Are you having a problem with your door frame that makes you anxious each time you lock and unlock your door? Surely, you have seen your door working fine. However, age, excessive exposure to water, and forced entry are a few reasons why a door frame malfunctions.
Learning how to fix a door frame is one way of maintaining your home. Nevertheless, fixing a door frame could range from an easy fix to a complex one, depending on what kind of damage your door exhibits. For the sake of discussion, this article will focus on a warped door frame.
A warped door frame can be very disturbing since you will have to exert some effort when locking and unlocking your door. Hence, you should know how to fix the concern. Good thing this article will demonstrate to you the steps on fixing your door frame.
What Do You Need to Follow this Tutorial?
So, you need to know how to fix a door frame? This tutorial can teach you the steps. However, you need to prepare some things so you can follow this tutorial well:
- Tools and Materials
Before proceeding to the steps, make sure that you have an available hammer, putty knife, chisel, and wood. These are essential tools during the implementation of the steps below. These tools are commonly available in your home so you do not have to spend more. Moreover, you will only need a small but thick wood which would be later used as support when you hit a certain part of the frame.
You might want to get ready with a door shim too if your old one is already damage. Although, the tutorial below considers a still functioning door shim.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step #1 Take Off the Molding and Door Stop
The first step in fixing a warped door frame is to take off the molding as well as the doorstop. Use a putty knife or hammer and a chisel to detach the molding and door stop from the door frame. Ideally, you must work from the lowest part of the frame, then going up.
Make sure you do not damage the doorstop when removing it. Perform even removal by positioning the claw of your hammer beside each nail. Also, take off the remaining finishing nails in the molding.
Step #2 Take Off Any Shims
Door shims are practically used to fix and level the door with the door frame. This is to make the door even or squared between the two sides of the door frame. However, to fix the warped door frame, you will have to detach any shims found between the wall and the door frame.
Step #3 Straighten the Door Frame
The next step is to straighten the door frame. Use a hammer and gently hit the door frame following the necessary direction to straighten the two sides of the door frame. Do not forget to close the door when straightening the door frame. Doing so will give you an accurate view of whether you already straightened the door with the door frame.
To avoid instances of damaging your frame, find a small but thick wood to reinforce the part you are hitting. Doing so will smoothly apportion the hits from the hammer. You can also utilize the wood to act as a wedge if you find it hard to hammer in a certain direction.
Step #4 Measure Accumulatively
Once you have straightened the door frame, you should then check the measurement of the door gaps to confirm if the door is uniformly flush on the two sides of the door frame, covering from the upper part to the lower part.
Bear in mind that having a warped door frame can only become an urgent concern if you find it hard to close the door properly, or if permits a huge gap between the frame and the door’s edge.
Step #5 Reinstall the Door Shims and Molding
To strengthen the repairs done to the door frame, you should reinstall the door shims which were taken off a while ago. Remember not to completely tighten the door shims unless you are completely satisfied with the fixes you made to the door frame.
Reinstall your molding after the installation of shims.
Conclusion
Why it is important to know how to fix a door frame? Well, it is one way of preserving your home without having to spend a lot of money. The DIY ways that are featured in this article should help you carry out the task efficiently. Whether you are familiar with carpentry or have no background in it, the step-by-step instructions are easier to follow.
Just get ready with your equipment and know the steps well and you can execute this tutorial with flying colors.
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