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Home Improvement > Moldings & Wood Trim > How to Replicate Old Door Casing

Learn how to route casing to build and match Victorian doorway casing.

In this project, the owners have already restored most of their 1904 Queen Anne Victorian home in Knoxville's north historic district as a do-it-yourself project. One of their final tasks is to replace missing door casing around several doorways, matching them to the originals made of cypress wood with unusual routing, plinth blocks and corner blocks. Although they have searched, the homeowners have been unable to locate pre-milled casing to duplicate the Victorian style. Instead of paying a milling company to custom make casings for them, they elect to do it themselves, purchasing cypress stock, and then cutting and routing the components to replicate the door casings piece by piece.

Step by Step Instructions with Video

Step
1

Assemble Tools and Purchase Cypress Lumber

Assemble your tools and purchase cypress one-by-eights for the casings and slightly thicker stock for the plinth and corner blocks. You will be using power saws, routers, and other tools that require you to wear safety glasses for eye protection. Set up sawhorses and a table saw in your work area. The power tools in this project have a collection bag to capture the sawdust.

Step
2

Measure and Rip One-by-eights into Casing Widths

Measure and then rip each piece of one-by-eight cypress into the proper width for the sides and top of the casing. Use the table saw. You will cut them to length in a later step.

Step
3

Make the First Decorative Routings on Each Edge of the Casing

Route the decorative grooves on the lengths of casing, matching them to the original. Use a table-mounted router and pass the planks through the high-speed cutting bit standing on their edges. You will route one edge, then flip the wood end-to-end so that the same flat surface of the wood faces the bit. Confirm the orientation of the plank and then route the second edge with the same bit. Note there you now see a right side and a wrong side to the board.

Step
4

Change to a Round-nosed Router bit

Install a small round-nosed bit on the router and then remount the router to the table.

Step
5

Make the First Pass Over the Round-nosed Bit

Place the right side of the board face down on the router table and pass it over the round-nosed bit.

Step
6

Make the Second Pass with the Round-nosed Bit

Route the opposite edge of the board, after flipping the board end-to-end and again place the right side facing downward. This step and the last one add a narrower groove on top of those routed in the earlier step. The result is a casing that is nearly identical to the Victorian original.

Step
7

Cut the Plinth Blocks and Corner Blocks

Use a sliding compound miter saw to cut the thicker cypress stock into the appropriate dimensions for the plinth blocks and corner blocks.

Step
8

Round the Block Edges with a Round-over Bit on the Router

Use a round-over bit on the router to round off the four edges of each plinth and corner block. Do this on one face of each block so that you have a right side and a wrong side.

Step
9

Position the Plinth Block with a 1/4-Inch Back Set

Position the first plinth block on one side of the doorway at floor level. We have already determined that there are two hidden wall studs beside the doorjambs (the two vertical pieces of wooden framing that support the horizontal beam/framing at the top). To match the construction of the original door casings, we set the plinth block back 1/4 inch from the edge of the doorjamb.

Step
10

Attach the Plinth Block with a Pneumatic Nail Gun

Use a pneumatic nail gun to secure the plinth block through the doorjamb and the two wall studs.

Step
11

Set Up a Combination Square to Guage the 1/4-Inch Set Back

Set up a combination square to gauge the 1/4-inch set back between the plinth block and the doorjamb.

Step
12

Transfer the Set Back to the Edges of Both Doorjambs and the Lintel

Transfer that same set back along the edge of both doorjambs and to the underside of the lintel.

Step
13

Measure the Length for the Routed Cypress Casing

Measure the required length for the first piece of routed cypress, starting from the top of the plinth block and ending at the set back mark you just made on the bottom of the lintel.

Step
14

Transfer the Measurement to the Casing

Transfer the measurement to the cypress casing.

Step
15

Cut the Casing on the Sliding Compound Miter saw

Make the cut on the sliding compound miter saw. We have moved the saw inside the house--to the bedroom, where we have an original door casing on a doorway adjacent to the doorway on which we are working. Having the two doorways and the saw within reach is convenient for the fine adjustments that we will make to fit the casing to the doorway. This saw also has a dust-collection bag.

Step
16

Test and Recut the Casing with a Very Fine Cut

Set the length of casing on top of the plinth block and note whether it matches the set back mark on the underside of the lintel. Ours is about 1/16-inch too long, so we trim it with a very fine cut on the miter saw so that it is exact.

Step
17

Attach the Casing to the Doorjamb with the Nail Gun

Secure the casing to the doorjamb and studs with the pneumatic nail gun.

Step
18

Measure the Required Length for the Second Casing

Measure the required length for the second piece of routed cypress casing, again starting from the top of the plinth block and ending at the set back mark on the lintel. This measurement is particularly important in old homes because the work is often not symmetrical. In this project, we discover there is a 1-inch difference in the lengths of the two doorjambs.

Step
19

Cut and Adjust the Length of the Casing If Necessary

Cut the second piece of routed casing to measure, confirming the length by placing it against the doorjamb and adjusting as necessary.

Step
20

Secure the Casing to the Doorjamb with the Nail Gun

Secure the casing to the doorjamb with the nail gun.

Step
21

Position and Attach the Corner Blocks with the Nail Gun

Set the corner blocks in place and secure the corner blocks with the nail gun.

Step
22

Measure the Required Length for the Horizontal Casing

Measure the distance between the two corner blocks along the horizontal lintel. This measurement is for the third and final piece of routed casing that must fit exactly.

Step
23

Cut the Casing and Allow 1/16-Inch Extra

Cut the casing and deliberately allow 1/16-inch extra length to the dimension. You can always shave off a fraction of an inch if it is too long, but you will have wasted both the cypress and your labor if you cut it too short.

Step
24

Confirm the Casing Fit and Adjust If Necessary

Set the casing in place to confirm its length, and shave off a sliver of the wood from the end if necessary.

Step
25

Attach the Casing to the Lintel with the Nail Gun

Attach the casing, driving nails through it and into the lintel with the nail gun.

Step
26

Locate and Mark the Wall Studs Between the Two Doorways

Locate and mark the wall the studs between the two adjacent doorways in the bedroom. Use a stud finder.

Step
27

Measure and Cut the Required Length of Cypress for Baseboard Between the Two Doorways

Measure the horizontal distance between the doorways/doorjambs, and cut a length of cypress one-by-eight to fit as a baseboard between them. This un-routed piece matches the baseboard in the rest of the house.

Step
28

Secure It to the Wall Studs and the Base Plate of the Wall Frame

Secure it to the wall studs at its upper edge and to the base plate in the wall frame at its lower edge, using the nail gun.

Step
29

Attach a Strip of Molding to Complete the Baseboard

Nail a strip of molding at the bottom of the baseboard to complete the matched doorway casing and baseboard.