The details are what make a room feel finished. RPG Carpentry & Joinery provides precise second-fix finishing carpentry across Devon and Cornwall — skirting boards, architraves, pipe boxing and bespoke mouldings, fitted with the tight mitres and crisp lines that separate a professional finish from a rushed one.
Second-fix, or finishing, carpentry is the work that happens once the plastering is done and the walls are ready. It is the visible joinery that frames every room, and because it sits at eye level, the quality of the workmanship shows. We cover the full range of finishing trades and leave every joint scribed, mitred and sanded ready for the decorator.
Supply and fit of skirting in any profile and height, scribed to uneven walls and floors so the boards sit flush even in older out-of-true rooms.
Door and window architraves cut with clean 45-degree mitres, packed and aligned so reveals are even and corners stay tight as the timber moves.
Neat boxing-in of pipework, soil stacks, meters and cabling, made removable where access is needed and finished to match surrounding joinery.
Dado rails, picture rails, window boards and matched period profiles that restore the proportions and character of older Devon and Cornwall homes.
Few rooms in Devon and Cornwall are truly square. Cob walls bow, granite cottages have thick uneven reveals, and the lime-plastered walls of period terraces in Exeter and Plymouth rarely run dead straight. A finishing carpenter who fits straight lengths and hopes for the best leaves gaps and lippings; we scribe each board to the actual line of the wall and floor so the result looks intentional and tight.
We measure and cut on site, use a mix of scribing, coping and mitring to suit each corner, and fix with the right combination of adhesive and pins so nothing pulls away as the building breathes through the seasons. On heritage work we take care not to over-modernise — the aim is joinery that looks like it belongs.
Primed MDF is the go-to for most modern rooms: stable, knot-free and it paints up beautifully. For damp-prone Cornish cottages, kitchens and bathrooms, or where you want a stained rather than painted finish, we use solid softwood or hardwood, or moisture-resistant board. Profiles range from simple chamfered and ogee designs to tall ornate Victorian and Georgian mouldings.
Where you are extending or renovating part of a period property, matching the existing profile is often the priority. We can have bespoke lengths machined to a pattern, or build up a moulding from layered sections, so new joinery is indistinguishable from the original once painted.
The figures below give a rough guide for finishing carpentry across Devon and Cornwall, including materials and fitting. Profile, height and the condition of the walls all affect the price, so we quote properly after seeing the rooms.
| Finishing Work | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skirting (supplied & fitted) | £12 – £25/m | Per linear metre, by profile |
| Door architrave set | £45 – £90 | Per door opening |
| Typical room (skirting & architrave) | £200 – £450 | Materials & labour |
| Pipe boxing | £80 – £200 | Per run, access dependent |
Scribed and coped corners that stay closed, on walls and floors that are anything but straight.
We replicate original period mouldings so renovations and extensions flow seamlessly with the existing home.
Every length is filled, sanded and left ready to paint, so the next trade can get straight on.
Skirting and architrave is usually priced per room or per metre. As a guide, supplying and fitting skirting costs around £12 to £25 per linear metre depending on the profile and timber, and a typical room of skirting and door architraves comes to roughly £200 to £450. A full house of second-fix finishing carpentry is normally quoted as a package after a site visit.
Yes. Many older Devon and Cornwall homes have tall, ornate Victorian or Georgian skirting profiles that are no longer stocked. We can match an existing profile by having matching lengths machined, or by building up the moulding from layered standard sections so new and original boards sit seamlessly side by side. This keeps the character of the room intact during a renovation or extension.
Primed MDF skirting is stable, cost-effective and gives a very smooth painted finish, making it the popular choice for most modern rooms. Solid timber skirting (softwood or hardwood) is preferred where there is a risk of damp, for staining rather than painting, or in period properties where authenticity matters. In older Cornish cottages prone to damp we often recommend timber or moisture- resistant board.
Yes. We carry out skirting, architrave and finishing carpentry throughout Devon and Cornwall, including Plymouth, Exeter, Torquay, Barnstaple, Truro and Tavistock, plus the surrounding towns and villages. Finishing carpentry is often the last stage of a renovation, and we are happy to fit around other trades on site.
Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote on skirting, architrave and finishing carpentry anywhere in Devon or Cornwall.
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