Carpentry advice for Crawley homes
Carpenter or joiner: what is the difference?
You need some woodwork done and you are not sure who to ask for. A carpenter? A joiner? Are they the same thing with two names?
They overlap a lot, and in the south of England most people say carpenter for both. But there is a real difference, and knowing it helps you ask for the right person.
The short version
A joiner makes things from timber, mostly in a workshop. A carpenter fits and builds things from timber, mostly on site.
The word joiner comes from joining wood. A joiner cuts the joints that hold a door, a window or a staircase together, using fixed machines that would never fit in a van. The finished piece is then delivered.
The carpenter takes over at the house. They hang the door the joiner made, fit the stairs into the hall, and build the parts of the house that are made in place, such as stud walls and floors.
Jobs a joiner usually does
- Making doors and door frames to a special size
- Making timber windows, including sash windows
- Building staircases
- Making fitted furniture and cabinets in a workshop
- Copying old mouldings and skirting so new matches old
Jobs a carpenter usually does
- Hanging doors and fitting locks and handles
- Fitting skirting boards, architrave and window boards
- Building timber stud walls and boxing in
- Laying floors and fixing floorboards
- Fitting kitchens
- Fitting staircases, handrails and spindles
- Roof timbers and loft boarding
- Decking, fencing and other outdoor timber
Carpenters split their own work in two. First fix is the structural timber that goes in before plastering. Second fix is the finishing work afterwards. Some carpenters do only one of the two.
Where the line blurs
Plenty of tradesmen do both. A carpenter with a small workshop will make a set of alcove cupboards at the bench and then fit them. A joiner will come out and install the staircase they built.
Fitted wardrobes are a good example. One person may build them entirely in your bedroom from sheets of board, which is carpentry. Another may make the frames and doors at a workshop and assemble them at your house, which is joinery followed by fitting. You end up with a wardrobe just the same.
So the name on the van matters less than the answer to one question: have you done this exact job before?
Which one do you need?
Start with the job.
- It can be bought ready made and needs fitting. Doors, skirting, flooring, kitchen units, deck boards. Ask for a carpenter.
- It has to be made to an unusual size or to match something old. A sash window, a curved stair, a door for an odd opening. Ask for a joiner, or a carpenter who has one they work with.
- It is a repair to something already in the house. Start with a carpenter. They will say if a part needs to be made specially.
Most of Crawley's housing dates from after 1947 and was built with standard sizes of door, stair and window. That means off-the-shelf parts usually fit, and a carpenter can handle the great majority of jobs. Older properties in Ifield village, Worth and along the High Street are more likely to need pieces made to measure.
If you are not sure, describe the job in the form in ordinary words. The person who rings back will know which it is. Common carpenter jobs are covered on our pages for door hanging, skirting and architrave and carpentry repairs.
Common questions
Is a carpenter better than a joiner?
Neither is better. They are two halves of the same trade. A joiner is the right choice for something that must be made, and a carpenter for something that must be fitted or built on site. Many tradesmen are trained in both and use the title their customers know best.
What are the 7 types of carpentry work?
There is no official list, but the trade is often divided like this: first fix structural work, second fix finishing work, roof carpentry, bench joinery made in a workshop, fitted furniture and cabinets, kitchen fitting, and outdoor work such as decking and fencing.
Not sure who to ask for?
You do not need to know the trade terms to get the job done. Leaving it because you are unsure who to ring only means the door keeps sticking or the cupboard never gets built.
Describe the job in your own words and name your part of Crawley. Asking is free.