your home, without the hassle of extensive renovations, demo and other disruptions to your daily life.

Interior Trim Carpentry & Millwork Installation

We are a Custom Trim Carpentry Contractor servicing all of Northern VA and the surrounding counties. We are licensed and insured, and have been doing business since 1983. We specialize in, but are not limited to: kitchen & bath remodels, custom oak & metal stair railings & balusters, crown mouldings, chair rails, wainscoting, shadow boxes, built-in bookcases, coffered ceiling treatments, archways, columns, finished basements, replacement windows & doors, baseboards, shoemouldings. beadboard (ceilings & wainscot), and much more. Let us bid on all your woodworking needs