I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,

Troll?

Whir. Plunk. Twitch, wait, twitch, wait, twitch. . .

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those
are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it.
I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip
(painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down,
done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are
jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about
1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized
I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not.
Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock
does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed
until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also
the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim
against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs
top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they
will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them
such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint
even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,

Did I offend someone with my post? or was it off topic?

MC

"DanG" wrote in message
news:YaX8f.5405$UM1.1904@dukeread10...
Troll?

Whir. Plunk. Twitch, wait, twitch, wait, twitch. . .

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those
are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it.
I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip
(painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down,
done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are
jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about
1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized
I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not.
Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock
does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed
until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also
the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim
against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs
top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they
will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them
such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint
even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:55:06 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level.

The doors should be hung level and plumb.

Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even,

They never are.

so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for a
plain flat trim?

Running flat stock is somewhat problematic when trying to make the
header piece run across and using a butt joint. The problem is that
the legs may turn in or out to lay on the jamb and the wall but the
header piece may be laying flat.

There are some other ways to solve the problem. You can use a thicker
piece for the header or add another piece between the header and the
legs. Either way accents the joint but eliminates the need for the
pieces to lay flat to one another.

If you want to use the same thickness of material and try to make it
all look flat, using a 45 degree mitre will probably be the easiest
method. If your material is wide, you can try to cut the sheetrock
back a little where it might be hanging beyond the jamb. Your cuts
will hide behind the trim and it should help the trim to lay flat.
Also if you can put a slight relief cut on the back side of the trim,
the unevenness of the rock will lay into the relief cut which also
helps. Once you get the trim up, sand and fill your joints if needed
and paint.

Mike O.

miamicuse wrote:
Did I offend someone with my post? or was it off topic?

MC

"DanG" wrote in message
news:YaX8f.5405$UM1.1904@dukeread10...

Troll?

Whir. Plunk. Twitch, wait, twitch, wait, twitch. . .

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"miamicuse" wrote in message
...

I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those
are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it.
I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip
(painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down,
done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are
jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about
1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized
I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not.
Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock
does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed
until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also
the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim
against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs
top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they
will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them
such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint
even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,






I think you just caught someone with a snoot full!

Trim that has a square in each corner can cover a
multitude of sins easier. But if you must have
very simple then use 45 degree joints not butt
joints. If everything isn't level and square,
then you have to cut the trim to fit. That is,
the corners may have to be a ways off of 45
degrees. Ideally the trim has only a narrow piece
that touches the wall and a narrow piece that
touches the casing. That is the surface of the
trim that is against the wall is hollowed out
(routed or otherwise shaped) so that very little
touches the wall. This reduced wall variation
problems. Trim can also be bent slightly to
follow the casing. And you cover up problems by
using caulk to fill holes, cracks, seams, and
hollows where the trim is away from the wall if
the trim is going to be painted. If not painted,
then you do a lot more hand work.

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have
seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such
that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

Typically interior door trim is 45ed unless the top board ends extend beyond
the outer edges of the side pieces. In that case the joints are butt
jointed. This is common on exterior trim around doors.



I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

That is pretty big trim. Especially the 1-1/2" thick. Typical trim is 1/2"
thick.



First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of
the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level.

Get him back to do the job properly. Interior doors are especially easy to
hang correctly as compare to exterior. You have no door sill to worry
about. The doors typically come out better if the door is left close during
the install. The door helps keeps every thing square.




Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to
bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

Well nothing is perfect in the construction of a house but if it is way off,
call the carpenter back to fix the problem. That said however builders do
use a lot of caulk and calk is a common product used on door trim.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that
the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for
a
plain flat trim?

Caulk the joints. As for whether to 45 or butt joint, either will create a
gap if the door and trim are not plumb and square

"Leon" wrote in message
t...
"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are
prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have
seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted)
of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such
that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

Typically interior door trim is 45ed unless the top board ends extend
beyond
the outer edges of the side pieces. In that case the joints are butt
jointed. This is common on exterior trim around doors.



I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2
inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

That is pretty big trim. Especially the 1-1/2" thick. Typical trim is
1/2"
thick.


I am trying to get a specific look. It will have to be wide and heavy to
achieve that effect. Ceiling is 12' high and I wanted the trim to pronounce
but I don't want any details or accents but simple straight line. It is a
contemporary home and everything else is very "plain". The trims will be
painted eventually.



First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of
the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level.

Get him back to do the job properly. Interior doors are especially easy
to
hang correctly as compare to exterior. You have no door sill to worry
about. The doors typically come out better if the door is left close
during
the install. The door helps keeps every thing square.


Well I mentioned to him I think they all need to be straight, plumb and
level and he said it is impossible unless the walls, headers, studs are
perfectly level too and they are not. I said you could shim them until they
are level no? He said he tried but difficult. Apparently two of the walls
are tricky? One is at the end of the hallway, so one side the wall is sort
of leaning in one direction (just slightly) and on the other side opposite.
But the difference is such that the door had to be almost twisted a bit to
fit. Now when I close that door it squeaked a bit and when I open it half
way and let go it will open full by itself and bang against the wall. He
told me if I hang them plumb and square he will have to remove the trim (the
original trim) because they will not fit. Now that I have removed them
anyways I can see I will have problems.



Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against
the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to
bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will
align
perfectly.

Well nothing is perfect in the construction of a house but if it is way
off,
call the carpenter back to fix the problem. That said however builders
do
use a lot of caulk and calk is a common product used on door trim.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that
the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even
for
a
plain flat trim?

Caulk the joints. As for whether to 45 or butt joint, either will create
a
gap if the door and trim are not plumb and square



I will caulk the gap, what I am concerned with is not that there is a gap
between them side by side. Hard to describe...it's if when I nail them on
the casing one end sticks "out" further than the other end because of wall
uneveness. Or when I lay them at 45 degrees, the board is 5" wide so at the
mid point of this 45 degree joint it meets, but one end one side is higher
and the other end it is lower, how do I solve this sort of problems? Not
sure how to explain this better...I cannot use caulk to solve this. Someone
suggested using a router hollow the back or cutting the wall back and that
is beyond my capability...I have a compound miter saw and can cut and
measure and sand and caulk and paint.

Or may be I should shim the side that is "lower" to meet, and whatever gap
it creates against the wall, I caulk on the back side? Will that work?

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...
miamicuse wrote:
Did I offend someone with my post? or was it off topic?

MC

"DanG" wrote in message
news:YaX8f.5405$UM1.1904@dukeread10...

Troll?

Whir. Plunk. Twitch, wait, twitch, wait, twitch. . .

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"miamicuse" wrote in message
...

I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those
are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it.
I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip
(painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down,
done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are
jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about
1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized
I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not.
Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock
does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed
until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also
the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim
against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs
top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they
will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them
such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint
even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,






I think you just caught someone with a snoot full!

Trim that has a square in each corner can cover a
multitude of sins easier. But if you must have
very simple then use 45 degree joints not butt
joints. If everything isn't level and square,
then you have to cut the trim to fit. That is,
the corners may have to be a ways off of 45
degrees. Ideally the trim has only a narrow piece
that touches the wall and a narrow piece that
touches the casing. That is the surface of the
trim that is against the wall is hollowed out
(routed or otherwise shaped) so that very little
touches the wall. This reduced wall variation
problems. Trim can also be bent slightly to
follow the casing. And you cover up problems by
using caulk to fill holes, cracks, seams, and
hollows where the trim is away from the wall if
the trim is going to be painted. If not painted,
then you do a lot more hand work.

It will be painted. I will try 45 degree joints. I cannot get plain flat
trims with hollowed out back (unless I order custom cuts from the millwork
but those have a minimum length and $ amount so I prefer to avoid that). I
can see how the hollowed back can help. Thanks for the advise.

MC

"miamicuse" wrote in message

It will be painted. I will try 45 degree joints. I cannot get plain flat
trims with hollowed out back (unless I order custom cuts from the millwork
but those have a minimum length and $ amount so I prefer to avoid that).
I
can see how the hollowed back can help. Thanks for the advise.


If you have the time, you can buy the tools to do the hollowing yourself.
You need only about 1/8" off the back.

Trim Carpentry by Craig Savage is an excellent book. If you want a
miter joint you'll find the proper angle is usually close to 45
degrees, not exact. A butt joint or using corner rosette blocks are
other options. Thinner material will follow a warped wall easier
than a thick one. You may need to use thin strips of wood or caulk.

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:55:06 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,

If I measure the door opening and then connect the top and side trims using
pocket screws on the back side first. Then mount it onto the door frame
will it be easier? or will I be causing more problems?

MC

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have
seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such
that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of
the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also the walls
are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to
bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that
the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for
a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
If I measure the door opening and then connect the top and side trims
using
pocket screws on the back side first. Then mount it onto the door frame
will it be easier? or will I be causing more problems?

You won't really cause any more problems, but it's overkill, and a lot of
extra frogging around. Why not just cut and nail on the trim and then fill
in any gaps with caulk or spackling compound, and paint it?

--

-Mike-

When you use square edged trim, in the NorthEast, we commonly square the
tops of the side pieces and run the header piece of trim across, at
right angles. At the top of the side pieces, the bottom of the header
will need to encounter a straight line from the outside, upper corner of
the left side piece, to the inside corner of that same piece, across the
top of the door frame, and again straight at the inside right hand, top
corner and again at the left hand top, or outside corner of the side trim.

Sometimes in order to make that work out as flat, you have to leave the
outside corners "floating" a little, maybe shim them from behind with a
piece of cedar shingle.

The outside edge may need to be caulked if there is an uneven air space.
If there is a lot of airspace, you might want to cut a thin batten
strip to pad it out.

Once it's caulked and painted you won't really "see' the anomalies.

At Home Depot or Lowes you can buy 2.5" flat trim with the back
relieved, as others have described. Around here a lot of trim is simply
1x4 clear, or D-select pine.

Allowing 3/16" or 1/4" reveal at the jamb/trim joint, makes it a little
easier to :"fudge" some of the bumpy parts.

Not sure I am any clearer than anyone else here, but, of course, *I*
think I am

Good luck

Jonathan

miamicuse wrote:

I had a carpenter hung five of my interior doors for me. Those are prehung
doors with standard trims which I don't like.

I like the simple plain trim with no decorative patterns on it. I have seen
those in many industrial places where it is just a wide strip (painted) of
four or six inch strip that goes up and across and back down, done such that
there is no seam between them and I can't tell if they are jointed at 45
degrees or butt jointed.

I am wondering how I can do the same.

I assume I can just buy some 4" hardwood strips at may be about 1-1/2 inch
thick and cut them to size. I experiemented a bit and realized I have
problems.

First, the doors were hung and some are level and some are not. Two of the
doors when plumbed and leveled, when the door closes, the lock does not
close (click), so the carpenter pushed and tucked and shimmed until they
close properly, only they are no longer perfectly level. Also the walls are
not perfectly straight and even, so when I lay a strip of trim against the
edge, it is not perfectly level either. So the strip the runs top to bottom
and the strip on top going across, they do not meet where they will align
perfectly.

So how do I get these trim to align? and how can I paint them such that the
joints are not noticeable? Is it supposed to be 45 degree joint even for a
plain flat trim?

Thanks in advance,




--
I am building my daughter an Argie 10 sailing dinghy, check it out:
http://home.comcast.net/~jonsailr