Property services
Joiners in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Doors, windows, floors, stairs, fitted storage and timber repair.
Joiners handle timber: sash and case window repair, internal doors, skirtings and facings, floorboard repair, fitted storage, stairs and the endless small making-good that period flats generate.
Two kinds of joiner exist and the difference is worth knowing. A site joiner fits and repairs on the job; a bench joiner makes to measure in a workshop. Reproducing a missing New Town shutter or a run of moulded architrave needs the second.
When Edinburgh owners call joiners
- Sash windows rattle, stick, or have soft timber at the bottom rail.
- You want the original floorboards lifted, repaired and re-laid before sale.
- Storage is needed in an awkward alcove or under a stair.
- Doors, facings or a stair balustrade have been lost in a previous refit.
Local context: Edinburgh and the Lothians
Original sash and case windows are the defining joinery job in Edinburgh. In a conservation area or a listed building, repair and draught-proofing is usually the only route permitted, and it is generally cheaper and quieter than replacement anyway. A rotten sash bottom rail can be spliced rather than the whole window replaced.
Floors are the second: pine boards over joists, often cupped, gapped and squeaking, with lath-and-plaster ceilings below that will not survive rough lifting. A joiner used to tenements works from above with care rather than pulling boards.
What this work typically costs
Published ranges are market context gathered from local jobs, not a quotation. We do not price work, arrange it or take a cut of it — always get your own written quotes.
| Job | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Overhaul and draught-proof one sash window | £350-£650 | Cords, pulleys, brush seals and easing; more if the timber needs splicing. |
| Splice repair to a rotten sash rail | £250-£500 | Per sash, depending on rot extent and glazing removal. |
| Fitted alcove wardrobe or shelving | £1,200-£3,500 | Painted MDF is cheaper than hardwood; moulding to match existing costs more. |
| Lift, repair and re-lay pine flooring, one room | £800-£2,200 | Board replacement, level of sanding and whether skirtings come off. |
| Internal door hung with new ironmongery | £150-£300 | Fire doors and non-standard openings cost more. |
Tenements and common repairs
Anything that touches the common stair — the flat entrance door, the stair treads, the storm doors — is likely to be regulated by the deeds or by fire-safety requirements. Replacement flat entrance doors in a tenement commonly need to be fire-rated, and a buyer's solicitor may ask for evidence.
For floors, remember the ceiling below belongs to someone else. Sound insulation between flats is a common source of complaint, and a joiner who fits acoustic underlay as standard saves a great deal of trouble later.
What to check before you instruct
- Insurance
- Written quote per item
- Sample of comparable work
- Insurance
- Public liability at minimum. Ask for the certificate rather than a verbal assurance.
- Priced per item
- A quote that lists each window, door or unit separately lets you take out what you cannot afford this year.
- Conservation experience
- For sash and case work, ask to see a splice repair they have completed, not just replacement units they have installed.
- Fire-rating evidence
- If a flat entrance door is being replaced, ask for the certification for the door set and its intumescent seals.
We publish factual detail supplied by each business. We do not rate, rank, endorse or guarantee anyone listed, and no business pays for placement. Checking registration, insurance and references is always your decision.
Questions to ask before you instruct
- Are you repairing the original timber or replacing the unit?
- Is decoration and making-good after the joinery included?
- How long will each window be out of action?
- Do you supply a certificate for any fire-rated door you fit?
- Will you protect the common stair and clear timber offcuts daily?
- Is the quote fixed if hidden rot is found once the sash is out?
Businesses listed
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Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.
Joiners: common questions
- Can a joiner repair original sash and case windows rather than replace them?
- In most Edinburgh period flats yes — splicing new timber into decayed cills and bottom rails, renewing cords, pulleys and beads is routine work and is usually what a conservation area or listed building requires.
- What does a joiner need to know about tenement stair access?
- Long lengths of timber, door sets and stair parts have to come up a turning stone stair. Give the joiner the stair width and any half-landing turns at quoting stage so cutting on site is priced in.
- Do internal doors in a Scottish flat need to be fire doors?
- In most existing flats no, but doors onto a common stair, and doors in properties converted or altered under warrant, can carry a fire rating. If a door is fire rated, replacing it like for like is a building standards matter.