Doors and Windows - rot at bottom of door jamb
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snooks93
12-02-05, 11:42 AM
ok im a woman and dont know a lot,but can do most home repair myself.what i need to know is what do i need to buy(name of lumber required) to to repair the wood rot around my entry door on the outside.dont laugh please.thanks
Camarowithbass
12-02-05, 02:23 PM
when its rotted like that you really limited on options. When i get called out to job sites and this is the problem i tell the customer they have 2 options.
1) Reframe the whole door, which will last longer and look better. But of course more expensive. For situations like these i use jambs which are called jamb savers and what it is it look slike a regular jamb but from the bottom it has about 8'' or so of plastic so the bottom never rotts.
OR
2) with a saw i can cut off about 8'' or so off the bottom leg of the frame and just replace it with a new peice. This option is the cheapest way to go and when i do it and the painter fills in the gaps accordingly you cant even tell..
1) Reframe the whole door, which will last longer and look better. But of course more expensive. For situations like these i use jambs which are called jamb savers and what it is it look slike a regular jamb but from the bottom it has about 8'' or so of plastic so the bottom never rotts.
OR
2) with a saw i can cut off about 8'' or so off the bottom leg of the frame and just replace it with a new peice. This option is the cheapest way to go and when i do it and the painter fills in the gaps accordingly you cant even tell..
flintsilver7
12-04-05, 08:56 PM
Well, let me just tell you what I did. I encountered a similar problem.
My door jamb was rotted at the bottom. Just above the threshold, the jamb was wicking water up into itself and rotting. The house is 18 years old, so I think it's been going on for a while. The extent of the rot looks that way as well.
So, I started prying with a chisel and a screwdriver. Turns out the outer part of the door frame - which was an oddly-sized piece of wood only there to cover the joining of the entry door with the sidelights - was rotted on both sides (about 2" on one side and 3" on the other). I sawed these pieces of wood off. Behind that - the actual door jamb - there was some limited rot. Here, I removed all the rotted wood, applied a penetrating wood stabilizer, and filled the rest with epoxy. The stabilizer is available at Lowe's or Home Depot and is designed to prevent further rot. The epoxy is useful for repairs where the wood itself is not completely damaged. You'll probably know when to replace the piece of wood and when to patch. These were not considerably deep repairs. So, once the sealer had penetrated and the filler set, I used a miter saw to mill a 2x4 to size for both jamb repairs. The actual size of the pieces I replaced were: 1 1/8" x 2 1/16" x (2 15/16" and 2 3/8").
Reframing the jamb is usually not necessary unless the jamb is severely rotted. Simply cut away the bad pieces (make sure you don't leave any rotted wood on a replaced piece) and replace them with new wood. You can use standard pine 2x4s if you like or, if the rot is extensive, treated lumber for added protection. You can use a rasp (or a belt sander if space permits) to ensure a completely flush fit with the existing jamb. For seams, use standard wood filler if you need to. Sand it and paint it and you'll never know the difference.
My door jamb was rotted at the bottom. Just above the threshold, the jamb was wicking water up into itself and rotting. The house is 18 years old, so I think it's been going on for a while. The extent of the rot looks that way as well.
So, I started prying with a chisel and a screwdriver. Turns out the outer part of the door frame - which was an oddly-sized piece of wood only there to cover the joining of the entry door with the sidelights - was rotted on both sides (about 2" on one side and 3" on the other). I sawed these pieces of wood off. Behind that - the actual door jamb - there was some limited rot. Here, I removed all the rotted wood, applied a penetrating wood stabilizer, and filled the rest with epoxy. The stabilizer is available at Lowe's or Home Depot and is designed to prevent further rot. The epoxy is useful for repairs where the wood itself is not completely damaged. You'll probably know when to replace the piece of wood and when to patch. These were not considerably deep repairs. So, once the sealer had penetrated and the filler set, I used a miter saw to mill a 2x4 to size for both jamb repairs. The actual size of the pieces I replaced were: 1 1/8" x 2 1/16" x (2 15/16" and 2 3/8").
Reframing the jamb is usually not necessary unless the jamb is severely rotted. Simply cut away the bad pieces (make sure you don't leave any rotted wood on a replaced piece) and replace them with new wood. You can use standard pine 2x4s if you like or, if the rot is extensive, treated lumber for added protection. You can use a rasp (or a belt sander if space permits) to ensure a completely flush fit with the existing jamb. For seams, use standard wood filler if you need to. Sand it and paint it and you'll never know the difference.
raceman3
01-05-06, 01:06 PM
FlintSilver7:
Would it be possible for me to email you some pictures of my front door with sidelights to see if I can fix it the same way you did yours. It also appears that the builder did not install the threshold correctly as it doesn't go the whole way across
Would it be possible for me to email you some pictures of my front door with sidelights to see if I can fix it the same way you did yours. It also appears that the builder did not install the threshold correctly as it doesn't go the whole way across
Peladu
01-05-06, 03:37 PM
If these are not what the problem is, then maybe you need whats called "Brick Moulding".
The way I read this is that you are looking for the piece of wood thats around your door on the outside of the door.
snooks 93: "Ok I am a woman and dont know alot,...."
I admit it ... I laughed.
The way I read this is that you are looking for the piece of wood thats around your door on the outside of the door.
snooks 93: "Ok I am a woman and dont know alot,...."
I admit it ... I laughed.
chandler
01-05-06, 03:48 PM
Depending on the extent of damage, if it is a small amount, and you can get all the bad wood out of the way, you can use Minwax wood epoxy filler. It works and acts just like Bondo (it even smells like Bondo). Mix up what you need, and can use in 5 minutes. Put the compound in the affected area and leave it a little "proud" of the original surface. In 15 minutes you can sand it down, and paint it. It is an epoxy and will never rot again. You can also form it with a rasp if your surface is not perfectly flat or turns a corner. But if it is the brick mold, it is too easy to pull off and replace with new.