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Shimming door jambs with paint sticks changed my install day
Been hanging prehung doors for 15 years and always fought with those plastic shims slipping out while I nailed. Last Tuesday on a job in Tacoma I ran out and grabbed a stack of free paint sticks from the hardware counter. Cut them into tapered wedges with my utility knife and they held rock solid, plus they're softer so they compress instead of cracking the jamb. Anyone else using weird materials for shims, or am I just cheap?
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the_sage24d ago
Read somewhere that cedar shims work good too, never tried paint sticks though.
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uma30624d ago
Oh yeah, cedar shims are great for that... they're softer so they don't dent the framing as easy. Paint sticks work fine too, but honestly I grab whatever's lying around, even those plastic leveling shims from the hardware store. They give you a little more precision when you're trying to adjust the height bit by bit. Just make sure whatever you use is dry, damp wood will leave marks on the door edge. And if you're using paint sticks, watch out for the spots where they can crumble under real heavy pressure.
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