# Cut kerf in pre-hung door jamb



## lofar (May 5, 2009)

I am installing a new prehung door in my home and I would like it to match the existing doors in my home. All of my existing doors do not have any casing, instead the drywall corner is fitted into the door jamb making a seamless transition from drywall to door.

So in order to match my existing doors how can I go about cutting a kerf into the front and back of the jamb which I can insert a drywall corner into?


----------



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Are you sure you don't have metal jambs that look something like this? These are often called "Miami" jambs because of the flush fit (usually plaster). The baseboards usually have the same flush fit.

The jambs are basically metal end caps that are fitted over the wood walls berore the walls are finished off.

Some are angled like this... some are squared off. There are many variations.

What's shown here in blue is, of course, just a few inches of the length of the jamb.

It will be tough to match this in wood, but it CAN be done with experimentation.


----------



## lofar (May 5, 2009)

These are all definitely wood jambs on the existing doors. I was thinking I might be able to get by with a router, a good guide and a steady hand. But this is also a custom sized door that I spent about $150 on, and I certainly don't want to screw it up.

I am also contemplating just giving in and putting a standard casing around the door and then putting the same casing around the other doors to match.


----------



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I'd hate to try to suggest anything on this, sight unseen. To be honest, I've never seen what you're describing.


----------



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

meneeder... got a picture you could post?

DM


----------



## lofar (May 5, 2009)

Here's a pic of what one of my other doors looks like.


----------



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Unless there's someone who can shed more light on this kind of finish work than I can, I would say it looks like someone put a second layer of drywall over the original wall, and just kind of moused up corners there. Maybe they trimmed down the edges of one side of the corner beads, and simply screwed them on from the drywall face... and just filled the return to the door jamb with mud, letting it set up to hold it in place.

But I could be all wet on this. If it was mine, I'd try digging out some of that 1/2" return to the door on one of the existing doors to see what was done there. You can always fill it back in with mud.


----------



## lofar (May 5, 2009)

I've already taken one of these apart to remove the door and framing completely and replace with just drywall and finished corners. Both sides of the jambs had grooves cut down the middle of them with the steel drywall corner inserted into the groove.

So looking at that picture above you have the drywall around the door and your standard corner molding tacked onto the drywall facing you and then the other half of the steel corner is inserted into the groove cut out of the jamb pieces forming the outer most corner there.


----------



## lofar (May 5, 2009)

Here is a picture of one of the pieces of the jamb I removed from the other door. I should have probably been more careful with this frame and I could have just reused it, but with the way the drywall corners interlock on boths its nearly impossible to remove without tearing up either the drywall or the door jamb.


----------



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Kind of a strange way to install corner bead, but pretty easy to match. Just decide where you want the groove, and run it through your tablesaw.


----------



## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

slot cutter in a router will work :thumbsup:


----------



## evapman (Mar 25, 2007)

lofar,


----------



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

evapman said:


> Lofar,
> Just use a Drywall "J" trim and caulk it to the jamb, no kerf needed.


Looks like he might have too much of a return for a "J" bead to work.


----------

