Door Casing Installation

What are door casings?

Door casings are the trim boards placed around a door opening to give a finished appearance to a room. Inevitably, there are rough edges where the door frame meets the wall after installation. Trim also helps to insulate the door opening from drafts which may enter a building around the frames.Door casings may be strictly simple and functional, but usually serve a decorative function as well. The trim units in a room are generally matched, tying the elements of doors, windows, crown moulding, baseboards, etc together to create a unified decorative theme.

In casual or rustic rooms, simple pine boards may be adequate, but usually there is a desire for a more finished look. There are many stock designs of mouldings to match any decor. And it is still possible for custom designs to be fabricated to match existing styles in the case of historic restorations.

Wood or medium density fiberboard (MDF) is commonly used for door casings. Fiberboard is a pressed wood product which has even density and machines into smooth, uniform moldings. Uncoated, it presents a good surface for paint, and can be coated with a cellulose (wood) veneer which will take stain for a traditional wood look. For doors with curved tops a plaster casing will need to be fashioned.

Door casings will be cut straight at the bottom where they meet the floor. Upper corners will be mitered or blunt cut and fitted with decorative medallions or rosettes. When this look is chosen for doors and windows a plinth block is usually added at the bottom of each side door casing piece.

When adding decorative elements to a room one should consider them as a unit, rather than individually. Door and window casings, baseboards, crown moldings, wainscot and any other finishing trims should be chosen for their uniformity. The overall character of the room, home or building can be defined or ruined with the selection and installation of trim elements.

Our professional installation team will help you make decisions about how your door casings will work together with all these elements to create a unified look. Next, the installer will present a written estimate of the work to be performed. Measurements will be taken digitally which causes little disruption and provides highly accurate information. This data will be taken back to the shop where all the cutting will be done. This keeps the mess of wood cutting out of the client’s building. Digital measurements are precise enough to provide information about doors and corners which may no longer be square, so each piece will be cut to fit exactly.

The final installation will be quick and easy using glue and nails where appropriate. Nail holes will be filled, leaving a surface ready for a final finish.