Replacing Your Door Frame

We understand the inconvenience of a faulty or broken door frame. They can wreak havoc on your internal door, the opening surrounding the door, and the flooring that runs under it.

If your door frame is faulty, and the door is hanging to one side, the rubbing of the door on the floor would result in permanent damage. This could result in you having to replace your entire flooring.

Likewise, if your door frame is faulty and is left for a considerable amount of time, the opening in the wall could become damaged. If this occurs, not only will you need to replace the entire door unit, but you’ll also need to fix any damaged brickwork and plaster.

Whatever the issue is with your door frame, it’s essential  to act quickly to keep costs to a minimum.

Can a door frame be repaired?

Depending on the issue, a door frame can be repaired without costing you a fortune.

If your door is hanging incorrectly, there’s likely an issue with the hinges. By unscrewing the hinges, lining the door up correctly and rescrewing the hinges at a decent tightness (not too tight as to damage the door jamb), your door should no longer hang at an angle.

How do you fix a broken door frame?

If your door has received some wear and tear, giving your door and door frame some TLC can do it the world of good. Clean the doors regularly and use wood glue to stick down any broken elements of the door frame. If your door jamb has broken, take a look at our guide: How do You Fix a Door Jamb?

How do you remove an old door frame?

Removing an old door frame is pretty simple. It should cost you nothing and very little of your time is needed. The majority of door frames are nailed to stud walls. By removing the architrave the door frame should come out from the opening with minimal effort.

Removing an internal door frame

To remove the door frame, you must first remove the door. To do this, remove the screws that hold the door onto the frame. Do not remove the hinges. And, by lifting the door, your door should come away from the frame.

1. Using a knife, carefully cut the edges of the caulk or paint that surround the door’s architrave. This ensures that the paint won’t pull away from the wall as you remove the frame.

2. Pry the architrave off the door frame by inserting a tool behind the casing. Gently move the tool upwards to loosen then nails from the casing.

3. Using a hammer and a wooden block, knock any shims out of the door frame. The shims are the small pieces of wood that are used to level the door. These are found between the rough opening and the door jamb.

4. If there are any stubborn nails, use a saw blade around the jamb to cut through them.

5. If you want to keep the strike plate, remove this from the door jamb.

6. Remove the frame from the opening.

7. Using pliers, remove any nails that you cut in half.

Replacing your door frame sounds a lot more expensive and time-consuming than it actually is. Although it’s a lot quicker to receive the help of a professional, for those that are on a budget, removing or replacing a door frame is easy enough to do yourself.