Question on Therma-Tru doors

[RobertF]

Afternoon all,

When work is slow sometimes we insert foot in mouth to get work to pay the bills but anyway. I have never done break in work before but have a customer with a single panel fiberglass (no window panels) Therma-Tru door that the strike plate jamb leg needs to be replaced. I ordered the jamb leg from my supplier and the stain kit so while I'm waiting for that to come in I'm wondering if I need to pull the whole door unit out and replace the jamb leg and reinstall as a unit or can I just replace the jamb leg itself and mortise the strike plates?? Oh and I didn't do the original install so I don't know if the installer used nails, staples, glue or screws and/or all the above when they built the jamb. Had to order the jamb leg for the storm door too.. oh well its work.. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Rob

[SteveC]

The jambs here are assembled by the local supplier. The heads are attached to the legs with 2" staples from the sides. The sill is screwed to the legs from the bottom. Looks like remove complete door assembly, replace leg, reinstall. Insure sill is dead level or you'll never get reveals right. JMHO

[Bob Dylan]

What does this have to do with Therma-Tru, other than that being the brand name of the slab in the assembly?

Jambs in prehung doors are typically face-stapled though their ends, into the endgrain of the head-jamb, and to the substrate of the sill. You gotta be a really good housewright and wood surgeon to replace just a jamb, and not pull the whole unit. You also have to be a little crazy to want to do it that way, or else have a really really good reason.

If the door were completely cased out with cut stone, like a door in a cathedral built in 1265 A.D., that might make the case. If it is trimmed out in wood like most, though, off comes all the trim, and out comes the unit.

Once it is out, your eyeballs will tell you what to do.

[RobertF]

thanks for the replies,

As I was posting the question and talking to myself .. I thought there is no way to replace the jamb leg without pulling the whole unit out, reassemble and replace.. just wanted to make sure I was not doing more work than necessary..

hmmm guess I did answer myself.. I better be careful .. :)

Rob

[fmbell]

RobertF
You never said why you had to replace the striker leg was it rotted at the bottom. You may want to consider ordering the no rot jamb, if you haven't already.

Frank

[Happy Home]

RobertF
You never said why you had to replace the striker leg was it rotted at the bottom. You may want to consider ordering the no rot jamb, if you haven't already.

Frank

I had to re read. "Break in work"

Robert - In hind site, are you now thinking about the insurance co. paying for a full replacement and picking up that $800 - $1200 in labor ? Never turn yourself down. Let the ins co (or customer) turn you down.

[tripan]

I would make a pencil line at intersection of head jamb and strike jamb, and score a line at intersection of aluminum sill and strike jamb. Remove the interior head and strike side casing, set it aside for re-use, secure head jamb at strike side with additional shims to prevent ANY movement, verify brick mold is solidly in place add nails/screws as needed then cut strike jamb 2" down from top and 2" up from bottom no damage to brick mold and remove( Fein Multimaster handy here). Hammer and wood chisel end grain on remaining 2" pieces to splinter/split off of staples at top and screws at bottom, remove waste.
Cut staples at end grain of head jamb, cut screws at aluminum sill, cut fasteners at back of brick mold.
Enlarge holes at sill to 3/16" , layout hole locations to bottom of new jamb, drill 11/64" holes 1/2" to 5/8" deep and tap in 3/16" aluminum or stainless steel rod (chamfer edges to aid insertion) to act as locating pins, let rod extend 3/8" from jamb leg.
As for the top of jamb leg, you can pocket hole parallel to head jamb and screw through to jamb leg (have pocket hole plugs available) or simply slide jamb leg in with wood glue or construction adhesive at top side of jamb leg add shims to snug up rabbit/ dado and nail through shims.
When installing start by,applying clear silicone to bottom off jamb leg insert pins in holes and then slide in top of jamb leg ( hammer and block of wood to persuade as needed). Reset reveal at brick mold and re-nail, close door, shim length of leg to required reveal and nail. Re-install trim. Finish up lockset.
You may also be able prefinish jamb leg before install.

[hdrider_chgo]

On the break-in work I've done, (which has typically been on very old jambs, custom casing, often tied into transoms, raised panels, etc, which would be virtually impossible to remove) I've simply routed out the broken section of jamb, squared up the corners of the routed area, and inserted a dutchman of the same species of wood.