Joiner vs Carpenter: What's the Difference and Who to Hire

The difference between a joiner and a carpenter

The two terms are often used interchangeably, Checkatrade’s guide to hiring a carpenter says, but carpenters typically work on site, installing and fitting items directly in your home, while joiners tend to make timber products such as doors, staircases and furniture in a workshop with specialist machinery, before they are installed.

The way they join the wood differs too. A joiner builds timber structures by joining pieces of wood with intricate techniques such as tongue-and-groove and dovetail joints, while a carpenter tends to join wooden components with screws and fixtures, working on site on larger build projects and repairs, Checkatrade’s joiner vs carpenter guide says.

Compared	Carpenter	Joiner	Checkatrade guide
Where they work	On site, installing and fitting items in your home	In a workshop with specialist machinery, before the piece is installed	How to hire a carpenter
What they make or fit	Doors, skirting and architrave, staircases, fitted wardrobes and bespoke storage, media walls, panelling and shelving	Doors, staircases and furniture	How to hire a carpenter
How they join the wood	Screws and fixtures	Intricate joints such as tongue-and-groove and dovetail	Joiner vs carpenter
Typical jobs	A roofing framework for an extension, new floorboards, door frame and staircase repairs, wood flooring, decking, fencing repairs, a shed or a pergola	Fitted wardrobes for alcoves, under-stairs storage, door and window frames, custom furniture, staircases and kitchen cabinetry	Joiner vs carpenter

What a joiner makes in a workshop

Hire a workshop joiner for bespoke furniture and storage, such as custom-made fitted wardrobes in the alcoves of a room or a bespoke storage solution beneath the stairs, Checkatrade’s joiner vs carpenter guide advises. It lists door frames, window frames, custom-made furniture, staircases and bespoke kitchen cabinetry among the pieces a joiner makes in a workshop with specialised equipment.

Among the carpenters and joinery firms we compare in and around Nottingham, Boyes Design in Netherfield designs its joinery in its Nottingham studio and makes it in its Nottingham workshop, and DMP Joinery has run a dedicated workshop in Arnold since 2014, making bespoke furniture, under-stairs storage and alcove units. DC Joinery Innovations in Chilwell has a fully equipped workshop with industrial joinery machinery, and Sneinton-based West Bridgford Joinery makes its Peak Profiles panelling in its own workshop. Bespoke Joinery Nottingham in Colwick makes every piece in its Nottingham workshop, including bespoke wooden sash windows and custom timber front doors.

What a carpenter does on site

A carpenter typically works on site, making or repairing larger wood components as part of a house build, from repairing staircases to building garden pergolas, Checkatrade’s joiner vs carpenter guide says. Checkatrade’s carpentry prices guide lists the types of carpentry as rough, joist, finish, framing, roof and cabinet making, with rough carpentry covering framing, roofing, decking, stairs and shelving, and finish carpentry covering skirting, trims, mouldings and door frames.

Carpentry comes in two phases either side of the plastering, Checkatrade’s guide to hiring a carpenter says, with structural first fix usually done before it and finishing second fix after it. Carpenters working on larger renovations take on a broader mix of both, it adds.

Carpenters and joiners who do both

Many tradespeople are skilled in both trades, and larger firms often employ people who cover each, Checkatrade’s guide to hiring a carpenter says. Depending on the job, you might be after a joinery company, a cabinet maker, a staircase fitter or a fitted wardrobe specialist, it adds, so experience with jobs like yours tells you more than the trade name when you choose a carpenter or a joiner.

Local firms work both ways. Several make their pieces in their own workshops, while S Kirk Domestic Joinery Services in Long Eaton runs a fully mobile service, carrying out the work in your home. For a bespoke, made-to-measure piece, ask whether it will be made in a workshop or built on site, since that can affect both the timescale and the price, Checkatrade’s hiring guide advises.

Handyperson or carpenter

A handyperson handles quick or minor jobs across trades, while carpenters specialise in wood and complex installations such as cabinetry, staircases or structural framing, Checkatrade’s carpentry prices guide says.

Joiner and carpenter day rates

A joiner or a carpenter charges a day rate of around £300 for most jobs, Checkatrade’s joiner vs carpenter guide says. On the figures in Checkatrade’s carpentry prices guide, a carpenter’s day rate averages around £300 and the hourly rate around £37.50. Bespoke carpentry and highly specialist joinery sit at the higher end, Checkatrade’s guide to hiring a carpenter says.