How to remove and replace thin door trim

October 20, 2014

Hello my friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Whew, I literally just finished this project up this morning – I mentioned last week that I usually underestimate how long it will take to get a project done and this was one of those for sure. I’ve shown you this trim work before but it always looks so good, I can’t resist sharing it again. It gets me right there, I love it so.

And every time I replace door trim in the house I forget to share a trick or a step so this time I’m focusing more on how I take down the existing trim.

I actually started this project months ago, back when construction was still happening. I knew I wanted to replace all the door trim in the family room as a part of the renovation but I needed our handymen’s table saw to get these two doorways started:

diy door trim

Those two corner pieces had to be ripped down to fit. I got the side trim up and then it sat…for months. Till last week when I went on a trim/painting mission.

I decided to tackle the other two other doors in this space while I was at this – our coat closet and the basement steps. They’re more of a tiny little hallway but you can see them both from the family room so I just went for it.

There are six tools I use EVERY time I take down the existing door trim:

taking down door trim

First up, you need a good razor to score the caulk around the current trim:

how to remove door trim

If you don’t do that the paint will peel up with the trim as you take it off. A little of this is OK because I’m always replacing it with thicker trim. But I still score every time.

Then you can use your pry bar and a hammer and start pulling the trim away from the wall:

how to remove door trim

Use the hammer to wedge it under – if your trim is hard to remove make sure to put a thin piece of wood under your pry bar so it doesn’t dent your drywall. I’ve learned that one over the years. :)

Sometimes the staples come off with the trim, sometimes they don’t. I use a flathead screwdriver to wiggle them out a bit, then a wrench or pliers to pull them out:

how to remove existing door trim removing door trim

And finally, my latest fave – this scraper tool is the BOMB. It may even get it’s own post it rocks so very much:

scraper tool five way

You’ll usually have residual caulk on the wall and if you don’t get that off your new trim won’t go flush against the wall. I used to peel every bit off it off and then use a sander. This new tool makes super easy and quick work of getting all that off – LOVE it.

You’ll want to remove or cut down any baseboards near your doorway too – your trim will be wider so this is a must. After that you can start installing the new trim and this part goes fast, especially compared to the time it takes to remove the existing trim.

I’ve shared this process a couple times so I won’t go into detail again, but this is the model I follow, more or less:

craftsman door trim how to

I don’t use that thick of a “fillet” on mine – I use thinner trim called stop. It gives it a nice little detail:

chunky door trim

After everything was up and painted (the most time consuming part for sure) I focused on adding the new base around the doors in the hallway.

When we had our hardwoods installed years back we didn’t pull up the baseboards – it was just going to take too much time and our base is really hard to remove. I usually have to end up breaking it into pieces in order to get it out. Because the thick wood was installed right up against our already wimpy baseboards they looked even wimpier after the floors were all done. :)

You can really see the difference on this corner with the old base on the left and the new on the right:

replacing baseboards

Chunky molding makes my heart SING! Wimpy molding gives me the sads. :(

After a few days of work I got it all done – four doorways completed!:

diy craftsman door trim

Let’s look at that before again shall we? Cause it always makes me feel accomplished:

diy door trim

Goodness, it feels so good to have this done! I LOVE how the crown and doorways and board and batten all look together. This builder home is looking more custom with every door:

black interior doors white trim

And now the trim on the outside matches the trim on the inside of the powder room and mud room:

planked wall bathroom

I took down the door to the mud room years ago to open up that space a bit. I did the same with our basement door so this is just an open doorway:

thick door trim

I had to match up the baseboards on this side to the walls with the board and batten, so it’s a little thicker. And I finished painting the faux chunky crown molding in this spot too:

diy thick crown molding

Across that itty bitty baby hallway is the closet door – here’s a Christmas pic to give you an idea of how it looked before:

christmas chalkboard wall

And here’s that same spot with the thicker crown and baseboards…and one more black door completed!:

black interior doors

I am happy to report this means ALL the doors on the main floor are now painted. And all but one in the basement is done…maybe I’ll get the upstairs done in the next few years or so. :)

To see more about painting your interior doors and the color I use go here.

Whoot!! Another BIG project knocked off my list! I’m so happy to have this part done. I’m literally finishing up small projects now (paint, decor) and I’ll be DONE with the “new” family room.

Are you a black door kind of person? I absolutely love them – I think they add some character and interest to our home. And the new molding certainly doesn’t hurt – don’t underestimate the power of new trim! It makes a huge difference!

P.S. Many of you have asked about costs for the door trim and it can range anywhere from $15 to $30 a door – depending on the pine you use. (I only use pine for this to cut down costs.) I mix the nicer, knot-free pine with some cheaper stuff for the top to bring down costs as well.

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Comments

  1. Sarah, wow the trim and doors look fantastic!! I just the the casing around the doors. What a dramatic difference! I live in a condo and have few wimpy trim and baseboard. I am glad I am not the only one who feels sad ;o{ about wimpy baseboard. I love the trim around the doors don't need miter cuts. Oh I will have to show my Hubby this..... thanks for sharing, Luanne

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  2. Wow, it looks great! I can't wait to redo our floors and the crappy trim.

    Sara
    506miles

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  3. Wow, what a difference!!! It looks amazing. I am with you on chunky trim. I have been trying to change mine, but we have only done a few spots so far. It really makes it high end. Love it:-)

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  4. Does this mean we're close to being able to see the entire family room/new kitchen table area in wide shots? Thanks!

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  5. It really looks beautiful!! And there is nothing like a great before and after! Love the wall color too!
    Shelley

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  6. That is all so beautiful! I have one nagging concern about the board and batten walls. The horizontals seem like such dust catchers! How do you deal?

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    1. You know I don't notice it too bad. Maybe it's cause I don't dust often? ;) There IS some for sure but every once and awhile I'll just take a stiff brush and clean them off. It just takes a few minutes. If you keep a really clean house it may bug you though!

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  7. This looks amazing and I never really thought of having black doors but I am really liking what you have going on here!!!!!

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  8. Looks great. I love the little signs you have on your powder room door. Can I ask where they came from?

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    1. I do too! :) They are from a local shop called Five Thirty Home --http://www.fivethirtyhome.com

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  9. I love black interior doors, and these just pop against the white trim! Well done!! :)

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  10. Your home is gorgeous, Sarah. I love all the new trim and the black doors. We are replacing trim and doors. Not necessarily taller trim, but thicker, simpler trim. We are completely swapping out our doors. Hubby loves stained woodwork, so our compromise is to get solid core two panel doors and be rid of the hollow core. In the basement, I will get my white woodwork.. someday. :)

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  11. Nice work! You always inspire me to get my fanny in gear and do projects! I just started a blog to chronicle the projects I do. Right now I'm working on my guest bathroom. It started out as a simple toilet fix and well, you know, "give a mouse a cookie..." Check out Ourlittleol'lifeoutloud.blogspot.com

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  12. Wow, I LOVE the new molding and how your house is coming along. The board and batten looks amazing with your wall color and black doors! I also love those cute men and women signs on your bathroom door :)

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  13. I love black doors but like a softer look - I use a Behr color called Thorny Branch. It has somewhat of a greenish tinge to it that keeps it from being stark black. I live in an old farmhouse that we have been remodeling for 10 years (came with chunky molding, thank god) and the greeny-black really goes with the house vibe.

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  14. Sarah: Looks great! Where did you find the men and women signs on your bathroom door. Love them! Thanks!

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    1. Carrie I go those from a fun little local shop -- http://www.fivethirtyhome.com
      I don't know if they ship but you could check!

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  15. My whole house would give you the sads. So much tiny molding/casing everywhere. So much oak. Maybe someday we'll replace it all...let's hope.

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  16. Sarah this could not come at a more perfect time. They are going to start to install sheet rock in our three new bedrooms and bath. My son and husband are going to do the trim. This is perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

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  17. During some downtime while traveling, I started writing down "renovation ideas" by room and with only mental images of each area. It's going to be fun to sit in each room to evaluate my to-do list. I'm recently retired and after clearing out my Mom's house, I am interested in major simplifying my life and house. 2015 will be the year of the change!

    One idea I wrote was to remove the door to the laundry room, which is also my mud room. I keep the door open anyways, it limits the possibilities for the room and there is a bi-fold door to the living area that I can close, if necessary. The first picture has me convinced to do it. I think it will work for me. I'm also thinking of removing the doors to the cabinets above the washer/dryer (not visible from the living room). I'm short and either use a stepstool to get things or use a basket. It might as well be open, easy and pretty!

    But, since I am just starting this whole house renewal, what tools would you recommend to get. My power tools are old and need updating so, cord or battery? I know they improved over the years, so I assume battery. Any particular vendor? What's first to get - saw or nailer or both? It would be interesting to see a "tool time" post.

    Thanks - Liz

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    1. Liz I alway recommend a battery drill for the basics -- it's all you'll need. I have a corded one as well for tougher jobs though. All of my other tools are corded -- I find they are more powerful and you don't have to worry about charging them. I use my nailer ALL the time so I recommend that -- I have a Senco and it's about ten years old and still doing great. The saw it's quite as important because you can use a handsaw and miter box for smaller jobs or have the store cut for bigger ones. Good luck!

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  18. Wow. The before and after is unbelievable! It looks amazing! I am definitely a fan of a black door, it gives it that much more character... but of course in the right space!

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  19. The beefier trim made such a huge difference and the black doors against the white trim is gorgeous.
    Thanks for the inspiration,
    Suzanne
    Pieced Pastimes

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  20. It does look good, the black doors are so elegant.
    -Ash
    www.stylizedwannabe.blogspot.com

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  21. Excellent!.....just a thought...paint the switch plates on the chalkboard wall with the chalkboard paint....voila....no break in the chalkboard! Well done Sarah!...."The Trim Goddess" lol

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    1. Funny you mention that -- I took it down yesterday to do just that! :)

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  22. It looks amazing! I love black doors as well, and am slowly painting mine black. I love the way they look!

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  23. Love the look of the black doors and chunkier trim. What color are you using on the walls?

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    1. Thank you! It's called Analytical Gray by Sherwin Williams. If you search it on my blog you can see it in more spaces.

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  24. Everything is lovely! All that molding is gorgeous! I love the thickness of your crown molding and thank you for showing us your scraper tool. My scraper is wimpy. I am in the process of removing trim and I think I may need to pick up one of those scraper tools to fully remove some of the caulk. - Enjoy all that beautiful trim! :D

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  25. Where did you find the men and women signs on your powder room door? I have a hallway of doors (one that leads to the powder room, one to the laundry room, one to the garage, and one to a closet) and those little signs would be such an easy way for guests to know which one is the bathroom!

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    1. I got those from a local shop, Five Thirty Resale -- http://www.fivethirtyhome.com
      Love them!

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  26. I'm really ready to burn our house down now after seeing yours, lol. Wow, your home is fantastic. I wouldn't want to have to clean it but it is magazine fantastic. You do so much, did you teach yourself to put up board and batten and trims? Love how those look, makes a tremendous difference in your home, takes away that builder look. I am always curious to see what a post will be about when I see your blog name on posts.
    Think I want to start buying some trim little bit at a time to slick our home up somewhat anyway. When hubs was still working at senior housing development he'd bring home the scraps of trims, etc .which he used to do some trim work in house, he did it like your style over doors and around windows. He did construction clean up and helped paint, just whatever they needed him to do so what he didn't know how to do before he learned working there for 5 yrs. after he retired. And the things people would throw in the dumpsters, tables, storage carts, patio table.
    You are one very talented lady for sure. You put all that energy to good use and in result you have a beautiful home, all those special details you've added make an incredible difference, my hat is off to you. Happy Fall

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    1. Thank you so much, I always love reading your comments. :) I did teach myself -- after looking at a lot of pictures!!

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  27. Your blog is one of the best. You are always doing something productive. I'm getting tired of all of the other blogs that are trying to pitch a product. Keep up the inspiring good work!

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  28. Got DH's approval to paint some doors black. We are going to the the inside of the front door and the inside of the door to the garage. Unfortunately it would be overwhelming to do all the doors black as I have three that are all in an alcove like area: play room, bathroom and closet with no more than a molding width between them and so it would be to dark but I think just doing the two doors will add a lot especially since I have a two story foyer too. Love your site!

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You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!