Possible to replace rotted wood below exterior door?
#1
08-08-20, 07:30 PM
Possible to replace rotted wood below exterior door?
Is it possible to replace the rotted wood below my exterior door without having to replace or remove the storm door, toe kick or the door itself? I was planning on having both doors replaced in a couple of years, but was hoping to fix the wood in the meantime if possible. Thanks!
.
.
#2
08-08-20, 07:46 PM
Group Moderator
Not really. You have a prehung door frame setting on top of an old fashioned sloped sill. A door on top of the former door sill so to speak. You would need to remove the entire prehung door in order to replace the sill and you would no doubt destroy it in the process.
RickyL
voted this post useful.
#3
08-09-20, 06:25 AM
Member
And the main reason there is rot there and it's also likely there's more hidden damage behind the siding is that slab never should have been that close to the door opening or siding.
I'm going to make a guess, that siding was installed over old siding.
If this was my job I'd be removing everything down to the bare framing. Removing the siding around the door.
Seeing what was needed to raise that whole door frame at least 1-1/2,
Building out around the door opening so that the new door would not sit recessed in the wall like that, that threshold should have been been sticking out beyond the sheathing by about 1" so that a piece of 1X PVC lumber could have been inserted into the track under the threshold to support it, laying flat on the wall.
At a minimum I'd be using door and window tape around the rough opening, better yet set the door in a sill pan.
Any door I ordered would have PVC brick molding and composite lumber at the bottom of the jambs to prevent future rotting.
The will be a piece of Z molding needed over the top of the brick molding at the top of the door before the siding went back on.
The inside will need jamb extentions made so the jambs come out even with the sheet rock.
I'm going to make a guess, that siding was installed over old siding.
If this was my job I'd be removing everything down to the bare framing. Removing the siding around the door.
Seeing what was needed to raise that whole door frame at least 1-1/2,
Building out around the door opening so that the new door would not sit recessed in the wall like that, that threshold should have been been sticking out beyond the sheathing by about 1" so that a piece of 1X PVC lumber could have been inserted into the track under the threshold to support it, laying flat on the wall.
At a minimum I'd be using door and window tape around the rough opening, better yet set the door in a sill pan.
Any door I ordered would have PVC brick molding and composite lumber at the bottom of the jambs to prevent future rotting.
The will be a piece of Z molding needed over the top of the brick molding at the top of the door before the siding went back on.
The inside will need jamb extentions made so the jambs come out even with the sheet rock.
RickyL
voted this post useful.
#4
08-09-20, 11:42 AM
I did this repair on the 100 y/o house we were renting. The sills for both exterior doors were rotted. I removed the doors and made a sill from PT dimensional lumber. I had to make a filler piece since the originals were true 2" stock. I did both doors in a weekend.
Incidentally, the house had been built by a local shipyard manager. The sills were nailed in place with copper nails so I think they were original to the house.
Incidentally, the house had been built by a local shipyard manager. The sills were nailed in place with copper nails so I think they were original to the house.
RickyL
voted this post useful.
#5
08-09-20, 03:12 PM
Thanks everyone, I truly appreciate the detailed responses and suggestions. It seems a full replacement is necessary and some additional work to make sure it's done correctly. I will take all this advice into account. All the best!
[i]Sliding Glass Door - Full View[/i]
[i]Sliding Glass Door - Foam Stripping along side, Felt stripping along bottom, both quite old. Bottom rail, clearly scratched as the door sits directly on it and scratches it when sliding.[/i]
[i]Sliding Glass Door - Top of door, no stripping present.[/i]
[i]Sliding Glass Door - Joint where door panes meet.[/i]
[b]Large Windows on Front of House[/b]
We have 2 large windows at the front of the house. I think these are the next biggest offenders. I'd like to add stripping to these as, they don't seem to have any at all. Any suggestions on how to do that? Also would heat film be beneficial for these windows as well?
[i]Front Windows - No stripping where windows meet on either window[/i]
[i]Front Windows - No stripping on bottom of windows.[/i]
[b]Double Front Door:[/b]
The only thing wrong with this door is the old weather stripping I believe. Both the seal between the two doors, and above and below. When replacing, should I stick with the soft plastic in the middle and metal with plastic pieces on top and bottom? Also what about the plastic strip along the top?
[i]Double Front Door - Soft plastic along the middle. The soft plastic doesn't seal towards the bottom any more. Stripping along top, another strip on frame facing door. Is there a better option than that plastic strip here? There's a plastic seal as well along the bottom of the door which is falling apart. Best stripping to replace?[/i]
[b]Small Windows on Upper Floor[/b]
We have 7 smaller windows on the top floor of the rest of the house. These are hard to slide, and have what looks like fairly old stripping. Should I replace that stripping with the same? Or different kind?
[i]Small Windows - Right side stripping is very old and no longer sealing well. Window sits directly on rail, no stripping inside. Hard to slide. Same on the top of the window.[/i]
[b]Basement Windows[/b]
We have 7 basement windows of the same time. They all hinge out and have a latch which pulls them against the window frame. As far as I can tell, some of these windows have no stripping at all. You can see there's some kind of seal on the outside of the frame which presses against the window when it's latched shut. In every case, this seal is very thin and very old. What would be the best replacement here?
[i]Basement Window - Thin and old stripping on outside of window frame.[/i]
[i]Basement Window - No stripping at all on window itself[/i]
