remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!


Very slowly, using putty knives. Use thin, flexible ones to break through
paint (if any) and slide under the wood. Use thick, rigid ones to slide
under a pry gently. Leave the skinny ones in place to protect the wood from
the thicker tool. As you establish gaps, slide in pieces of thin dowel.
Continue with a thin pry tool, available at any decent hardware store. Plan
on doing a little spackle work. A few dents in the wood are inevitable.

Have your favorite scotch available, and keep children away, in case you
invent new obscenities.

remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

Thin, wide-bladed pry bars. Use a pin punch to set as many finish
nails as possible. Pull all finish nails through the board toward
the back side.

Here some handy tool types:
wide bladed pry bar:
http://www.heavydutystore.com/db/product.php?productid=22078
for pushing finish nails through:
http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/pin-punch/BBC57
for easing trim off:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=146215-355-55-045&lpage=none
for pulling nails out the back:
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/13029.shtml
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DanG
A live Singing Valentine quartet,
a sophisticated and elegant way to say I LOVE YOU!
(local)
http://www.singingvalentines.com/ (national)


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine
doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is
there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can
re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

Obvious question:

Why aren't you making the carpenter fix it?

If he destroys the trim, it's his responsibilty. Take pictures before
he touches them again, and remind him (politely) of the power of those
pictures in small claims court.

wrote:
Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

It is much more work to fix a crooked jamb than to install them originally.
If you hired a carpenter to install them originally, why take on the work to
fix it, make him fix them.

wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

remove interior door jam without destroying it?
 

Remove trim from one side. Use sawzall to cut exposed nails.



wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi all,

Well, we hired a carpenter to install several interior pine doors...and
he really botched it. The doors are hung visibly crooked :( Is there
a way to remove the jams without destroying them...so we can re-hang it
correctly?

Thanks in advance for any advice!