Broken door jamb - What's the easiest way to fix this?

Question

My screen door arm bracket started pulling off of the door jamb. Unfortunately, it was a few days before I noticed, so I've already lost one corner of the bracket (I plan to replace the bracket, because it's also a bit bent up). More unfortunately, it pulled out because the area behind the bracket is pretty chewed up, something which only came to light after this happened.

I know that there are putties that are used to fill a gap in wood, but I'm also given to understand that they're generally not great to try to screw things into since they have no particular anchor to the wood around them. Is there a better solution, maybe filling in the area, then nailing a piece of wood over it to provide a more solid anchor?

Answer 1

You should drill out the hole with a large drill bit and glue in a wooden plug. Then you can drill a pilot hole into that and screw the bracket into that.

Toothpicks will work in the short term but if they are not glued then they will pull out pretty soon. Drilling out the chewed out wood and glueing in a plug will create a new place for screws to bite into.

I would also suggest going for longer screw and making sure that they attach firmly to the wall rather than just the door trim.

Answer 2

I might get barked at for suggesting this, but take toothpicks and jam them into the holes - as many as you can. Then just break them off so it's flush with everything else. I've done it before and it really works. When you're screwing it back in, the toothpicks will get caught in the threads and actually create a tight seal. I wouldn't recommend using this tactic for something that provides security (from like forced entry). Otherwise, this is a fast, easy, cheap, legitimate method of filling in screw holes for reuse.

Edit: I like visuals, so here's one. As others have suggested, you would just apply glue to each stick before insertion.

Edit2: After seeing all the comments about using dowels, I took a second look at your photo. It almost looks like two of your screw holes are in the same...well hole. So I agree, toothpicks are definitely not the best option for this. I'd take the advice of someone else on this one, but this toothpick hack would work for smaller applications.

Answer 3

If this is the spring for a screen door, which is looks like, try just moving the bracket up or down 1/4" or so. There's usually enough slop in those things that you can do it, and you'll have new wood to screw into.

Answer 4

Filling the holes with tooth picks is good for restoring the wood for screws that don't go through too much stress. I would definitely use glue when going that route.

The issue here is, the wood of the jamb did not withstand the stresses that was given it. Although the toothpicks are a good fix, it is still not quite as strong as the original wood, and if the original wood failed, so will the toothpicks.

Two things need to be done to help keep it from happening again.

First is use longer screws to reattach the new bracket to the jamb. You can fill the holes a bit with toothpicks if you like, even use putty and repaint if you like as well. The real workhorse to keep it from pulling loose again is using longer screws. If the old screws were 2" long, get screws that are 3 1/2" long. Or simply get screws 1 1/2" longer than the old ones. If they are 12 gauge screws, see if 14 gauge will fit in the same hole to add a bit more beef to the hold.

The other step was mentioned in a comment by nobyman, get the chain stop for the top that has a spring dampener with it.

Answer 5

I'd recommend putty by fixing the "bite" problem. You can give putty something to bite into by gouging the sides of the space it will be used to fill. The advantage of using a wood filler or Bondo is that after it sets up, you can sand it and paint it and drill 4 new holes. It will look as good as new and probably function even better than new. Although the repair will be covered by the hardware, it's always better to fill holes in wood than to have holes in wood, even concealed ones. They can end up wet, and because of poor air circulation, slow to dry, inviting rot. If there's the tiniest access, they can serve as home base to some kind of 6- or 8-legged creatures you'd rather not host.

Given the dimensions of the space you have to fill, wooden toothpicks would not be up to the task. It would be different if it were just a case of ripped-out screws needing a shim or two. What you have is empty space from the top of the top screw-hole to the bottom of the bottom one. You'd need 20 or 30 for that space, and they don't defeat the "bite" problem. With glue, they probably would. With glue in the contest, the decision between toothpicks and filler is an aesthetic one.

You mentioned screwing a piece of wood over the damaged area. It would have to be at least 5/8" to stabilize the screws, but anything over 1/4" is going to look pretty funky, and not in a good way.

Answer 6

Assuming that you've got a solid frame, my suggestion isn't a simple 3" deck screw, but either a 3" or 4" screw-in bolt. I had to put a chin-up bar on a wall and I wanted to ensure that the 2x4 I was mounting it on wouldn't move. I bought some 4" flathead screws (note that my local big box sells these individually so you don't need the 250 counts they sell online).

These are overkill but you've got 2 major advantages in doing this

1. They have a pan head. In case you hadn't noticed, the metal plate is damaged. You have 3 screws doing the work of 4. The flat head will pull the existing plate against the wall (if you can, you should buy a new attachment plate as well). Most 3" deck screws are designed to countersink, and that will not work on the damaged corner
2. These will extend into the frame and, most importantly, will never move.

Answer 7

Rachet Freak has a good answer but looking at the picture, this might be an atypical situation. It looks like there has been a mortise cut out of the jamb. There's no way to tell how deep it is from the pic but you might not be getting enough bite to hold the screws.

First thing, inspect for rot. If you find rotted wood (soft like cork), you need to 1. find the source of water and fix it immediately. 2. remove any rotted wood and replace it.

It doesn't look like you have rot here so let's assume that's not an issue. Next, if you don't have one, invest in a block plane. It's really an essential tool. The find or buy a small piece of pine like a 1X2 that's maybe a foot long (if you cut it short it will make the next step much more difficult.) Then with the plane, shave off the wood until it can fit into the hole. This takes a little bit of practice but it will go fast once you get the plane set right. Technically you should sharpen the plane but it will cut soft pine from the factory.

Once you have a piece of wood that fits tightly, put some wood glue on it and drive it in snugly. Take a flush cut saw or a chisel and trim off the excess. You can use your plane to make perfectly flush but it needs to be really sharp to cut across the grain neatly. Let it set up for an hour or more and then you can screw into it.

Answer 8

Just to add my actual solution, when I went to Lowes to get another bracket, and longer screws, I found a plate like the following that let me bolt into the area around the damage rather than directly into it. I will try to remember to take a picture of the actual setup when I get home.