The finishing stage
Second fix
carpentry.
Second fix is everything that goes in once the walls are finished, and it is the stage that decides whether a room looks properly finished or merely completed. Doors that close cleanly, a skirting line that runs true, mitres that hold: this is the work people run their eye along for the next twenty years.
Why the sequence matters
Second fix waits for a reason. Skirting fitted before plastering gets damaged by the plasterer. A door hung before the floor goes down has to come off again to clear the new finish. A kitchen installed before decoration means cutting in around every cabinet.
There is usually a gap of two to four weeks between first and second fix while plaster dries out and first fix services and decoration prep are completed. We would rather come back at the right point than rush in early and leave you with work that has to be redone.
Matching what is already there
In an older property the trim rarely matches anything on a merchant's shelf. Victorian and Edwardian houses across Kent tend to have deeper, more detailed profiles than modern stock, and a new room finished in standard moulding will always read as an addition.
Where it matters we take a profile from the existing trim and match it, either by sourcing the nearest equivalent or having it run. The same applies to staircases: replacement treads, risers and spindles are made to suit the flight that is there rather than to a catalogue size.
What second fix carpentry covers
Doors
- Internal door hanging and adjustment
- Fire door installation and intumescent strips
- External and composite door fitting
- Ironmongery, locks and closers
- Bi-fold and sliding door tracks
Mouldings and trim
- Skirting and architrave
- Dado and picture rail
- Window boards and reveals
- Box-outs and bulkheads
- Matching existing period profiles
Fitting out
- Staircase parts, spindles and handrail
- Kitchen carcasses and worktops
- Loft hatches and access ladders
- Shelving and airing cupboards
- Flooring and thresholds
Recent work
across Kent
Common questions
Yes. Fire doors are fitted with the correct gaps, intumescent strips and ironmongery, which matters for building control sign-off and for insurance on rented property.
It depends on the number of openings and the finish, but a typical three-bedroom refurbishment is usually a week to two weeks of second fix. We confirm the figure at quote stage.
In most cases yes, by taking a profile from what is there. If an exact match is not available we will show you the closest options before anything is ordered.