That trim carpenter in Austin changed my mind about pre-finished wood

I always insisted on raw wood for baseboards, thought pre-finished was lazy. Then I watched a guy named Dale at the Texas Builders Show in Austin last month nail a perfect joint with no sanding or painting. He showed me how the factory coat is harder than anything I can brush on. Has anyone else had their mind changed by watching a pro work with materials you swore against?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_kim13d ago

Did you ever ask Dale about the waste factor though? Pre-finished stuff has this plastic coating that can chip if you drop it wrong, and you can't touch up a scratch without it showing like crazy. I saw a buddy try to fill a gap on a pre-finished baseboard with caulk and it looked worse than a painted raw wood joint. Seems like you trade one headache for another depending on the job.

the_wesley13d ago

Oh man, I had the same thing happen with a pre-finished door I dropped last month. Chipped it on the corner and no amount of filler could hide that ugly plastic edge.