Renovation in old house.
Existing plaster wall construction in room removed complete to studs. Existing plaster thickness was approximately 3/4″ to 1″.
New 1/2″ drywall has been installed.
Existing door/window jambs now project past face of new drywall by approximately 1/4″ to 1/2″ (casing has been temporarily removed).
The two options I have come up with to modify door jambs so they are in line with face of new drywall are to either plane the jambs down in place with a portable electric planer or to remove the jambs, rip them to the correct width, and reinstall them.
Which of these option is best – or are there other better ideas?
Thank you in advance.
Replies
Welcome to BT.
Next time you should consider furring the wall to get the jambs in plane. This time, I would maybe add another possibility. How bout backing the casings to fill in the gap? Removing the window jambs probably can't happen. Removing the door jambs and getting them back the same would be a pain. I'd either rough cut and rout or plane if I didn't backfill the casings.
How many openings you have to deal with?
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Definitely do the back fill on the casings like you say. Anything else will end up being a cluster&(%* and likely be quite an eyesore even after too much time trying to plane and sand them down. Anytime I rip out lathe and plaster, I hang onto enough lathe to fur out the studs then sheetrock over it to bring the planes in line. Sounds like someone did their first job of this kind and found out the way a lot of us did...
Furring, as Calvin said, would have been the easiest option. A couple of sheets of appropriate plywood and rip away. If there were just one window and one door to contend with I would consider ripping off the small amount of extension and finishing up with a plane but the buildout would be easier.
For the buildout you could rip some 1x or 5/4 to 1/2" and glue and tack the strips to the outboard edge of all your casing. There will be a visible seam that could be covered with wood filler and sanded (assuming painted casing) or backbanded to add some different character to your casing. With back banding you wouldn't have to be so particular with the looks of the buildout strips.
Back banding (with 1/2" width stock) will also add just enough width to the door casings so that you could reuse some of the baseboard you saved. If you haven't noticed, when you lost the plaster thickness you also had a change in the length of the baseboard needed. Would be perfect if you had a door in all four walls.
I agree with what has been said so far.Glue a strip to the back of the casing or make a backband.Unless the doors were not hanging well anyway.In that case ,I might remove the jambs and rip them.My first choice would also have been to shim the studs.
You could possibly dado a notch on the back of the casing, if it's thick enough.
why not just replace the doors
I would remove the jambs,check for nails, rip them to size. I have done both ways, add a piece to the back perimeter of the trim or rip to size. If the trim is painted either way will be fine. If stained , your better off ripping jamb and refinish the edges.
mike
Thanks to all for the ideas.
or at least take the jambs out take em apart rip em down and put em back
Why not rip them in place using a Fien Multimaster.
Check the wood edge with a metal detector first of all and then plane em down flush to the drywall.
Chisel the remaining wood at the bottom of the jambs where the plane won't fit and sand smooth to match the rest that was planed.
Gabe
Just remembered another trick that I used to do. You can also trim off the excess with a good jigsaw if nails are a problem.
Edited 1/23/2005 6:30 pm ET by GABE_MARTEL
You must have forgotten the other tricks you must have had to do, too...like how you pulled off the heavily painted over stops in one piece (assuming they're not moulded into the jamb), then, how you re-morticed the hinge gains, and dealt with the old tee-style strikes, and then re-hung the door... holey moley LOL! It would be easier to just add another layer of sheetrock...and think of all the soundproofing, ha, ha, ha.Seriously, if I were doing this job for a client,I'd be first looking at solutions with minimal collateral damage. I would be adding custom fillers to the back of the casings, or going with a back band and shims if it was a possible stylistic fit. Don't worry, we can fix that later!
You must have forgotten...........
No, but I did read in the original post.......
Existing door/window jambs now project past face of new drywall by approximately 1/4" to 1/2" (casing has been temporarily removed).
If the casing is already removed from the windows then cutting them back 1/4 or 1/2 inches is fairly easy to do.
Removing the door stop and setting the door back is no big deal either on an interior door. A lot easier to set the hinges and stricker back 1/4 to 1/2 inches than it is to set them back 1/8".
The exterior door is the only door that I would consider adding a filler.
The intent is to make the new work look as much as the original as possible. Adding to the thickness of the trim is not the way to go. Adds bulk and throws the balance off.
Gabe
Edited 1/23/2005 9:10 pm ET by GABE_MARTEL
In order to maintain the strike portion of the jamb, that's the rabbet the door fits in, you will have to remove the jambs and rip them down on the opposite edge. Shimming the trim is an option but it would be last on my list.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Welcome Chilled one,
As Gabe said, you can plane down...but I would think only the windows. You can ad drywall, as someone else stated. ( they do make 1/4") The doors are the big problem. For them I would say either buy new one's, or ad more rock. And as someone else stated, furring out from the git-go would have saved you all the BS! Good luck with your project.
Peace