How to Repair and Replace Door Trim

Door trim can sometimes get damaged, either from something banging up against the door or just from regular wear and tear. However, it is fairly easy to repair and replace door trim, so this is an easy do it yourself project. Here are some tips to help you.

The first thing you need to do is gather together the supplies and tools you will need to do the job. You will need finishing nails, nail punch, pry bar, hand saw, block of wood, miter box and sand paper.

Next, remove the old door trim from the door. Set your wood block up against the wall adjacent to the door frame. Then put the pry bar and chisel right under the door trim's edge. Keep the pry bar on the wood block instead of the wall so that you don't damage the wall. Pry off the door trim with your pry bar.

Once you have the damaged piece of wood trim removed, measure it so you know the dimensions of what needs replacing. Take some of the old door trim with you to the hardware or home improvement store and match up the old door trim. Buy enough new door trim according to the measurements you took earlier.

Once you are back home from shopping, compute the correct angle and measurements for the door trim using your miter box. Then cut a piece of door trim with your handsaw according to the measurements you got from the miter box.

After you have your piece of new door trim cut to the proper measurements, nail the trim along the door frame's edge with your finishing nails. You can use your nail punch to push the nails down right below the trim's surface. Fill in all gaps and cracks between the door trim and door frame with wood putty and then sand down any extra wood putty with sandpaper.

Next apply some sealer to the door trim. You might also want to paint the trim and do some touch up painting to match the door trim with the door. Apply one or more coats of paint as necessary.

Repairing and replacing door trim is a fairly easy job to do. It's something that can easily be done in a couple of hours on a weekend. Just gather up your supplies and tools and follow the tips in this article, and you will have your door trim repaired and replaced in no time.