Bathroom door frames that are painted with poor quality of paint, tolerating excessive contact of water may eventually begin to show signs of rot. Door frames are the strength of the bathroom door. As soon as the door frame rots, it starts showing lag in operating. So, It’s important to address the door frame rot quickly when you notice. Because by the passage of time, the door frame rots more and more, making the entire door to lose its grip completely.
1. Why bathroom door frames rot?
There’s one simple reason behind the rot of bathroom door frames. Bathroom door frames have to suffer water abuse daily. Especially, doors frames that are made of wood rots faster. The lower part of the door frame rots more due to repeatedly splash of water on it. Rooted up paint and wood on the door frame are some confirming signs that indicate serious wood rot.
2. Repairing the Rotted Bathroom Door Frame
For every problem, there is a solution. The same goes for the rotted bathroom door frame. There are two ways by which the rotted door frame can be repaired. One is cutting the lower portion (As it rots more) of the door frame and replace it with new wood.
The second one is using a Bondo wood filler to cover the damaged area of the lower door frame. Replacing the lower door frame is necessary where damage is severe. In those cases, a repair cannot be done. Check out our detailed guide on replacing the rotten bathroom door jamb. (Insert “how to repair a bathroom door jamb” article link)
Pieces of equipment you need: Door frames that are rotted less can be repaired easily with the use of
- Bondo Wood filler
- Sandpaper
- Chisel
- Putty knife
- Screwdriver
- Little pieces of wood
- Wood hardener
- Your 2-3 hours of time
3. Steps of Repair Rotted Bathroom door frame
- Inspection of door frame: At first, you need to start with the inspection of the door frame. Carefully check the bathroom door frame and look for the signs of rot e.g, the crust of wood, rooted up paint, etc. After finding the rotted space, you have to repair this fast in order to prevent further severe rot. Most Bathroom door frames suffer water-induced rot around the bottom of the door, where the floor became drenched.
- Removing the threshold: If there is a metal threshold below the door jamb. You actually need to take it out to continue the repair plan. For doing this, use a screwdriver and plier to remove the screws and take the whole threshold piece out.
- Old thresholds that are made of wood may need to cut (If there are no screws) in pieces and take out completely. Begin by removing your existing threshold from your door. You’ll want to first cut the old threshold with a backsaw. Then you can dislodge it with a pry bar. Once it is removed, clean the area thoroughly. For a wooden threshold, you will do the extra job of replacing the threshold with a new one.
- Analyzing the rot: Further, ye need to check the density of rot in the bathroom door frame. The problem with bathroom wood rot is that it may look nominal, but it can actually be widespread. To check the affected area, push your finger in the rotten arear to know how soft it has become. This will give you a rough idea of the repair possibility.
- Take the chisel and remove the rotten area completely by pushing it in and scratching hard. Do this until the softwood starts appearing that does not fall on the ground when scratching. Don’t be surprised if you discover deeper levels of damage than you expected. As soon as the wood has reached this level, it will never return to its previous state.
- Filling the void: The next step is to fill this void (made by scratching the chisel on the rotted area) of the door frame. You have to use a wood filler for this. Wood fillers are not made for filling the larger holes. So for larger holes, use some pieces of wood to fill. When you have done this step, execute the additional steps as described as follows:
- Mix the Bodo wood filler and wood hardener.
- It will take only 10-15 minutes to harden this mixture permanently, so do this step fast.
- Take a putty knife and start filling the void on the door frame with this mixed stuff.
- Do this until all holes disappear and the surface of the wood can be made plain
- Allow the filler to harden 1 hour
- Using the sandpaper: After filling the hole, use a chisel to remove the excess filler from the bathroom door frame. You can also use sandpaper to remove the excess wood filler. Once you remove the excess filler, go over the door frame again with fine-grit sandpaper to smooth the wood to the same texture as the original wood.
- Installation of threshold: The final step is installing the threshold again. Place the threshold on the floor and install the screws of it with the help of a screwdriver. Apply the entire step again, if there is another rot on the bathroom door frame.
4. Replacing the Bathroom Door Frame
Door frames that are damaged too much due to rot on several places may need to replace entirely. Hire a professional for doing this. A common household cannot do this perfectly as it needs the expertise to fit the door correctly with the door frame.
5. Conclusion
Bathroom door rot can also be caused by insects that bore and live inside the wood. They make small holes to live in. If you notice them while inspecting the rot. Find a way to stop them from dispersing on other doors. Hopefully, the above step by step guide will allow you to prolong the life of your Door frame and save you some cash. However, if you do feel that you need to replace the entire door frame, Purchase a solid oak door frame that is sure to last for a very long period of time. Please visit MCL Flooring for more articles on wooden floors, wooden floor repair and wooden doors.
