There are a lot of reasons for repairing an old and damaged door frame. It could be the expense of completely replacing the entire frame. It could the desire to maintain the integrity of a historic or unique home.

In the case of this historic home in Shaker Heights, the door itself was one of a kind and practically irreplaceable. Plus, the majority of the door frame was still in good shape so replacing the entire frame didn’t make sense. Plus, the homeowner was adament about maintaining the original aesthetic of this nearly century old home.

Old and Damaged Door Frame

This home is nearly 100 years old. The door and frame were the originals. Over the years, the latch and lock had gotten worn and was, obviously, repaired multiple times. It was to the point where the locks weren’t working anymore and the door was difficult t0 keep shut. Because of the uniqueness of the door and the relative good condition of the rest of the door frame, it was decided to do a targeted repair.

Cutting Out the Old Strike Plate

The owner wanted to maintain as much of the original hardware as was possible. So, we saved the strike plate.  Then we removed the old, damaged wood. The wood around the strike plate was beyond saving and the previous owners had tried multiple times to repair the wood with various fillers. So, this area was removed.

Insert Replacement Filler

We used treated wood to fill the area that was cut out. This insured that the replacement area would resist rot. This particular side of the house and the door in particular catches the brunt of all the bad weather and daily direct sunlight. We screwed the piece in with 4″ screws to ensure that the lock and latch were secure and couldn’t be breached.

Finishing the Door Frame

The final steps were filling the seams and screws. priming and painting. We used additional coats of primer and paint to protect against the harsh weather that affects this area. That, with the treated wood underneath, ensured that this repair should last as long as the house does.

Because of the nature of the repair and the fact that the door frame was painted, we applied new paint to the entire door frame to ensure a consistent color. We also refinished the door. Had the door frame been stained, it would have added multiple layers of complexity and expense to the repair.

We cleaned up the original strike plate and reinstalled that. A new strike plate might have been in order, but, as mentioned, the owner was adamant about maintaining the original aesthetic and it was still fully functional.  The door now functions as it should and the lock and latch work properly and secures the door and home. Additionally,  it looks great! Consistent with the rest of the frame and door.

Get in touch to have us repair your damaged door frame.

216-245-1236