Virginia Finish Carpentry Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, which list correctly describes Virginia finish carpentry contracting (FIN)?

• AInstallation, repair, and finishing of cabinets, sash casing, door casing, wooden floorin…
• BInstallation of ceramic tile, marble, cultured stone, and grouted wet-area surfaces
• CFraming of walls, roofs, and floor joists plus structural sheathing
• DInstallation of gypsum wallboard, metal stud partitions, and taping

A homeowner asks a FIN specialty contractor to set a cultured-marble vanity top. What is the correct licensing response?

• AAccept the work because all bathroom countertops fall under FIN
• BDecline the cultured-marble top as FIN work because finish carpentry does not include art…
• CAccept it only if the vanity cabinet is also being installed
• DAccept it because cultured marble is classified as millwork

Which other Virginia contractor credentials also provide the finish carpentry function?

• ACBC and RBC classifications and the HIC and CIC specialties
• BELE and PLB classifications only
• CTMC specialty only
• DASB and LAC specialties

Which project is inside FIN scope?

• AInstalling 3/4-inch solid oak strip flooring in a living room
• BSetting ceramic floor tile in a foyer
• CInstalling a marble hearth surround
• DSetting artificial-stone kitchen counters

Which interior item is millwork that a FIN contractor may install?

• APaint-grade door casing and window sash casing
• BCeramic tile tub surround
• CMarble threshold at a shower door
• DCultured-stone fireplace facing

A kitchen remodel includes new plywood-box cabinets and a plastic-laminate countertop. Is that combination FIN work?

• AYes. Cabinets and non-stone countertops are both inside the FIN definition
• BNo. All countertops require the TMC specialty
• CNo. Cabinets require a furniture-maker license, not FIN
• DOnly the cabinets are FIN; laminate counters are treated as cultured stone

Which statement correctly separates FIN from the flooring specialty (FLR)?

• AFIN includes wooden flooring as millwork but does not include ceramic, marble, or stone t…
• BFIN includes every floor covering, including ceramic tile
• CFIN may install marble floors but not wood floors
• DFLR is limited to carpet tack strip and cannot install wood

Repairing a damaged run of stained oak baseboard and recasing a sash opening is:

• AInside FIN, because the specialty includes repair and finishing of baseboards and sash ca…
• BOutside FIN, because repair work requires only a Class C license with no specialty
• CMasonry work because the wall behind the trim is gypsum
• DTMC work because the base sits next to a wood floor

A contract lists oak cabinets, wood base, a butcher-block island top, and a quartz island top. Which item is outside FIN?

• AThe quartz island top, because quartz is engineered (artificial) stone
• BThe oak cabinets
• CThe wood base
• DThe butcher-block island top

Which statement about FIN is true?

• AFIN is a Board-defined specialty for millwork; CBC, RBC, HIC, and CIC may also perform th…
• BHolding FIN automatically authorizes ceramic tile and cultured-stone wet work
• CFIN replaces the need for any Class A, B, or C contractor license
• DFIN is limited to new installation and never includes repair

What is the standard height of a kitchen base cabinet, including the toe kick but not the countertop?

• A30 inches
• B32 inches
• C34-1/2 inches
• D36 inches

What is the standard depth of a kitchen base-cabinet box, measured from the wall to the front of the box (no door, no top)?

• A12 inches
• B18 inches
• C21 inches
• D24 inches

What is the standard depth of a kitchen wall cabinet?

• A12 inches
• B18 inches
• C21 inches
• D24 inches

After a 1-1/2-inch countertop is set on a standard 34-1/2-inch kitchen base, what is the finished counter height?

• A34-1/2 inches
• B35 inches
• C36 inches
• D42 inches

What are the typical toe-kick dimensions on a kitchen base cabinet?

• A2 inches high by 1 inch deep
• B4 inches high by 3 inches deep
• C6 inches high by 6 inches deep
• D8 inches high by 2 inches deep

What distinguishes a face-frame cabinet from a frameless (European) cabinet?

• AA face-frame cabinet has a hardwood stile-and-rail frame on the front of the box; a frame…
• BFace-frame cabinets cannot use wood doors
• CFrameless cabinets are only legal in commercial buildings
• DFace-frame cabinets never receive a countertop

In frameless cabinet construction, the 32 mm system is:

• AThe required thickness of every cabinet panel
• BA vertical grid of 5 mm holes spaced 32 mm on center for hinges, slides, and shelf pins
• CThe standard reveal between two doors
• DThe diameter of a European hinge cup

What diameter cup is bored in a door for a standard European concealed hinge?

• A26 mm
• B32 mm
• C35 mm
• D50 mm

A cabinet door that sits flush inside the face-frame opening, with the door face in the same plane as the frame, is which overlay?

• AFull overlay
• BHalf overlay (standard overlay)
• CInset
• DLip overlay

A run of wall cabinets must die into an out-of-plumb plaster wall. What is the correct finish-carpentry method?

• ALeave a tapered gap and caulk it later
• BScribe a filler or the cabinet scribe strip to the wall profile and fasten the cabinet pl…
• CRack the cabinet out of square so the door line matches the wall
• DShim only the opposite end and ignore the gap

When bonding plastic laminate to a particleboard or MDF counter deck with contact adhesive, what is the correct process?

• AApply adhesive to both faces, allow it to dry to the touch, then join the sheets without…
• BApply adhesive to the deck only and clamp immediately while wet
• CUse only yellow PVA glue and wipe the squeeze-out
• DNail the laminate through the face and fill the holes

For a sink-base cabinet in a wet kitchen, which box material is the more durable FIN choice?

• AUnsealed particleboard with no edge treatment at the sink cutout
• BHardwood plywood or moisture-resistant plywood, with sealed cut edges
• CInterior gypsum board
• DOSB rated for roof sheathing

A full-extension undermount drawer slide is selected so that:

• AThe drawer box can be pulled out until the back is accessible, and the hardware is hidden…
• BThe drawer stops at three-quarter travel and the slides show on the sides
• CThe drawer can only be used on frameless cabinets
• DNo screws are required in the cabinet side

When hanging a run of wall cabinets, the first layout control is:

• AA level ledger or marked level line at the cabinet bottom, then fastening through the han…
• BToenailing through the face frame into drywall only
• CSetting each box independently from the ceiling so bottoms may step
• DHanging from the crown molding

A standard 24-inch-deep kitchen base usually receives a laminate or wood top with about how much front overhang past the door faces?

• ANone; the top is cut flush with the doors
• BAbout 1 inch past the doors (finished top about 25 to 25-1/2 inches deep)
• C6 inches, to create a seating overhang
• D12 inches, the standard knee-space overhang

How many 4 ft by 8 ft sheets of 3/4-inch plywood are required to cut 12 cabinet sides that are 23-3/4 inches wide by 34-1/2 inches high? Ignore grain matching and maximize yield.

• A2 sheets
• B3 sheets
• C4 sheets
• D6 sheets

What is the difference between a prehung door and a slab door?

• AA prehung unit includes the door hung on a jamb with stops and hinges; a slab is the door…
• BA slab includes the jamb; a prehung is the leaf only
• CPrehung doors cannot receive casing
• DSlab doors are used only as exterior units

A 2x4 wall finished with 1/2-inch drywall on both sides typically takes which interior jamb width?

• A3-1/2 inches
• B4-9/16 inches
• C6-9/16 inches
• D7-1/4 inches

A 2x6 wall with 1/2-inch drywall on both faces usually receives which stock jamb?

• A4-9/16 inches
• B5-1/2 inches
• C6-9/16 inches
• D8-1/4 inches

Standing on the side a door swings toward you, the hinges are on your right. What is the handing?

• ALeft-hand
• BRight-hand
• CLeft-hand reverse only
• DHanding cannot be determined without the lock brand

What reveal is typically left between the jamb edge and the inside of the casing?

• ANone; casing is set flush with the jamb edge
• BAbout 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch
• C3/4 inch
• D1-1/2 inches

When setting a prehung interior door, which jamb is plumbed and fastened first?

• AThe head jamb
• BThe hinge jamb
• CThe strike jamb
• DWhichever jamb is closer to a stud

A standard 6-foot-8-inch interior door is typically hung with how many hinges?

• AOne continuous piano hinge only
• BTwo hinges
• CThree hinges
• DSix hinges

Where should shims be placed when fastening a prehung jamb?

• AOnly at the very top of each leg
• BAt each hinge, at the strike, and as needed to keep the jamb straight, with fasteners thr…
• COnly in the center of the head
• DShims are omitted if foam is used

On an interior window, what is the stool?

• AThe interior horizontal trim that sits on the sill and projects into the room, receiving…
• BThe exterior sloped member that sheds water
• CThe vertical operating sash
• DThe narrow trim nailed under the stool against the wall

What is the apron on a window?

• AThe interior trim fastened to the wall under the stool
• BThe lock that holds the sash closed
• CThe exterior brickmold
• DThe balance hidden in the side jamb

A window is set in a wall thicker than the frame, leaving drywall short of the sash. What millwork corrects that?

• AExtension jambs ripped to bring the frame flush with the finished wall before casing
• BThicker baseboard used as a stool
• CA wider strike plate
• DLeaving the drywall edge exposed and caulking it

Colonial or ranch casing at a door head is usually joined to the side casings with:

• A45-degree miters
• BCoped joints on the head only
• CDovetails
• DButt joints with the head always running through

Before wood flooring is installed, door jambs and casings should be:

• AUndercut so the flooring slides under them, preserving the expansion space
• BPried off and discarded
• CShimmed 2 inches off the subfloor
• DCaulked to the subfloor to stop movement

Case both sides of four interior doors. Each side needs two 7-foot legs and one 3-foot-6-inch head. How many linear feet of casing should be ordered, with no extra waste?

• A70 LF
• B87.5 LF
• C140 LF
• D175 LF

Why are inside corners of baseboard and crown usually coped instead of mitered?

• AA coped joint stays tight if the wood shrinks or the corner is slightly out of square; a…
• BCoping is faster on a chop saw than cutting a 45
• CBuilding code forbids mitered inside corners
• DCope joints are only for exterior brickmold

How should a long run of baseboard be joined in the middle of a wall?

• AWith a scarf (angled) joint sloped so the visible face sheds the seam, glued and nailed
• BWith a square butt joint left unglued
• CWith duct tape behind the joint
• DBy overlapping the pieces 6 inches like siding

What does a 45/45 crown spring angle mean?

• AThe molding is designed to sit at 45 degrees to both the wall and the ceiling
• BBoth miter-saw settings are always 45 degrees regardless of the corner
• CThe crown is 45 inches wide
• DThe molding can only be used on a 45-degree vault

When crown is cut nested on a miter saw, the molding is placed:

• AUpside down and backward, with the ceiling edge against the saw fence and the wall edge a…
• BFlat on the table with no bevel
• COn edge like a baseboard with the decorative face down
• DOnly on a table saw with a molding head

After hardwood flooring is installed, quarter-round or shoe molding is used primarily to:

• ACover the required expansion gap at the walls without pinning the floor under the base
• BStructurally fasten the floor to the wall plate
• CReplace the need for undercutting door jambs
• DAct as a vapor barrier

A traditional chair rail is usually installed about how far above the finished floor?

• A12 to 16 inches
• B32 to 36 inches
• C48 to 54 inches
• D84 inches

On stain-grade trim, which joint-finishing practice is correct?

• AGlue the joints, keep fasteners in the dark grain or punch and color-match, and avoid hea…
• BCaulk every seam with white acrylic and sand it flush
• CLeave miters open 1/8 inch for stain to fill
• DUse only drywall compound on the end grain