Door casing is a trim piece that is used to surround doorway. Spesifically, door casing cover the gap between the door jamb and the drywall. Additionally, the casing can provide visual weight to the doorway.
If the door casing is too narrow for the doorway, the doorway wont have enough presence to allow the doorway to stand out from the walls. If the door casing is too wide than the doorway, the casing will overwhelm the doorway visually. Therefore, it is important that you choose the width of the door casing to match the size of the doorway.
How to Choose and Install Door Casing
One of the main factors to consider when choosing the width of the door casing is the width of the doorway’s door. For example, a bedroom door that is 28 or 30 inches in width should have a door casing that is two and a half inches wide. Larger doors, such as double doors, or doors located in main living areas of the home should have wider door casing than a bedroom door.
Three inches or three and a half inches are a good measurement for the door casing for large doors. Another factor to consider in the design of the door casing is the profile of the casing. Profiles such as Colonial has stepped layers and are best suited for traditional interior spaces in the home.
Craftsman profiles have clean shoulders and are best suited for simple spaces in the home. Flat or moddern door casing profiles are best use in newer homes. Finally, the material for the door casing can be either painted-grade pine or MDF, or stain grade oak.
Another factor in the installation process for the door casing is the reveal. The reveal is the gap between the door jamb and the door casing. A consistent reveal ensure that the doorway shadow line is even and clean.
If the reveal is not consistent, the eye will catch the difference in the visual weight of the doors. The reveal should be three sixteenths of an inch. However, the reveal may need to change based off the straightness of the door jambs.
To calculate the amount of door casing needed, measure the legs and head of the doorway frame. Add some extra material to the frame to account for waste when cutting the casing material. It is always a benefit to purchase more door casing than the measurements indicate.
This provides time to replace a door casing piece if any of the door casing have a blemish or a knot in it. The installation process for the door casing require specific steps to ensure the casing appears even. First, mark the reveal line.
Then, cut the legs of the door casing before cutting the head of the door casing. The door casing may not be plumb even if the door jamb is plumb. Finally, once installed, use caulk to fill the gap between the wall and the door casing.
Set nails below the door casing to allow for the use of filler so that the filler does not become visible under the paint. Properly choosing door casing will enhance the doorway visual appeal. Additionally, properly installed door casing will remain in place for a long period of times.
