Thursday, January 10, 2008

Removing a Door Jamb

I removed the old and ugly door jamb from the bathroom yesterday. We are putting a HEAVY mahogany door with embedded mirror up, and we didn't think the MDF/particle board jambs would hold up to the 50 or 60 lbs of weight.

First, I pried off the trim. Though it is ugly, we want to put it back on temporarily until we replace all of the trim.

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The best tool for this job of preserving the trim was a paint scraper (otherwise known as "most useful tool ever").

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Then, I got to use my new Makita 18V Cordless drill to take the hinges and such off! It worked beautifully. I love that drill.

I don't have a reciprocating saw to cut the nails holding the jamb to the studs, so I was forced to pry VERY carefully with my hammer. Doing this, I discovered ANOTHER reason we should replace it. The jamb was held up and together with only 5 nails!

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. While the nails were easily found and removed, the CAULK and GLUE that the POs had used to attach the trim to the backside were NOT so easily removed. Enter my paint scraper (most useful tool ever). After 30 minutes of scraping and prying, I finally freed the jamb from the wall and the trim.

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Stunning, isn't it!

How to install a door jamb tomorrow. I have guests coming on Sunday, and they need a door to the only bathroom.

4 comments:

Karen C said...

You realize, of course, that you'll have to weigh your door so as to compare it to ours (a confirmed sixty pounds): http://quickerfixerupper.blogspot.com/2008/01/our-house-is-worth-400-more-than.html

Of course, ours has the excuse of being an actual to-the-outdoors door. Pretty sure the original bathroom door (gone along with all of the interior woodwork) wasn't that heavy. But I could be wrong.

Jennifer said...

Karen~
I am definitely going to weigh that door! It's not an original door... but it's from the right era. It's an old closet door from an apartment, curiously enough! I think it's the full lenght and width mirror that is doing this door in!

Unknown said...

Excellent blog! I followed you back from Chile's place and now I won't go home. And I've bookmarked you too, so there.

Our place dates from 1880 and was added to in the 40s and 80s. We've just finished renovating, and guess which stuff is having to be re-done? That's right, all the stuff from the 80s... including all the cheap and nasty doors, of course!

Chile said...

Scary when you discover things like that! Good luck with the new door (and use more than 5 nails).