How to Laminate a Door Frame

Laminated wood is thick and is most often used for flooring. Since your door frame already has wood or metal, you don’t need to add thickness. You just need to add a wood-finish look. You can add a layer of laminate to your door frame by applying veneer sheets. Veneer is a thin sheet with a peel-off backing. The front of it has the appearance of a shiny wood finish. The sheets are self-adhesive and hard to remove, so understand the complete process and plan your project in order to get it right the first time.

Screwdriver
Hard-drying putty
Putty knife
Sandpaper
Roll of veneer
Razor knife
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the door by pulling the hinge pin out of the hinges. Unscrew the hinge plates from the door jamb. On the other door jamb, remove the strike plate where the bolt enters. Do this by unscrewing the screws that hold the strike plate to the door jamb.
- 2
  Fill any voids in the door frame with hard-drying putty. Allow the putty to dry. Sand it level with the door frame. Lightly sand the rest of the door frame so that it will bond with the adhesive backing on the veneer.
- 3
  Apply veneer to the door jambs. These are the vertical supports where the hinges are attached and the bolt enters the strike plate. With a razor knife, cut the veneer to the length and width of the door jamb. Start at the top. Peel back about 1 inch of the backing and press the veneer in place. This will hold the veneer while you peel it and press it to the rest of the jamb, working your way down slowly.
- 4
  Use the pointed end of a pencil to poke through the screw holes where you removed the hinges. You can find these by running your finger down the veneer until you feel indentations. Also, poke a hole where the bolt enters the door. Press the veneer into this hole. Poke through the screw holes that were left by the screws that hold the strike plate in place.
- 5
  Apply veneer to the lintel, also known as the header. This is the horizontal cross piece at the top of the door that runs between the door jambs. After cutting the veneer to size, peel back one end about 1 inch, and press the veneer into the corner where the header meets the jamb. Slowly peel the backing as you press the veneer down.
- 6
  Measure the vertical facings of the door frame in two places. Measure the edge farthest from the door, and measure the edge closest to the door. These two measurements will differ because this piece has a 45-degree angle cut into it at the top. Cut a strip of veneer to match your measurements. Apply the veneer to the frame facing by starting at the angled end. Peel the backing and press the veneer to the vertical upright. Continue peeling the backing and pressing the veneer in place until you reach the bottom of the piece. Repeat this process for the other vertical facing.
- 7
  Apply veneer to the horizontal top facing, which has a 45-degree angle at both ends. Measure the longest edge and the shortest edge. Cut the veneer to this size. Peel the backing on one end and press the veneer in place until you reach the end of the piece.
- 8
  Replace all hardware on the door jambs. The holes you poked in the veneer will show you where the screws go.

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