Door Rot Frame Replacement

With half a day’s effort and a few key tools I was able to do my own door rot frame replacement and save quite a bit of money.

Find a local door installation contractor here.

To do my own door rot frame replacement I used a table saw, circular saw, hammer, pliers, level, prybar, duct tape, caulking gun and putty knife. For materials I used ¾ and ½ inch plywood, a piece of 2×4, silicone caulk, and paint.

Removing Bottom of Rotted Door Frame

I first removed the interior trim along the door frame edge that I planned to replace. I used a putty knife, pry bar, and hammer to remove the trim. I then pulled back the door seal and taped it out of the way.

Next, I cut a 10 inch piece of lumber approximately 1 inch wide and ¾” thick. I then used my level to create a straight line on the door frame, approximately 2 inches above the rotted out section of door frame. I attached the piece of lumber to the door frame using a couple of finished nails. This piece of lumber acted as a guide for my circular saw. I did not nail the finished nails flush as I wanted to remove the board after cutting away the rotted door frame.

I then set the circular saw blade to the depth of the door frame and cut out the section of rotted door frame. I held the saw perfectly steady and on the mark when I made this very important cut.

Next I pulled out the rotted section of wood, swept the area clean and applied a heavy bead of silicone caulk underneath the metal doorframe threshold.

Replacing Bottom of Rotted Door Frame After removing the section of rotted door frame with my circular saw I began the task of actually rebuilding the door frame. I decided for best results when doing door rot frame replacement I’d use pressure treated ¾ and ½ inch plywood.

I used my table saw to cut a properly sized piece of ¾ inch plywood to fit in the area where I removed the section of rotted door frame. I then fasten it to the door frame stud using galvanized nails.

Next, I used the table saw to cut a properly sized piece of ½ inch plywood to fit over the ¾ inch plywood piece. I also cut out a 1/8 inch thick strip along the back side of this piece so that I could slide the door seal lip into it. Again I attached it to the ¾ inch plywood and door frame using galvanized nails.

For the exterior trim brick moulding I fashioned it out of a piece of 2×4 lumber. I first cut the rough dimensions of the fabricated brick moulding out of the 2×4 using my table saw.

Finally, I caulked all the seams with a paintable exterior grade caulk, allowed it to fully dry, and then touched up painted the bottom door frame.