Custom millwork encompasses all the interior and exterior woodwork that transforms a house from a box into a home — crown mouldings, baseboards, window and door casings, wainscoting, coffered ceilings, built-in shelving, mantels, staircases, and architectural details. It's the difference between a $400,000 house that feels basic and a $400,000 house that feels like a million dollars. In Ottawa's 2026 housing market, custom millwork is one of the highest-ROI interior upgrades. It adds perceived ...
Crown moulding: Stock MDF crown from a box store costs $1–$3 per linear foot for material. Custom wood crown moulding from an Ottawa millwork shop costs $4–$15 per linear foot for material, depending on profile complexity, size, and wood species. Installation adds $4–$10 per linear foot. A typical living room (60 linear feet) costs $480–$1,500 installed with custom profiles. Baseboards: Stock baseboards cost $1–$3 per linear foot. Custom baseboards in popular Ottawa styles (tall 7-inch colonial...
Wood species: Paint-grade poplar or MDF is the most economical choice for painted millwork. Stain-grade hardwoods cost more — oak, maple, and cherry are 30–60% more than poplar. Walnut and exotic species can be 100–200% more. Profile complexity: Simple square or beveled profiles are least expensive. Multi-step profiles with ogees, coves, and beads require more passes through the moulding machine and cost more. Matching historical profiles from heritage homes may require custom knife grinding ($...
Use stock millwork when: Your budget is tight, the room is a low-priority space (laundry room, utility areas), the existing home has stock profiles you're matching, or the millwork will be painted a standard white and the room has 8-foot ceilings where large profiles would look disproportionate. Upgrade to custom when: Your home has 9-foot or higher ceilings (stock profiles look undersized in tall rooms), you're matching existing heritage profiles, you want a premium or unique look, the millwor...
Visit the shop: Like cabinet makers, quality millwork shops have dedicated facilities with professional equipment — moulding machines, wide-belt sanders, spray booths, and material storage. A shop visit tells you about their capabilities and quality standards. Ask about their moulding machine: Quality shops use Williams & Hussey, Weinig, or similar industrial moulding machines that produce consistent, clean profiles. Shops using router tables for production moulding are limited in speed, consis...
Custom crown moulding costs $8–$25 per linear foot installed. Custom baseboards cost $6–$17 per linear foot. A full-home custom millwork package (baseboards, casings, crown) for a 2,000 sq ft home costs $8,000–$25,000 installed depending on profile complexity and wood species.
Yes. Custom millwork is one of the highest-ROI interior upgrades in Ottawa. It adds perceived value far beyond its cost — homes in the $600,000+ range with quality millwork sell faster and for higher prices. Real estate agents consistently cite millwork as a top differentiator.
MDF (medium-density fiberboard) is smooth, dimensionally stable, and ideal for painted millwork — it won't crack or show grain. Solid wood is necessary for stained/natural finish millwork and is preferred in heritage restorations. For painted profiles, MDF is actually the better choice.
Standard custom profiles take 2–4 weeks for production. Complex profiles requiring custom knife grinding add 1–2 weeks. Large whole-home projects may take 6–8 weeks. Heritage profile matching may require additional time for research and sampling.
Yes. Ottawa millwork shops regularly match historical profiles from heritage homes. They take a cross-section sample of the existing profile, grind a custom knife to replicate it, and produce matching new millwork. Custom knife grinding costs $200–$600 per profile but allows exact replication.