Repair Door Trim

Reader Contribution by Troy Griepentrog
Published on September 15, 2008
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Before we adopted our dog, we tried out a few others from the Humane Society. One of them was nervous and tried to “dig” her way out of the laundry room. In the process, she scratched the trim around the door pretty badly.

Instead of buying new trim, I took the trim from the inside of a closet door. But other than removing old nails and staples, the process is basically the same if you were to buy new trim. To get the angle cuts right, use the old pieces as a template.

Start by prying the old trim loose with a flathead screwdriver or pry bar. As you pry the trim loose, insert another screwdriver or pry bar in the space where the trim is tightest. Work gradually along the entire piece of trim. It’s a good idea to use a piece of scrap wood or cardboard to protect any surface you pry against.

Remove any nails or staples from the frame and trim. Note where there is something to nail the trim to. There’s usually a gap between the frame and the wall.

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