Millwork
Coffered Ceilings & Millwork in Toronto
Coffered ceilings, columns, pilasters and cased openings.
Millwork is the architectural woodwork that gives a room its lines: columns, pilasters, cased openings, coffered and tray ceilings, mantels and overmantels.
It is built and installed to the room as it stands, which is the only way the grid of a coffered ceiling lands square in a house that has moved.
- Covers
- Columns, cased openings, ceilings
- Ceilings
- Coffered and tray
- Built to
- The room as it stands
- Finish
- Installed on site, filled and sanded
Curved stair
Stair landing
Skylight landing
Dining niche
Open plan
Panelled living room
Bed alcove
What we build
- Coffered ceilings
- Tray ceilings
- Columns
- Pilasters
- Cased openings
- Arched openings
- Mantels
- Overmantels
What changes the price
Millwork is priced by the room it goes into, because the room decides how much has to be levelled, squared and set out before anything is installed.
- The size of the grid. A coffered ceiling is priced by the number of bays and the depth of the beams. A tray ceiling is a single step around the room.
- The condition of the ceiling. A ceiling that is out of level is set out against a level line, so the grid reads square to the eye.
- The moulding profile. A simple beam and a beam with built up mouldings on every face are very different amounts of work.
- Columns and openings. Each column, pilaster and cased opening is built to its own opening, and old openings are squared up first.
- Height and access. Two storey rooms and stair halls need staging to work safely at height.
- Painted or stained. Painted millwork hides the joints under filler and paint. Stained millwork shows every one.
How the job runs
1 · Site visit
We come to the house and see the walls, floors and ceilings the work will meet.
2 · Measured and priced
We measure the work ourselves and put the price in writing, at no charge.
3 · Built and fitted
Cut and fitted on site, scribed to the walls and floors as they stand.
4 · Ready for paint
We leave the work filled and sanded, ready for your painter.
We work across Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Kleinburg, King City, Nobleton, Oakville, Mississauga. Areas we serve
Common questions
What is a coffered ceiling?
A ceiling divided into a grid of sunken panels by a framework of beams. The depth of the grid is what gives the room its shadow line, so the layout is set out against the ceiling that is actually there.
What is the difference between a column and a pilaster?
A column stands free and is round or square on all sides. A pilaster is flat against the wall and reads as a column in relief.
Can an opening be cased after the house is built?
Yes. The opening is measured and squared up first, then cased, which is why cased openings are built to the room as it stands rather than to the drawing.
What is a tray ceiling?
A ceiling with a raised centre section, so the perimeter sits lower than the middle. The trim around the step is what makes it read as intentional.
What is the difference between a coffered and a waffle ceiling?
A waffle ceiling is a coffered ceiling with a tight, even grid of square bays. The name describes the look rather than a different way of building it.
Can a coffered ceiling go into an existing house?
Yes. The beams are built onto the existing ceiling and set out against a level line, so the grid reads square even where the ceiling is not.
Does a coffered ceiling need a high ceiling?
It reads best with height to spare, because the beams bring the ceiling down visually. In a lower room a shallower beam or a tray ceiling is often the better fit.