How To Repair Damaged Door Molding

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Nosotros've all encountered a door that has seen better days. Prolonged water exposure, age, or forced entry cause damage to the door frame (too known equally the door jamb), causing the door to function improperly. Repairing a door frame is a job that ranges from a simple set up to one requiring a piddling more than handiwork, depending on how the door is damaged and how y'all intend on fixing information technology.

1. ane

   Remove the door stop and molding. Use a chisel and hammer or putty knife to pry the door stop and molding away from the frame. Kickoff at the bottom of the frame and work your fashion up.

   • Have care not to harm the terminate as you remove information technology from the frame. Place the claw cease of the hammer on the side of each nail to support even removal.
   • Remove whatsoever remaining finishing nails left in the molding.

2. 2

   Remove any shims from in between the door frame and the wall. Door shims are used to correct and level doors with the frame so that the door is squared, or even, between both sides of the frame. These must be removed in order to adjust the warped door frame.

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3. 3

   Utilize a mallet to straighten the frame. Gently hammer the frame in the direction necessary to level out both sides of the frame.

   • Brand sure the door is airtight while yous straighten the frame. This volition help you measure whether the door is even or planed with the frame.
   • Use a pocket-size, thick piece of wood to cover the area you are hammering. This will evenly distribute the blows from the mallet and prevent damage to the frame. The wood can likewise exist used as a wedge if you take problem hammering in a particular direction.

4. 4

   Mensurate frequently and incrementally. As you straighten the frame, measure the door gaps to come across whether the door is evenly flush on both sides of the frame, from top to bottom.^[ane]

   • Remember that a warped frame is only an firsthand problem if it prevents the door from endmost properly, or allows a large gap in between the edge of the door and the frame.
   • A warped door frame can suggest a moisture problem. Double check for rotting wood on or near the frame.

5. five

   Reinstall door shims. Supercede the door shims that were removed prior to further tighten the corrections made to the frame. Don't fully tighten shims until you are satisfied with the correction.

   • Utilize new door shims if the older door shims were damaged.
   • Shims come in a multifariousness of materials, including wood, plastic or metal. Wooden shims are the about commonly used shims and are versatile thank you to their ability to be trimmed. Utilize plastic shims on any exterior doors as they are resistant to rotting.
   • Make sure you lot place a pair of shims at swivel height of the door, on both sides of the frame. This helps the door stay tightly secured, as much of the weight of the door is transferred to the frame at these heights. ^[ii]
   • Employ a spirit level to make sure the shims are level. Use as many shims as necessary to ensure the frame is installed level on its entire length.
   • Open and close the door several times to examination the security of the door. If the door still seems to be uneven with the frame, adjust the frame and shims every bit necessary to level out the door.
   • Ever re-blast places where you added shims.

6. 6

   Once satisfied, reinstall the door molding. If you lot used new door shims during correction, score the excess with a utility knife and snap it off.

7. 7

   Remove the door frame (optional). If the door frame is far too warped for correcting (such as through large scale water damage), yous will accept to replace it. Once the molding and screws are removed, apply a crowbar to slowly pry the frame from the wall. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Once the frame is near removed, remove information technology from the elevation plate by pulling it away from the door with your hands. Remove any shims you lot run into along the mode.

   • You may need to gently move the frame back and along to nudge the frame loose from the summit plate.

8. viii

   Repeat the process for each side of the frame yous are replacing. If you are only replacing i side of the door frame, you may exit the top plate and healthy side of the door frame.

   • The door will have to be removed from the door frame if you are replacing the part of the frame containing the hinges.

9. 9

   Cut or buy a new frame. If replacing only one part of the frame, cut a piece of timber of your choosing to size.

   • Weather condition-treated pieces of 2x4 timber are the most commonly used type of wood used for door frames. These are available in several standard sizes at DIY stores such every bit Domicile Depot and Lowes.
   • Never use pressure-treated materials as they will twist one time they dry out.
   • The most common heights for doors are 80", 84", and 96" in acme. The width of common doors range from xviii" to 36" wide.
   • Ask an expert at a hardware store if yous have any questions specific to your projection. They can aid you choose and cut whatsoever parts y'all volition need for the repair.

10. x

    Change the top plate if necessary. The top plate may demand a modified notch for plumbing fixtures the placement of the new frame. Fix the frame where it will be placed and mark the measurement for the notch in the height plate using a pencil. Cutting the notch using a multitool and chisel.

    • A multitool is an electric tool that comes with a variety of heads that fulfill unlike tasks, ranging from cutting and sanding wood to drilling holes.

11. eleven

    Replace the door shims. Place the shims 100 mm from the top and bottom of the frame, and where the door hinges will be placed. If the previous shims are still usable and in good condition, you may apply those. Otherwise, shims can exist purchased from hardware stores or home fabricated from timber.

    • Employ a spirit level to make sure the shims are level. Use as many shims as necessary to ensure the frame is installed levelly on its entire length.

12. 12

    Install the new door frame. Slide the frame into place. Make sure it is in the notch and level against the shims. Hammer two nails through the frame at each shim, securing the frame and shims in place against the wall stud.

    • Don't immediately hammer the nails all the way. Go out some wiggle room in example you lot need to make an aligning.

13. 13

    Mensurate the frame with the spirit level. Utilise this opportunity to make sure the frame is flush to the drywall or finished wall material. If flush and level, use a boom punch to set up the nails in identify. If you take them, use a compressor and a finish nail gun instead.

    • Reinstall the door to the frame at this point if you removed it earlier.

14. 14

    Reinstall the door strip and molding. Take care to ensure both are flush and level.^[3]

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1. 1

   Identify where the damage is located. A split can occur in a variety of locations on the frame depending on how it was damaged.

   • The middle of the frame is a mutual area to go separate, particularly if the door is forced open or close with too much strength. This is nearly often encountered during burglaries or other forced door entries.
   • A kicked door can cause a split lower on the door frame (including damage to the door itself).

2. 2

   Remove the door strip and molding. Employ a chisel and hammer to pry the door end and molding away from the frame. Start at the bottom of the frame and work your fashion up.

   • Take intendance not to damage the stop equally you remove it from the frame. Place the claw finish of the hammer on the side of each smash to support even removal.
   • Remove any remaining finishing nails left in the molding.

3. 3

   Measure 6 inches (15.2 cm) to a higher place and below the frame damage. Marker the measurements with a pencil. If the damage is at the bottom of the frame, mark just above the damage.

4. 4

   Carefully cut the damaged frame away at the marked measurements. Use a modest hand or power saw to make an accurate cut.

   • Apply screws just above and below the marked measurements to help hold the frame tight and help guide the cut process.
   • Be careful non to cut too deep into the frame. You don't want to damage the structure of the house.

5. 5

   Measure out and cutting timber. You want to cut the timber of the same length and width equally the damaged portion removed from the frame. Utilise the aforementioned type of timber as the remainder of the existing frame.

   • Weather condition-treated pieces of 2x4 timber are the about commonly used blazon of wood used for door frames. These are available at DIY stores such as Habitation Depot and Lowes.
   • Never use force per unit area-treated materials as they will twist once they dry.
   • Door frame/jamb replacement kits are available for purchase that characteristic pre-cut selections of timber in various sizes and thicknesses. These can exist farther modified to arrange your needs.^[4]
   • If you believe your door frame is made from a non-standard forest, take the damaged portion to your local hardware store. Experts there can help you identify the type of wood that was used and supply you lot with the necessary materials.

6. 6

   Glue the new timber into place. Use wood or carpenter's glue to braze the replacement timber into identify. Once fit, allow the glue to dry out.

   • Wood or carpenter'southward' glue sets thin, minimizing gaps betwixt wooden parts. This glue also comes in waterproof varieties, making them platonic for woods-based projects. ^[5]
   • Hammer two nails into the top and bottom of the new timber for a more secure fit.

7. vii

   Sand the repaired expanse polish. Use sandpaper to sand abroad any mucilage residuum or imperfections between the new and old frame.

8. 8

   Apply a trunk or wood filler. Mix enough trunk filler, also chosen bondo, to cover the entirety of the repaired areas. Utilize and smooth with a putty pocketknife. Permit to dry. The filler will fill in any gaps in the glue and assistance maintain the repair.

   • Well-nigh brands of body and wood filler are similar in the tasks they can handle. The eventual hardness, natural color, and malleability of each filler will differ depending on brand and ingredients. If pricing is a concern, body filler tends to be cheaper than wood filler. ^[half-dozen]

9. 9

   Sand the filler. Sand the applied filler smoothen with sandpaper. Once polish, finish with one coat of primer and 2 coats of pigment.

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1. 1

   Place the rotted areas. Forest rot often occurs near the bottom of door frames, where water tends to pool during pelting or floods. Measure out the department of door frame containing forest rot and mark the expanse with a pencil.

2. ii

   Carve out the rotted areas. Using a chisel, dremel, or straight oscillating tool, grind out all of the rotted areas of woods on the frame. It is important to get every last scrap of rotted wood yous can see. If even a small amount of rotted wood remains, the fungus causing the rot volition continue to spread.

   • If the rot covers a especially large area or extends beyond the door frame into the construction of the house, more serious repairs will be necessary to keep the rot from returning.
   • Inspect your door for woods rot. When the frame becomes rotted, the door tin can likewise rot as well. An infected door can pass the rot to the door frame and vice versa. Supercede the door if it becomes rotted. ^[7]

3. 3

   Insert a wire mesh into the carved expanse. Buy a folded wire mesh and place information technology in the gap of the frame. Lock it in place with screws. This wire mesh will serve equally a skeleton for the torso filler.

4. 4

   Mix plenty woods or trunk filler to fill the carved out gap. Use a putty knife to make full the mesh cavity with the mixture. Allow to set for a few minutes and add additional filler to fill any gaps. Remove backlog filler with a chisel earlier it hardens.

   • Use an epoxy-based filler for substantial repairs such as filling rotted portions of door frames. Epoxy fillers, such as auto bondo, are much stronger than woods and body fillers, and are better suited for withstanding the clothing and tear that doors endure.
   • Plan out how much epoxy filler you lot'll need. One time mixed, the epoxy filler dries rapidly.
   • Invest in a few higher quality tools if sanding or etching epoxy filler – the filler is often sturdier than the wood itself when dry. ^[viii]

5. five

   Allow to dry out overnight. Once dry out, sand to smoothness every bit desired. Finish with one coat of primer and two coats of paint.^[9]

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1. 1

   Identify the damaged areas. Survey the frame for areas that need to exist filled. Animal bites, door keys, bed frames and other accidents tin can crusade a variety of light dents and gouges in the door frame.

   • Gently push and pull at whatever visible nicks, dents or scratches to test the severity of the impairment. If pieces of wood pull away, a more complex repair might exist necessary.^[10]

2. ii

   Encompass gouges with filler. Smaller nicks, dents and gouges can be filled in with a body or wood filler. Use a putty knife to apply the filler into the gouges.

   • Use woods or body fillers for cosmetic impairment such as slight gouges or dents. They lack the structural integrity of harder fillers such equally epoxy, merely tend to accept a more pleasant aesthetic.
   • If yous await the door frame to continue to take a lot of wear and tear, use the epoxy filler to provide actress strength to the repair. The epoxy filler will have a greater resistance to hereafter nicks and scratches than forest or body filler. You can as well take sheet metallic bent to cover the susceptible area.
   • Alternatively, if the damage is very minor, you tin sand out the damaged expanse rather than applying filler.

3. 3

   Dry overnight. Once dry, sand to smoothness as desired. End with one coat of primer and two coats of paint. ^[11]

   • Apply a straight edge to help keep the filler level and in place when applying to vertical surfaces.^[12]

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• Question

  My door binds at the top right corner of the door. Do I need to sand the acme off the door off, or can I fix information technology another way?

  

  Marking Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over xxx years of construction experience, Mark specializes in amalgam interiors, project management, and projection interpretation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

  

  Construction Professional person

  Adept Answer

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this proficient answer.

  Outset, check to see if the hinges are tight, as sometimes loose hinges tin cause a door to bind. Tighten the hinge screws if they are loose. If this doesn't fix the trouble, sand the elevation of the door until it fits well.

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• Keep all materials you remove in case you can utilize them again later, such every bit shims.

• Install a prehung door frame if repairing a frame is besides tricky. Rather than creating the door frame yourself, hardware stores sell prehung door frames (including the door itself) that are easily installed.

• Work with a friend who can help you lot perform some of the more dangerous or arduous tasks.

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• Wear a face mask when sanding or handling filler to avoid inhaling dangerous particles.

• Take care when using a saw to avoid injuring yourself.

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Things You'll Need

• Safety glasses
• Confront mask
• Work gloves
• Cat'due south paw (mini crowbar) for removing molding
• Power screwdriver
• four inch (ten.2 cm) screws
• Wire mesh
• Spirit level
• Pencil
• Tape measure
• Chisel
• Saw (power or manus)
• Body or woods filler
• Woods/carpenters' glue
• Epoxy (optional)
• Primer (optional)
• Paint (optional)

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Article Summary X

To repair a split door frame, remove the door strip and molding, starting at the bottom of the frame and working your way upward. And so, measure half dozen inches above and below the frame impairment, and carefully cut the damaged frame away at the marked measurements. Once the damage is removed, mensurate and cutting timber the same length and width as the sometime sections, and glue the new timber into identify. Finally, use sandpaper to smooth out whatever imperfections between the onetime and new frame. To learn how to fix a warped door frame, continue reading!

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