Millwork calculator
Running feet of base, casing and crown, with the stick count for a real order.
Millwork
Running feet of base, casing and crown, with the stick count for a real order.
Mitres eat the offcuts. Ten per cent covers a normal house; fifteen if the rooms are small.
$468
374.0 linear ft of primed mdf base at $1.25 / linear ft
Free. No signup. The quantities carry over as line items.
How this millwork calculator works
Running feet of base, casing and crown, with the stick count you actually order from. Mitres eat the offcuts, which is what the waste allowance is for.
The formula
length to buy = run length × (1 + waste) · sticks = ⌈order ÷ stock length⌉
Assumptions and defaults
| Default waste | 10% |
| Stock lengths | 12, 14 or 16 ft |
| Nails | one box per 16 ft of run |
| Caulk | one tube per 120 ft |
Pro tips
Ten per cent covers a normal house. Fifteen if the rooms are small — every room is four corners' worth of offcuts regardless of how short the walls are.
Buy the longest sticks that fit your longest wall. A scarf joint in the middle of a run is always visible once the light is right.
MDF for paint, poplar or pine where it takes a nail near an edge. MDF crumbles if you nail it too close.
Common questions
How much baseboard do I need?
Add up the perimeter of every room, subtract door openings, and add ten per cent. The calculator turns that into stick count for your stock length.
What length trim should I buy?
Sixteen foot if you can carry and store it — fewer joints. Twelve is easier to handle in a finished house and less likely to get damaged.
MDF or wood baseboard?
MDF if it is getting painted and staying dry. Real wood in bathrooms, basements and anywhere it might take a knock or a splash.
How much caulk for trim?
About a tube per 120 linear feet, more if you are caulking both the top edge and the mitres. Buy more than you think — it is the cheapest part of the job.