Ask ten people the difference between a joiner and a carpenter and you'll get ten answers. In the UK the two words are used almost interchangeably, and most tradespeople who call themselves one do a fair amount of the other. The traditional split is still worth knowing, though, because it explains how a building job is put together.
The traditional difference
A joiner traditionally made things: doors, windows, staircases, cupboards and anything else built from joined pieces of timber, often in a workshop. A carpenter traditionally fitted timber on site: roofs, floor joists, stud walls and the structural work that holds a building together.
On most modern jobs the line is blurred. Plenty of joinery is now made and fitted on site, and most joiners are just as comfortable framing a roof as hanging a door.
First fix and second fix
A more useful way to think about it is first fix and second fix, the two stages most joinery falls into.
- First fix is the work done before plastering: roof trusses or a cut roof, floor joists, stud walls, door linings and boxing for pipes.
- Second fix is the work done after plastering: hanging doors, skirting and architrave, kitchens, staircase spindles and handrails, panelling and fitted storage.
First fix decides whether everything later goes in straight. If joists aren't level or linings aren't square, every door, floor and kitchen unit fitted afterwards has to be fudged to suit.
Which do you need?
- Building an extension or converting a loft: first fix carpentry for the roof and floors, then second fix to finish. See roofs, floors and first fix.
- New internal doors, skirting or architrave: second fix joinery. See doors and internal joinery.
- Alcove units, wardrobes or under-stairs cupboards: made-to-measure joinery. See fitted storage.
- A new kitchen: a joiner or kitchen fitter. See kitchen fitting.
Why one person for both helps
When the same joiner does the first fix and the second fix, the details carry through. The person who set the door linings is the person who hangs the doors, so nothing is left for someone else to work around.
