My husband and I are trimming out three doors (two working doors and one doorway with no door in it) and one window in our newly remodeled kitchen. The cabinet maker said he wasn’t interested, and it’s such a small job, he said it’s going to be hard to find someone else interested, either. So, we figured, how hard could this be? It’s just simple, one-piece cherry trim with mitered corners, and we do a lot of our own work, etc. Well, the window and two doorways that have doors were no problem, but one of the doorways is not level. We never noticed it with the old oak trim.
Here’s my question: how do we trim out a door where the top piece isn’t level? It’s about 1/4″ off from one top edge to another. Any advice is welcome!
Replies
Are you trimming the inside of the opening with cherry also? Then install the throat casing with a level head piece, and shim as needed to make it secusre. Add the trim on both sides and no one will be able to tell.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Unfortunately, no, we're not (at least at this point) changing out the door jambs, which are old oak. We probably will do it at some point. We've priced out cherry for the jambs, which is the entry to the kitchen as well as to the presently all-oak hallway. Wow! Cherry is not cheap!! However, we may come to that, as it would be easier than making trim level to the crooked top door jamb.
thanks for the advice!!Ann, a DIY
motto: "we're not very good, but we're slow"
However, we may come to that, as it would be easier than making trim level to the crooked top door jamb.
Have you thought about what I said before you go ripping out your old jambs or keeping the heads out of level?Joe Carola
I have thought about that and will not rush into anything!! Plus, I'll go over it with my husband, and really won't EVER rush into anything!!Thanks so much!!Ann
If I understand this right, you have flat trim that is mitered at the corners.
If the head of one door isn't level you won't have a 90 deg. corner, so a regular 45 won't work.
Simply use a couple of pieces of scrap to make test cuts to determine what the cuts should be. A degree or two one way or the other should work.
I use a Starrett angle finder to determine odd angles, but trial and error works just as well. Just not as fast.
I'm reading your problem with the door like Shep is.
Make some trial cuts to find the angle, you probably wont have to go more then a degree or two off that 45°, one of the miters is going to be over 45° and the other will be under, probably by the same amount!
Doug
DougU has probably the most viable solution for you - trial & error.
Several points to ponder:
1) The angles will be the same whether you test with cherry or finger-jointed pine - I would experiment with pine unless there is a fair amount of scrap available.
2) In order for the contours of the trim to align properly, the angles of both pieces which form a corner must match. That is -- if the actual angle of the frame opening is 92 degrees - you need to make both cuts at 46 degrees. You can't make one at 45 and the other at 47 - the molding contours will not match up - the assembled corner will match the door opening - but you won't like what you see.
Try it and you will see what I mean. Hypotenuse lengths will be different = no match = ugly = bad words, extra bad words if this is your last piece of cherry.
3) Now you know one of the reasons that miter saws will cut angles greater than 45.
Jim
Can you cut the high side of the jamb down 1/4" and drop the top of the jamb down the 1/4" on top of that?
Joe Carola
Edited 12/27/2007 4:26 pm ET by Framer
Geez, Joe-
what are ya trying to do, make a perfect world? <G>
Good suggestion. I should have thought of it.( head slap)
say hello to that sandbagger, Joe Glennon
I've always done it that way. I've worked on house where it was worse than 1/4". The opening has to be trimmed anyway, so cutting down the top of the jamb is pretty easy, then just drop the top of the jamb back down, now it's level.I'll giver Joe a smack when I see him.......;-)Hope you had a good Christmas.Joe Carola
I've cut jambs to make the heads level more times than I care to think about, which is why I dope-slapped myself for not thinking of that. LOL
DW and I had a quiet Christmas. It was the first one without my mom, so it was a little tough. But we're OK.
How about you?