# Buying used Trim



## weswesterfield (Aug 30, 2009)

I have been given the opportunity to go through a nice house and remove the trim I want. I am interested in the 9" stained oak crown molding and the 5 1/4" stained base. How much should I offer per linear foot for these items?


----------



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Wes,
First of all, why are they letting you remove it? Are they remodeling, is the house condemned, etc.? How old is the wood? I would only offer pennies on a dollar for something like this. You have to remove it, carefully, remove nails, clean it up. Then when you go to reinstall it, you are either stuck with the old finish, or strip it off and redo it, or paint it. Either way, it's a bunch more work than starting from scratch with new trim. It can be worthwhile if you are able to get if for next to nothing and are able to reuse most of it. 
Mike Hawkins


----------



## Bennett4 (Aug 19, 2009)

i agree with firehawk. If the trim is older, you could have days in trying to remove all the old stain and finish. I have "restored" some old trim and crown at work before because that is what the customer wanted. They would have been money ahead to just buy new instead of paying us to sand it down and refinish it.


----------



## weswesterfield (Aug 30, 2009)

firehawkmph said:


> Wes,
> First of all, why are they letting you remove it? Are they remodeling, is the house condemned, etc.? How old is the wood? I would only offer pennies on a dollar for something like this. You have to remove it, carefully, remove nails, clean it up. Then when you go to reinstall it, you are either stuck with the old finish, or strip it off and redo it, or paint it. Either way, it's a bunch more work than starting from scratch with new trim. It can be worthwhile if you are able to get if for next to nothing and are able to reuse most of it.
> Mike Hawkins


 A nice upscale home about 20 years old. They are remodeling. I was thinking about offering about 10 cents a foot for the stained and 5 cents a foot for the painted casing and painted crown.


----------



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Wes,
As long as you have a use for it in the near future, go for it. Pry carefully under the nails, and pull them through the back with a pair of channellocks. If you don't have a project planned for them, I wouldn't get it just to stockpile it. I have enough stuff lying around already.:laughing: Good luck,
Mike Hawkins


----------



## skymaster (Oct 30, 2006)

Wes: have you priced that trim new? You might want to do that first, as all have said b4 me think hard about all that labor, and you still have used trim with nail holes in place you might not want em.
What happens IF after all that work these nice folks start hollerin about some "damage" you did and want you to help pay for their new project?


----------



## kreg mcmahon (Jul 25, 2009)

also once you buy it... do you know how to install crown? and are the pieces long enough so you do not have to piece together a 12 foot wall?

measure up where the crown is going to be installed then check what is available.

www.thisiscarpentry.com


----------



## joesdad (Nov 1, 2007)

If there are guys coming in and installing new after the old is gone, and you really want it, it will probably end up in a 30 yard dumpster and at that point I'd just pull out anything longer than 12ft. give them 20 bucks and call it a day.

-Armand


----------

