We’ve all come across a door that’s seen better days. Prolonged water exposure, aging, or forced entry all cause damage to the door frame (also known as the door jamb), causing the door to malfunction. Sometimes, you can even have a kid running into the door hard enough to break the door frame.
Luckily, with a little handiwork and a pinch of patience (or two), you can repair the door yourself, saving the money that could have otherwise been spent on hiring a professional woodworker.
So, here’s what you need to do.
How To Fix A Warped Door Frame?
Take Out The Door Stop And The Molding
Pry the door stop and mold away from the frame with a chisel and hammer or a putty knife. Begin from the bottom and work your way up the frame.
When removing the stop from the frame, take care not to harm it. To ensure equal removal, place the claw end of the hammer on the side of each nail.
Remove any finishing nails that remain in the molding.
Remove Any Shims That May Have Accumulated Between The Door Frame And The Wall
Door shims are used to align and level doors with the frame so that they are squared or even on both sides of the frame. These must be removed before the distorted door frame can be adjusted.
Straighten The Frame Using A Mallet
Hammer the frame gently in the direction required to level out both sides of the frame.
Additional Tips: While straightening the frame, keep the door closed. This will assist you in determining if the door is even or planed with the frame.
Cover the area you’re pounding with a tiny, sturdy piece of wood. This will ensure that the blows from the mallet are distributed evenly and that the frame is not damaged. If you’re having problems pounding in a specific direction, the wood can also be utilized as a wedge.
Measurements
Measure the door gaps as you straighten the frame to ensure that the door is flat on all sides of the frame, from top to bottom.
Remember that a warped frame is only an urgent issue if it stops the door from shutting correctly or if it causes a big gap between the door’s edge and the frame.
A warped door frame may indicate a moisture issue. Check for rotten wood on or around the frame again.
Replace The Door Shims
To further tighten the frame repairs, replace the door shims that were removed before. Shims should not be fully tightened until you are happy with the repair.
A few useful tips:
- If the original door shims were damaged, replace them with new ones.
- Shims are available in a number of materials such as wood, plastic, and metal. The most widely used shims are wooden shims, which are versatile due to their capacity to be cut. Plastic shims are resistant to decaying and should be used on all external doors.
- Make sure you use a set of shims on both sides of the frame at the hinge height of the door. Because the majority of the weight of the door is transmitted to the frame at these heights, this helps the door stay securely locked.
- To ensure that the shims are level, use a spirit level. Use as many shims as needed to ensure that the frame is level over its entire length.
- To test the door’s security, open and close it multiple times. If the door remains uneven with the frame, adjust the frame and shims as needed to level the door.
- Always re-nail areas where shims were used.
Final Advice: If your door frame is far too damaged to be fixed, I strongly suggest replacing it.
