# Exterior Door Molding Against Stucco



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Cut it with an angle grinder and a diamond blade. 

If you don't, you are likely to take a bunch of chunks with you.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks, Wash.... so just to make sure I understand, use the angle grinder to slice vertically up/down between the molding and stucco, so sort of put a channel there... ? Then slip in a stiff putty knife, or will the grinder blade cut through any nails? 

And I assume I should score the painted seam at the molding it butts up to... is that a separate piece do you think?


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Grinder will, with gentle pressure, cut through the nails. 

Once you get through the stucco, you can always go back to a fiber blade for the cut off.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks so very much. Appreciate it.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Let us know how it goes. 

If you think you are prying on it...stop and keep cutting.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Windows on Wash said:


> Let us know how it goes.
> 
> If you think you are prying on it...stop and keep cutting.


Thanks for the tip. Will do. 

I guess I won't be able to find trim with that special little beveled/rippled edge... have you ever seen it before?

EDIT: PS I have to buy an angle grinder. Anything special I should know? I see there are a range of prices...


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

It was either routed that way or is more likely 2 pieces.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Good deal. Will just get what they have, either way. It might not match but it will be functional and not all that noticeable after painting.


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## dd57chevy (Jun 21, 2015)

Trese said:


> Thanks for the tip. Will do.
> 
> I guess I won't be able to find trim with that special little beveled/rippled edge... have you ever seen it before?
> 
> EDIT: PS I have to buy an angle grinder. Anything special I should know? I see there are a range of prices...


Ditto what W on W said ! 

As for the angle grinder , unless you plan on steel fabrication as a hobby , a lower amp , lower price one should work fine .


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks Chevy... just read an article listing the top 10 angle grinders (in their opinion) and am going with the lesser expensive 3rd place one b/c it's only 3.5 lbs (Milwaukee 6130-33) and has a 5yr warranty... plus standard specs. Can pick it up at HD on sale for $49. Will get all the stuff (incl diamond blade) tomorrow and report back with pictures when it's done. (Unless I run into problems and come back sooner for more help! I've done enough of these little projects to know nothing is ever as simple as you think it's going to be!) :biggrin2:


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Got waylaid yesterday and today with yard work, so all I got done was picking up the angle grinder and diamond blade. Quick question: when I picked up the grinder, above them were what looked like blades, but they couldn't have been b/c they were too cheap. One said masonry wheel (or masonry something) but was only $1.86. I didn't know what they were, but purchased an Avanti Pro Diamond turbo blade ($11)... then got home and read the manual for the grinder and it mentions "flanges" but doesn't say what they are or what they're for... which made me think what I saw for a buck was a flange, and maybe it acts like a pad for the blade??? I Googled this and only saw info on the flange NUT (on the grinder) and how to properly install it, but said nothing of 'flanges' in general. Do I need something aside from the Diamond blade? Thanks guys!


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## dd57chevy (Jun 21, 2015)

No , you shouldn't need anything but whatever blade you choose . 

I've never actually _used_ a diamond blade , I mosstly use an a/grinder to cut steel . Here's some suggestions :

Use whichever blade you like . You won't really damage anything if you use a masonary blade to cut stucco , it should go through nails .

If you never used an A/grinder , my advice is take all the safety procedures you've ever learned........& _double them !!!_ These tools put out a literal shower of sparks & debris , will leave you with hearing damage , & could break your wrist if your shirt sleeve were to get entangled !!!


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

dd57chevy said:


> No , you shouldn't need anything but whatever blade you choose .
> 
> I've never actually _used_ a diamond blade , I mosstly use an a/grinder to cut steel . Here's some suggestions :
> 
> ...


Noted! I have a great respect for tools and am hyper aware and diligent. IMO you can't be too careful, especially if you are a novice, like me. I started the grinder up last night just to feel how the switch works, how it feels, etc. and yes, def using ear plugs! Glasses, gloves, shoes and will pick my clothing carefully.

My main concern right now is the thickness of the diamond blade (1/8")... I feel like I'll be taking a lot of material off and this may sound like a stupid question, but where exactly should I position it... ON the seam between the stucco and trim, or aim more for the edge of the trim to take as little stucco as possible? Will the diamond blade cut the wood?

I can't get started b/c it's too early here (too noisy) but my plan for today is just to remove about 6" of trim from the bottom so I can see what I'm dealing with.... if it's part of the mid-trim that's raised, or a separate piece, and how it meets the stucco. I saw a YT vid with a guy replacing trim against stucco and the trim actually was routered to slip BEHIND the (exterior) stucco wall! I hope I am not dealing with that.

Then I can take the piece to Lowes to match it.

Other job today is to reveal the seam b/c it's painted over. I need to see where I take the a/grinder and make sure I follow a straight line!


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Went ahead and tried to remove a bottom portion of the trim. The a/grinder works great but there is no way this is coming away... it must be all one piece with the wider, center-raised trim. Knowing nothing, I'd guess if that's the case the best way to remove it is by going from the inside of the house, outward. Take off the door and remove all the metal weather stripping, and anything else needed to remove the whole center part of the jamb. 

I've never (until now) decided not to do a project I started, but this would be a bit much. The door is heavy and I'm alone, plus you can't tell from the pics, but on the outside of the door are two steep cement stairs, so the footing outside is awkward, plus I can't place a ladder to the left to work right-handed b/c the water heater is there... and to the right is the door. 

The good news is I have a new tool that will come in handy. :biggrin2: The bad news is, I am going to have to have a handyman to replace the entire jamb... or at least the part that's visible from the outside when the door is closed.














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## NotyeruncleBob (Mar 9, 2017)

I wish I had seen this thread earlier...
Unless the wood is rotted, you don't really need to remove that door jamb if all you want to do is clean it up and put the screen door back on. You can plug those old screw holes with dowels and wood glue. You can cover the other gaps from old hinges with thin wood patches glued in too. Sand it all down, paint, and it's as good as a new jamb. 
What you think is a separate piece is not. The piece up against the stucco is most likely the full thickness of your house wall (4" or more) and goes from the outside all the way to the inside. Sometimes the door stop (the part that the door hits) is separate, sometimes it's all one piece.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks Bob... that's good info to know for the future!

In this case the screen door that was on there is an old wooden door, (with screen and decorative metal grill), so it's quite heavy. Been on that door for 60+ years and over the course of time Dad moved the hinges up/down as the screws came loose, so there were quite a few holes quite close to one another. When I re-hung it a few months back, (last time it could be done), it was all good except Mom was using it to hold her weight while stepping down the cement steps (she's 170lbs) so she was 'hanging' on it and eventually cracked the wood trim it was screwed into b/c it was so old and weak. So in this case, it needed to go.

And yeah, I wondered from the start if the trim that meets the stucco was part of the door stop (thanks for the right terminology!), especially after I looked for a new jamb and saw the jamb kit was all one piece. And like you say, this is too.

So it def needs to be removed from the inside of the house which is easier for working, but I do need to take the door off. I have taken two other exterior doors off in the last couple years for other jobs I did, and they are extremely heavy for me to handle alone when trying to get them back on. My sister helped once, but she's not local anymore. 

I HATE hiring someone to do something that's basically easy, just too heavy. I considered taking the door off and rebuilding the jamb then hiring someone just to put the door back on. But Mom would have a fit. (What is it about that generation that is afraid everything is going to give you a hernia?) :biggrin2:

Meanwhile I already watched a bunch of vids on how to put a handrail into cement stairs so she doesn't hang on the screen door anymore to get up and down those two steps. After the door gets done, I'll do that.

Thanks again to everyone for your help! Really appreciated it!


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## NotyeruncleBob (Mar 9, 2017)

Hey Trese, Maybe the handrail should be the first step! Once your mom isn't leaning on the screen door you can focus on attaching it securely without having to remove the jamb (which involves removing the door, the trim, reattaching jamb, rehanging door, replacing trim, caulking, painting, hanging screen door). If your mom is leaning that much on the screen door no new jamb is going to stop it from eventually coming loose too. Besides, a proper handrail is going to be a lot safer for mom anyway. 
Get some two part wood filler (kinda like bondo, but for wood) and patch those cuts you put in. Sand 'em nice and smooth with the rest of the jamb. Glue some wooden dowels into the old screw holes with good quality wood glue.
Find a good part of the jamb to screw the screen door hinge into and use a good long stainless steel door screw that goes into the framing if you can. Don't go deep if all it's going to hit is the stucco on the other side of the jamb. But if you can get at least one screw per hinge to go into framing then you'll be in good shape.


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

Hey Bob... good to know there is a two-part wood filler! I use bondo a lot, so that product sounds good. Everything else is really good to know too, like plugging the holes with dowels and wood glue, but this jamb is beyond repair b/c it cracked vertically from Mom pulling on the screen door, and there is no good place anymore to move the screws to... the last time I hung the screen door, I used the last available spots for the hinges. But that was before it cracked.

So will have to go the long way this time and do a jamb replacement. I can paint everything and re-hang the screen door myself after the handyman removes the [house] door and replaces the jamb. Won't re-hang the screen door until after I install a handrail. I agree a rail is safer anyway, and had already opted to go that way.

Thanks for the invaluable help!!!


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## Trese (Aug 11, 2011)

@ NotyerUncleBob, you were right. The handyman just came to assess the job and he said he would repair it (exactly like you suggested, using a two-part product). For the crack he would drill two small holes and put in screws. 

[He also said this is stucco trim and actually goes behind the stucco, which is what I feared it was after seeing the YT video that showed that kind of trim. He said the trim went on first, then the stucco wall followed.]

I know you already knew you were right, but I wanted to acknowledge it.

I don't know how much he will ask for the job (he will email an estimate in a day or two, then I'll let him know) but now that it really doesn't need replacing, I can do it. However I hate to do that to him, but it will depend on what he charges. 

But bottom line... you were right. Credit given where credit due!


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