Door Jamb Rot Solutions

Most exterior doors that are directly exposed to wet weather year round are prone to water damage. Tell tale sign are the mildew stains found at the bottom of each jamb leg where it meets the aluminum sill.

Door jamb rot happens when water collects on top of the sill plate and then seeps into the cracks and crevices. The wood in the door jamb then wicks the water up underneath the paint, softening the wood and causing mildew to appear.

If neglected for too long, the surrounding wall also becomes water damaged, providing and ideal nesting ground for termites and mold to grow. This leads to costlier repairs when that section of the wall needs replacing, too.  

This procedure only works on factory manufactured, installed doors. Door frames that are custom made from scratch most likely don't apply. Who knows though, maybe we can make it work.

I offer several door jamb rot solutions to combat this blight of sight.





Solutions available:


Remove and replace entire door assembly:

Depending on the door model, the cost of a replacement prehung door plus the labor to change it out can be quite costly. Most replacement prehung doors can be purchased "right off the shelf" and are made of the same material that initially rotted out, so in the same amount of time that the original door stood, you'll be dealing with the same problem once again.


Remove and replace door frame.

Available are custom replacement door frames that have rot preventing door jambs. These door frames are designed to prevent water from wicking up the jamb legs. Replacing just the door frame itself allows you to keep your door of which this in turn saves you money.


Vinyl tipped jambs:

Everjamb^TM is a replacement door frame kit that I like to use. The bottom two inches of each jamb leg that sits on the sill plate is composed of PVC. These PVC leg tips prevents water from even beginning to wick up the jamb's leg, protecting the wood. These frames are custom built on site and reuses the aluminum sill plate.


Solid vinyl jamb:

Why go two inches of protection when you can go full protection!!! This Everjamb^TM door frame kit is fully constructed with a cottom bock of PVC that eliminates moisture wickage. An exterior grade adhesive bonds wood and PVC to maintain jamb integrity and aesthetics. These frames are custom built on site and reuses the aluminum sill plate.


Vinyl brick mould option:

Quite often, brick mould themselves also shows signs of water damage and require replacement. Brick mould is also finger-jointed in 18" segments that usually breaks apart when removed.

The cost of brick mould is figured into the over all costs and an option of using the standard wood brick mould or the vinyl brick mould is available. Vinyl brick mould is white and paintable.





The process:

The door jamb rot repair is a complete process that is taken from start to paint, requiring absolutely nothing of the home owner, except an electrical plug in.




The door jamb rot repair process:

• Interior trim is removed and reused.
• Door dismantled, hardware removed.
• Old frame removed.
• Custom frame rebuild.
• Frame install- 7 point shim, insulated and screwed.
• Door rehung.
• Interior trim rehung.
• Hardware reattached.
• Door jambs painted white. Custom colors supplied by the homeowner is a plus.

Each door jamb rot rebuild takes about 5 hours to complete per door.






The total costs for each solution includes the labor and all the materials needed to complete each job separately.

Call me today for a price quote, or in an email, send me an exterior picture (if you can) of the door that needs to be upgraded. This is for a basic tear out and install. more complicated





Door Install Notes:

Most door frames are fastened to the wall through the brick mould on these late model production houses. The doors are seldom shimmed to the wall and are left hanging. It's just a quick way for the framer to get it done and move on to the next one. I know, for that's the way I was taught and I did the same thing for years. Guilty.

Today, I do things differently for quality sake. In addition to the frames being attached through the brick mould, I also shim the jambs in and fasten them tight with 3" decking screw to the wall's framing. This makes for a guaranteed solid install.





Oversized Doors:

The solutions listed on this page are for exterior single entry doors that are 36" or less without sidelights. Double French doors and custom design doors with sidelights are not included.

The only solution for doors wider than 36" is to replace the entire door assembly with prehung doors that are made with "Aria Wood" and are guaranteed to be water rot resistant for 20 years. These doors are special order from your local home improvement store, and looks just like the originals.  



 
 
Please see the projects page for before and after pictures of like projects completed.

Please give me a call and schedule a home visit for a free estimate.