How to Fix Door Trim

A piece of wood door trim that's been significantly damaged can generally be replaced without the need to swap out all the trim. In most cases, your door trim will consist of three separate spans of trim (two on the sides and one across the top), which are mitered at the corners to butt to each other. Cutting and installing a replacement piece for any one of those spans is relatively easy, as long you can you can find the right trim.

Hammer
Prybar
Pencil
New door trim (same style and finish as the existing trim)
Miter saw
Trim nail gun

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the damaged section of trim from the doorway by prying it off with your hammer and prybar. Take off only the damaged side. Don't break it further while taking it out.
- 2
  Knock the nails out of the damaged piece, using your hammer.
- 3
  Lay the damaged piece on top of a new, longer piece of the same type of trim, leaving space beyond both ends of the old piece. Set it face-up on the new piece, with the long edges lined up. Mark with your pencil along the two ends of the old piece, onto the surface of the new piece (Note: If it's a side piece, one end will be straight across, while the other is angled; if it's the top piece, both ends will be angled).
- 4
  Remove the old piece and set the new piece on your miter saw. Cut the piece at both lines, swiveling the miter saw as needed. Generally, the straight cutwill be at 90 degrees and the angled cut will be at 45 degrees.
- 5
  Set the new piece in place along the edge of the doorway, in the same position where the old piece was. Make sure the mitered end is lined up correctly to form the corner. Secure the piece by shooting in trim nails every foot or so along both long edges.

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