door jamb help

[tanneyman13]

I have a broken door jamb and I need an inexpensive fix for it....I am thinking that liquid wood/wood epoxy is my best bet but I don't have much experiance with these products at all. How does liquid wood/ wood epoxy hold up to having screws placed in it after it has dried? Are there any other ways to fix this problem without completly replacing the door jamb? Here is a picture of the jamb...

[mrcaptainbob]

Yep, that wood epoxy would be a natural for this application. Apply enough to allow for reinstalling the striker plate. That is, to look like it was drilled out. As for the screw holes, after that wood filler dries, set the striker plate in place to make sure where the screw holes want to be. Mark them if possible. Drill the holes out with a 3/8" bit about an inch or two deep. Insert a 3/8" dowel and cut it flush with the jamb surface and allow for the thicknes of the striker plate. Smear a bit of wood glue or Elmers on that dowel and in the hole. Just a light coating is all you'll need. Set the striker plate in place again and mark the ends of those dowels for where the screw would go and predrill pilot holes for them. It might be a good idea to use the same diameter screws, but maybe doubleing their length.

[tanneyman13]

so the epoxy should hold strong when I drill into it? and also thank you very much for your assistance

[pushkins]

Why don't you just cut out a section of the door jam and replace that section?
Replace it with a hardwood not pine if you want a much stronger lock area.

[mrcaptainbob]

Epoxy or wood filelr wouldn't matter in this application. It appears as the part of wood that's missing is that which is under the striker plate. Doesn't look like a teaspoon's worth is needed to fill the void under that plate. You could even lay in some of the wood putty and just press the striker into it. WHile it's camp, clear out the opening for the latch tongue. To secure those screws, drill out about a 3/8" hole where they would 'want' to be and glue in some 3/8" dowels. Cut them flush with that surface, then replace the striker plate and place the screws into the dowels. Might be a good idea to pre-drill for the screws, too. I'd also suggest using longer screws of the same diameter.

[pushkins]

What picture ?

Ohhhhhhhhh (slapping self upside head) I had zone alarm on and it blocks some attachments.
I must say that cutting out the jam would be just a tad extreme (now I can see the problem), I agree, wood filler, epoxy or wood putty all wou;ld do the job.

[Troy]

Originally Posted by pushkins

What picture ?

Ohhhhhhhhh (slapping self upside head) I had zone alarm on and it blocks some attachments.

I encourage you to just use the "Upload an Image" link when you post, as images hosted by this site will not be blocked, and will be around as long as this site is :-)

[LazyPup]

Anyone who has spent much time maintaining rental properties has learned that this is a very easy problem to fix. You can glue the wood with ordinary carpenters wood glue and a couple small finish nails.

After you repair the wood instead of putting the original door striker plate on, install a Security Strike plate which is a door striker plate about 6" in length.

The security striker comes with 6 long screws that will pass through the door jamb and screw into the framing behind the jamb. When finished it will look good and actually be much stronger than the original door jamb and striker plate.