Installing Interior Door Molding

Introduction:

If you are a DIY homebuilder you will eventually get to the finishing touches such as installing all the trim such as window, baseboard and interior doors trim. The entire look of the house changes as you complete these interior finish tasks. Installing interior door trim is not a difficult task but it does require a lot of attention to the details if you want a professional looking finished job.

For a professional look you must make accurate measurements and make clean saw cuts. A good quality tape measure and a miter saw are an absolute must to make accurate cuts when installing interior door molding. 

Interior trim molding is the finished board used to cover the space between the door rough opening and the finished wall. It is available in many different interior door molding styles to match the door design.

The interior door trim molding gives the doors and doorways a finished look in the same way as baseboard and window molding. There are many different styles of interior door trim molding but they all come in three different types of wood.  

Door molding is usually made of solid wood and is very easy to install. The molding is usually nailed in place using a finished nail gun. Although it can be glued to the wall or installed with screws, nailing it is the preferred way and gives it a good finished appearance.

When buying door molding there are three basic types to choose from;

1.    The first type of door trim is either pine or oak wood which comes in one-piece solid lengths.

2.    The second type is the finger jointed wood. It is approximately 30% cheaper than solid oak and pine wood.

3.    The third type is the medium density fiberboard or MDF fiber board molding.

The first type is the most attractive. It can be stained or have a painted finish. But this solid wood one-piece molding is expensive. The second type is basically made up by finely putting together pieces and scraps of wood and the end product is a solid piece although on close inspection the finger joints are visible. It is less expensive than the solid wood trim and can be painted although it is not as attractive as the solid board trim especially when stained.

The third type is a medium density fiberboard. It’s very inexpensive. This type of door trim is made from sawdust and other wood by-products. It takes paint very well but it does not hold up well in harsh conditions and deteriorates when it gets wet.

I recommend using the solid type or the finger joint type door trim. It looks the best and holds up well under all conditions. The standard window trim is 2 ½ inches in width and can be purchased in lengths up to sixteen feet long. For a more elegant window trim a wider board can be used.

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