A joiner traditionally makes timber items such as windows, doors, stairs and cabinets, often in a workshop, while a carpenter fits and builds with timber on site. In practice the two trades overlap so much that many people, especially on smaller jobs, do both.
Here is what each one usually does, and how to work out who you need.
What a joiner does
Joinery is about making things by joining pieces of timber together. Traditionally that happens at a bench or in a workshop, using joints that hold the timber together rather than relying only on screws and brackets.
A joiner usually works from measurements or drawings, cuts and shapes the timber, and assembles the piece so it is ready to be fitted. Typical joinery includes:
- Windows, sashes and frames
- Doors and door frames
- Staircases
- Cabinets, cupboards and fitted furniture
- Mouldings such as skirting and architrave
What a carpenter does
Carpentry is the work done on site with timber. Some of it is structural, such as roof timbers, floor joists and stud walls. Some of it is fitting the things a joiner has made.
Site work means dealing with the building as it really is. Walls lean, floors slope and openings are rarely the size the drawing says. A good carpenter sets out from what is actually there. Typical carpentry includes:
- Stud partition walls and door openings
- Floor joists and boarding
- Hanging doors and fitting door linings
- Fitting kitchens, skirting and architrave
- Repairs to doors, floors and rotten timber
First fix and second fix
On a building job you will often hear carpentry split into first fix and second fix.
First fix is the work done before plastering: studwork, joists, door linings and anything else that needs to be in place before the walls are finished. Second fix comes after plastering: hanging doors, fitting skirting and architrave, and fitting kitchens and built-in furniture.
Why the line is blurred
In big firms, the jobs are often split. A joinery workshop makes the windows and doors, and a site carpenter fits them.
On domestic work it is common for one person to do both. They make a fitted wardrobe or a window, then fit it in place. That has real advantages. The person who measures the room is the person who makes the piece and the person who fits it, so nothing gets lost in between.
The training reflects the overlap too. In the UK, carpentry and joinery are usually taught together, with options to lean towards site work or bench work.
So when you see a business called carpentry and joinery, it usually means they can both make the piece and fit it. That is worth knowing when the job is something made for one room, where the fitting matters as much as the making.
Which one do you need?
A simple way to think about it:
- Something made to measure, such as fitted wardrobes, a media wall, a window or a matching length of moulding: look for someone who does joinery.
- Something built or fitted on site, such as a stud wall, a kitchen fit or a door hung: a carpenter.
- Both, such as a run of fitted furniture made in one place and fitted in an older house: someone who does carpentry and joinery.
Questions to ask before you book
Whatever they call themselves, ask to see photos of similar work, ask whether they will make the piece themselves or buy it in, and ask who will actually be on site. For older houses, ask whether they can match existing profiles such as skirting, architrave or window mouldings.
It also helps to ask how they will deal with walls and floors that are not straight. On fitted furniture, that is where the difference between a good job and an average one shows. Scribing a piece to the wall, rather than filling the gap afterwards, takes longer but looks right for years.
Finally, ask for a written estimate that says what is included, and check whether the person quoting is the person doing the work.
Need a carpenter?
LGR Carpentry and Joinery does both. Luke Richardson makes and fits bespoke furniture, made-to-measure joinery and period windows, and carries out first fix and repair work, across Surrey and Sussex from Rudgwick.
Read more about made-to-measure joinery, bespoke built-in furniture and windows & period joinery, or see the work Luke does in Horsham and Guildford. You can also ask for a free quote.