I’m pretty hesitant when it comes to repairing or hanging doors. I just haven’t had good luck with square framing. What may seem like a simple task can be a difficult job. Not all jambs slide right in. I prefer to stick to what I enjoy and excel at. So let’s take a look at this rotted entry door trim repair in Memphis.
Reason for Home Entry Repairs.
Problems around entryways are a common occurrence in the Midsouth. When it rains, it pours. Leaks can come from a number of different places. On top of that, the humidity doesn’t allow moisture to escape very fast. I lived in Arizona for 15 years. My house in Olive Branch requires a lot more attention.
If you want to keep your home dry, then quality maintenance is key. This homeowner definitely understood that. For most of his life, he managed the upkeep himself. He completed the same rotted entry door trim repair 10 years prior. Now that he was aging, he needed someone he could trust.
Entry Door Trim Repair Carpentry.
His main goal was to avoid buying material. My main goal was to improve his previous repair. I wanted it to last 20 years. He had a lot of spare wood in his garage to use. So we spent some time “brainstorming”. In the end, I knew the best thing to do was to just cut out the moulding so I could start on the rotted entry door trim repair.
Once I set the height of the cut, I used a level to mark the other side of the door. I didn’t really want to use a sawzall, so I used my skillsaw as much as I could (with the cut depth at 2″. Either way, the cuts ended up fine. All I needed the homeowner to do was decide between PVC and treated wood.
Rebuilding the Rotted Moulding Well.
The easiest thing to do would have been to stack a 2×8″ on a 2×8″. But, like I mentioned, the homeowner didn’t want to buy wood. Touche. So, I used a few 2×4″ and left a gap in between them. Then I set the 2×6″ block on top. I’m hoping the space helps the area dry out faster.
Fixing the Rot and Blending the Exterior.
After a few nails and some Bondo (to blend it together, the door moulding was ready to caulk. Since the siding was original, I wanted to save them as much as I could. So I also extended the wood filler out to eliminate any rough areas.
It doesn’t look great in these pictures. But once it’s painted, you won’t even be able to tell there was a rotted entry door trim repair done. I don’t believe in seams. I should probably go back and get a picture now that it’s painted. Oh well. Those of you with an eye for quality work can tell this is well done.
My Takeaways as a Carpenter.
We both learned a lot from each other. I was told he hired me because he wanted to watch how I use the wood filler. Some of my Youtube videos caught his attention. Wood Bondo was something he didn’t have any experience with. While an over-the-shoulder-observer can make a job harder, I didn’t mind his company.
Honestly, meeting quality people is refreshing, to me. It has been one of my favorite things about moving to the Memphis area. Some people try to take advantage of me or look for leverage to get free work. But I’ve learned to appreciate those that appreciate me.
I’m glad he called.
