Trimming to Match

If we had better documentation, this post would lead with a picture of the original front door. Then, I would show you the new orange door. And then, I would tell you they are the same door and you might not believe me. I would show you the huge cavities in side of the door where old mortise lock sets once lived. You would see another circular cavity in the door from an old doorbolt, and a very dirty old red door face.

Thanks to bondo, sandpaper, new hardware and some paint, you don't have to see the old door at all. However, the final touch to the door was fixing one window trim panel that was missing and replaced with tacky quarter round. We tried all around town to find a piece of pre-cut trim that matched, or was close to the rest of the door. No luck.

Next step? Determine the profile of the trim by casting a mould ... with play doh. Then, scan in the mould on the computer (I am geeking out at this point), trace the profile in a graphics program, and print off an exact copy of the trim profile.

Finally, get a handy man who is good with a table saw and router, and go nuts on some poplar. Tom Jones(aka Dad) was the lucky carpenter for my project.

Installation was the fun part, but I only had enough wood to get it right the first try. Measure three times and cut twice I was told - and it worked. Installation documented below.