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We've recently had some interior work done, and the whole kitchen has been re-plastered.

A little while after the plastering was finished, cracks started forming around the back door (exterior door). The back door is quite old and we suspect it's been moving: Cracks formed on interior plaster

In an attempt to diagnose the problem we removed some very old sealant from the exterior side and uncovered the rough opening:

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Which you can see is quite large in places and inconsistent.

So we're left with two problems,

  1. How do we stop the frame from moving further?
  2. How do we cover up the rough opening. I'm thinking it will need some trim attached, but how do I fix that to the sandstone wall?

Additional: I have some no nonsense expanding foam which says under applications "Assembly of door and window frames. Filling and sealing of cavities and joints". Not sure if that means it would push against the door frame or not.

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  • As the updated question title notes, this is really two questions in one and should be broken up into two questions. We really work on a one-question-per-post basis here (take the tour) because someone might give you a really good answer to the first question, while another person gives a good answer to the second question, leaving you no way to mark which one is the "right" one.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 13:18

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You likely have either thermal movement, or some slight settling, or both. Plaster, being brittle, doesn't like either. In your first picture, the plaster should not be "attached" to the door frame. It should come up close, and the gap filled with a flexible caulk. In the other pictures, you should fill the gaps with expanding foam (be careful, not too much—sometimes it expands a LOT), then add some molding to meet the walls. If the frame is relatively sheltered from weather, wood is OK, but I like PVC better. Paint as necessary, then do the same flexible caulk where the edge of the molding meets the wall.

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  • Thanks for the reply! Regarding the expanding foam, would I be best getting a low-expanding one or would a regular one do as long as I'm careful?
    – bunnielovekins
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 12:55
  • Up to you. You could start with the regular and if it expands too much you'd just have to saw off the excess.
    – Huesmann
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 13:07
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    For doors & windows, you want to use low expansion foam. While regular foam might expand out of the gap into free air where it can be cut off, it may also bow the frame, making it difficult/impossible to close the door.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 13:19
  • You should use an exterior rated caulk outdoors. Especially if it gets exposed to UV light. For inside and in the US, most people use ALEX caulk for joints like your plaster-to-wood. For inside, you definitely want a paintable caulk.
    – popham
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 16:17

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