How to Repair Door Surrounds

Inspect the door surrounds on the outside of your home for gaps around their edges. Over time, it's common for a door surround to move away from the wall of the home. Re-caulk the gaps between the wall and the surround with caulking to provide a water barrier.

Apply pressure to the molding around the interior doors in your home to identify which pieces need repair. Through shifts caused by humidity, interior moldings can begin to fit poorly. Likewise, if an interior door is very tight, opening it can pull the molding away from the wall.

Reattach the loose molding around interior doors by hammering finishing nails through it. After hammering the finishing nail, place a nail set on its head and hammer the nail completely into the molding to hide the head.

Fill any nail holes, dents or other abrasions on the surface of the door surround with wood filler and a putty knife. Brush the wood filler into the holes until flush, then allow the filler to dry for the time specified on the can.

Sand the dried wood filler flush with the rest of the door surround so the transition between the patchwork and the wood is smooth.

Paint the patches with the same color of paint used for the door surround. If the surround is faded, paint the entire piece to give it a fresh, new look.