Finish Carpenter
Westerville, OH · On-site
$40/hr
9 of the Highest Paying Rough Carpenter Jobs in 2026
The best Rough Carpenter jobs can pay up to $63,500 per year.
Rough carpenters build the framework of structures. As a rough carpenter, you’re responsible for using a variety of hand and power tools to begin the construction of buildings. Your job duties also include studying blueprints and ensuring that structures are built correctly on a foundational level. Prior experience is a must for this job, which you can earn through an apprenticeship or a carpentry job. Beyond that, the qualifications for beginning this career aren’t extensive. Some employers prefer you to have a carpentry certificate, but you won’t need post-secondary education. The required skills, such as attention to detail and the ability to follow instructions carefully, can be picked up on a previous job or as part of your certificate.
The primary qualifications for getting a job as a rough carpenter are a high school diploma and some experience with woodworking and workplace safety requirements. Many rough carpenters attend a trade school or spend several years practicing woodworking before applying for a job in this field. This role is usually a skill-based position, so most employers are willing to be flexible about how you learned your skills as long as you can get the job done. It is possible to stay in this role for your entire career, but employers prefer to hire experienced carpenters for larger projects, so you may need to start with a smaller company and work your way up.
High Paying Rough Carpenter Jobs
Finish Carpenter
Salary range: $48,500 - $63,500
A Finish Carpenter, also known as a Trim Carpenter, works on the final stages of carpentry projects. As a Finish Carpenter, your job may include adding the crown and baseboard molding to a room, installing stair railings, and creating window and doorway frames. These details give a home or office a finished, completed look.
Form Setter
Salary range: $48,500 - $60,500
A form setter, also known as a concrete finisher, erects and sets forms for concrete structures, such as sidewalks, walls, and various buildings. As a form setter, your job duties include following blueprints or designs, pouring concrete, and then leveling the concrete to the proper specifications while adjusting for elevation change or depth. Some projects require the use of power tools while others require doing the work by hand. In any case, you must always follow safety policies and understand quality control procedures. Qualifications for this career include the ability to use specialized equipment, relevant carpentry skills, physical stamina, and a few years of experience.
Framing Carpenter
Salary range: $43,500 - $58,000
A framing carpenter builds structures made from wood, such as a new home. As a framing carpenter, your duties can include working on remodeling or repair projects. You may erect supports for interior walls, build staircases, and make the wood components for home additions. Some professional carpenters work on exterior structures such as decks, platforms, and walkways. Other responsibilities of a framing carpenter include project planning, estimating materials and labor costs, and obtaining necessary permits for each project.
Trim Carpenter
Salary range: $42,000 - $55,500
Trim carpenters specialize in installing or repairing trim or molding, often in the final stage of carpentry work. Their responsibilities include cutting and installing trim, such as that found around windows, doors, baseboards, and on ornamental pieces like crown moldings and fireplace mantels. Trim carpenters are one of the last people to work on a project, giving it a clean and polished look.
Form Carpenter
Salary range: $43,000 - $52,000
Form carpenters, also called rough carpenters, build molds that contain wet concrete that hardens into forms according to a plan. They also construct and disassemble form work of metal and wood fixtures. As a form carpenter, you consult drawings, measure, and cut wood to shape the molds and position them so that the concrete can dry after pouring. Concrete form carpenters can build structures for a residential home, work in commercial buildings, and take part in highway construction. With enough experience, you can take part in industrial projects like building bridges. Your job duties entail learning how to use hand and power tools to get the work done as quickly and safely as possible.
Framer
Salary range: $38,000 - $51,500
A framer works in construction and is responsible for building the wooden frames of houses or other buildings. Their job duties include choosing the proper material for the project, consulting with clients and contractors, budgeting and scheduling jobs, and putting up the frame so that other construction workers can build out the rest of the home or structure. Framers, also known as carpenters, use various carpentry equipment and tools, such as framing squares, tape measures, and hammers. They read blueprints and other schematics and may be responsible for developing work plans.
Construction Framer
Salary range: $41,000 - $48,000
The job of a construction framer is to build the framing for a residential or commercial structure. As a framer, your duties are to read blueprints or architectural schematics and construct the building’s framework according to the plans. You may also repair old woodwork on building frames. Some construction framers specialize in framing spaces so they can install doors, windows, or floors, while others build the frame for the whole structure. Your responsibilities differ depending on the type of job. In this career, you work both indoors and out and often as part of a larger team. However, for smaller jobs, you may work independently.
Form Builder
Salary range: $35,000 - $40,000
The majority of Form Builder salaries across the United States currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) and $40,000 (75th percentile) annually. Most people working in this role make similar salaries regardless of skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Form Builder job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.
Frame Builder
Salary range: $32,500 - $37,000
The majority of Frame Builder salaries across the United States currently range between $32,500 (25th percentile) and $37,000 (75th percentile) annually. Most people working in this role make similar salaries regardless of skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Frame Builder job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.