How to Hang Door Trim
There are many different types of door trim, but the installation procedures are similar, casing is either square cut or mitered. Hanging one piece trim on a door is usually accomplished in less than an hour for most people using the right tools. Carpenters use techniques that make the joints tight and professional looking, which if followed, ensure that your trim will look great. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Miter saw
- Wood glue
- Nail gun (or hammer)
- Finish nails
- Drill
- Drill bits (if using a hammer)
Instructions
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1
Cut two small pieces of casing with 45 degree miters and hold them in the corner of the jamb to check if a 45 degree angle will work. If the door was installed plumb and level, the miters will be 45 degrees. If not, the miter joint will touch either on the inside or outside of the casing. For the two pieces of trim to meet evenly without overlapping, the two angles must be fairly equal.
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2
Measure the length of the first piece of trim by butting your tape to the floor while holding a small piece of trim at the top. Measure to the long point. If carpeting is to be installed, leave the thickness of the carpeting between the floor and the bottom of the trim, otherwise fit the bottom of the trim tight to the floor.
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3
Cut a 45 degree miter on the first piece of trim, mark the length with a pencil, and cut it with your miter saw. If your miters are not 45 degrees, adjust the miter accordingly until there is a good fit. Cut the angle on two small pieces of trim to temporarily hold in place and verify that the angle is correct.
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4
Nail the trim in place with finish nails allowing a 3/16 inch reveal of the jamb. The nail size will differ depending on the thickness of your trim. Ideally, you want about 3/4 to 1 inch penetration into the wood. For trim that is 1/2 thick, you would use 1-1/4 inch nails for the jamb side and 2 inch nails for the outside. If you are using hand nails, drill pilot holes a little smaller than the nail to keep the wood from splitting.
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5
Cut a miter on the top piece and check it against the piece already nailed in place. If the miter fits well, hold it in place and mark the short point of the miter and cut it to length, allowing for a 3/16 inch reveal of the jamb. It is a good idea to cut the piece a little long the first time, just in case an adjustment is necessary to make the next piece fit.
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6
Glue the joint where the two miters meet and nail the trim with finish nails. Do not nail the last 12 inches just in case a slight adjustment is needed for the next piece.
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7
Cut a miter on the last piece, leaving it about 1/4 inch long, and hold it in place to see if the miter fits. If it looks good, cut it to length. If not make another cut and check it again.
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8
Finish nailing the top piece, apply glue to the miter and nail the trim in place with finish nails.
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9
Nail your miters together with short finish nails. With narrow trim, only one nail is feasible, but there is room in wider trim to put two nails in each miter.
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Tips & Warnings
If your jamb is inset or sticks past the wall, a compound miter will remove any gap caused by this condition. Either adjust the tilt of the saw or place shims underneath the trim while cutting to the trim to produce a compound cut, sometimes called a back cut. Aligning the face of the trim may require a shim behind one piece or another. The misalignment can be caused by wall irregularities or differences in the thickness of the trim. If using a nail gun, turn the gun so that nail head runs parallel with the wood grain to prevent splitting of the trim.
