I took down paneling and once I got the drywall back up I realized that the drywall (1/2 inch) sticks out further than the door and window frames. Anybody have any advice on how to correct this so the molding will sit flush?

 

Hi reston and welcome to the board.
Measure the thickness you need to pad out the frame to meet your sheetrock. Some of the big box stores or lumber yards might have something close enough to fit. 1/2" minus 1/8" leaves 3/8" if that was your paneling. Or, if you have access to a table saw you could make some. That's what neighbors are for.

Bud

 

Hi Bud! Thanks for the help. But, what kind of wood from a lumber yard do I look for to use for padding? Do you suggest that I just use a table saw to cut off thin pieces of 2 x 4 to fill in on the door frame?

 

Correct, you can cut up any pine if you are painting it anyway. If stain, then match your window/door frame wood. A lumber yard or big box might have some 3/8" by 3/4" or so trim wood, but measure what you need first. If you have a table saw it's a simple job. If you use a 2x4, trim the edge as the corners are rounded and you want a nice fit. Overlap it just a touch and sand for a finished surface.

I remember remodeling my brothers house, originally built in the 1800's, it had every width 2x4 ever made. To level the walls, we had to pad every stud with a custom tapered full length shim. The results were great, but the process was long.

GL
Bud

 

We had this problem in my house. I wouldn't use 2x4s because if you slice 'em up with a table saw you'll run into a lot of knots. I used something sold as "jamb extensions", made of clear pine. It was easy, though it did take time. Afterward, I didn't like the seam where the jamb extension met the window, so I put a strip of lattice moulding all the way around to hide the seam. The end result looks great, and no one would guess what I had to do to make it work.

 

So...use the jamb extensions to raise the window frame and door fram up to the point that its flush with the drywall...then apply the molding....overlapping the drywall and the jamb extensions?

Just wanted to clairify. I guess I just need to find the right thickness of jamb extensions....

 

The way you described it is right. I did not find jamb extensions that were a perfect fit, however. I think they were about 3/4 inch thick (which was the same as my window jamb), but about 2 inches wide/deep. So the 2" dimension had to be ripped with the table saw to get it small enough that it simply extended the jamb to the point that it was flush with the drywall. Then you nail the moulding over it just as you would if the jamb had been the right size to begin with. I hope this is clear for you.

 

If you hand pick the 2xs that you rip - you shouldn't have a problem. I've done it many times. If your painting the trim, you could also use plywood strips although you need to fill the edge to make it look nice. Plywood doesn't have the advantage of being able to alter the thickness as needed