8

My first house. Noticed that the area of the doorframe where the strike plate should be is quite worn, and of course, there is no strikerimage of damaged doorframe What are my options here? Do I need to have the entire frame replaced? Can a section be removed and replaced with new wood?

I checked for similar posts and although these are close, they aren't exactly the same damaged door frame Is this door striker and lock safe?

Improve this question
4
  • it depends how far the damage goes
    – Traveler
    Commented Jul 13, 2022 at 22:49
  • 1
    Was there a break-in (either by thieves or maybe cops)? Guess you might not know since you just moved in, but this looks very much like somebody kicked the door in at some point. Depending on where you live, if it was the police, they may be expected to pay for the repairs. Might be hard to claim that if it was a previous occupant though. (Unless maybe the reason the place was available is because the previous occupant was arrested and is now in prison maybe?)
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 14:03
  • If @DarrelHoffman's hypothesis was the case, you might also want to reinforce that area a bit, perhaps an additional steel plate on the inside (as long as that is very firmly anchored into the frame or wall).
    – MiG
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 16:32
  • 1
    While you're at it, double-check the hinge side of the door as well. You might have hidden damage behind there as well.
    – bta
    Commented Jul 15, 2022 at 1:37

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
12

I would remove the door trim on the right hand side of the picture.

Cut out maybe 1 to 2 feet of the damage piece and replace it, using long screws to hold it.

Make a new striker hole and replace the trim.

Will probably not be as strong as replacing the whole piece, but it will depend on how strong you want or need the door catch to be.

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    It comes down to what security you want. Right now it is I'll huff and blow your door down type. Replacing with a piece with screws and maybe glue should give you at least it broke my leg kicking it down.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 13, 2022 at 22:55
  • 2
    @dougk You can delete your comments and the retype your first one without the "rude...". Two feet of wood and screws and gorilla wood glue will be pretty darn strong. New frame = new door and possibly new threshold.
    – JACK
    Commented Jul 13, 2022 at 23:13
  • @JACK thanks and will do
    – dougk
    Commented Jul 13, 2022 at 23:21
  • This is an entry door on the rear of the house. I have a security system, but am also aware that if someone wants in enough they will get in. replacing 2 or more feet of the door frame is probably what I need. I'll leave this open for 24 hours and accept it as an answer. Appreciate the help
    – dougk
    Commented Jul 13, 2022 at 23:22
  • 3
    Suggest adding a new strike plate as well. That may have been implied, but it should be explicitly listed.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 2:14
11

Non-standard method, but it should be strong:

The idea here is to fasten the striker into something solid (the wood pillar) on the left) and not to the damaged door frame.

Remove wood from pillar so it is flush with the frame.

enter image description here

Cut 5mm thick sheet metal into a shape that makes a striker, fasten to pillar with screws ("x")

enter image description here

Replace the wood that was cut off from the pillar, and do some finishing.

enter image description here

As an example of a related thing I did:

It was a very old door, difficult and expensive to replace. One day, thieves broke in. That's how I discovered the lock side of the door was actually full of holes, which had been plugged with plaster over the decades (probably centuries) and painted over. It was well done, with who knows how many coats of paint on top, so I didn't see it, but the lock was screwed into plaster, so it broke easily.

Since the back of the door was flat, I simply reinforced the whole door with plywood, and fastened the lock into that with carriage bolts.

The idea is to not fasten the thieves' target to a fragile repaired area. This allows to make an aesthetic repair without worrying too much about strength.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    Good idea. It would be quite strong also, probably stronger than repairing the wood.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 11:55
  • 2
    I have also done similar but used a commercially available Stryker plate that was about 8” tall, this is stronger and a great idea.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 13:19
  • One note: The sheet metal strike plate will need to extend toward the inside of the house and be bent around a bit to A) look nice, and B) make the latch slide into place easily. I envision that a square edge as drawn would make it more difficult to close the door, potentially unintentionally leaving it completely unlatched.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 15:03
  • Yes, it will need to be worked into a proper shape. Proper fit is important, some latches are really picky. I didn't bother to draw it ;)
    – bobflux
    Commented Jul 14, 2022 at 20:21
0

Cut out the damaged parts.

Depending on your experience and skills, replace the excised pieces with whatever combination of filler and hand-made substitutes for metal, plaster or wood seems to suit the scenario.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.