how to hide white jamb?

Hello, I'm about to diy replace the old entry door with this pre-hung Pacific Entry door that my in-laws found at a clearance sale price at a box store:



The price was really low, but the door is also stained to resemble genuine mahogany, which I'm sure it's not, rather some cheap mahogany substitute. If this door survives a couple of years in our foggy, windy, high UV weather, I'll call it a success.

My question though is: The door jamb being white, is it supposed to be painted mahogany brown before installation? Why wasn't it finished at the factory? I plan to install mahogany-stained trim/casing and not sure how to treat this white jamb. As far as I know, it will be visible after installation. Any comment would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and best wishes, h.

 

IIWM, I'd just paint it, picking up one of the shades from the door. You could try using a gel stain as a glaze, but it would be more work and I doubt it would look any better.

 

Thanks, CT! Yes, gel stain would require sanding the paint and/or primer down, wouldn't it? Besides, the jamb is made of a wood that is even cheaper than the door wood itself. For whatever reason, the jamb was just primed. I guess just painting it with brownish color would be the way to go, it will be a better weather-proofing too.

 

Search "faux staining" and you will get many hits. That might be an alternative to just painting.

 

Many custom doors like that have painted trim inside and out, so a primed frame is normal. Some you can order a matching jamb but it really drives up the cost and the lead time.

Looks like that manufacturer normally ships with a matching jamb, at least for this type door, apparently someone wanted primed. You can tell by the order info label on the side. If it isn't specific, you could take down the order# and they can pull up the exact specs. Maybe that's why it was on discount, it shipped with the wrong frame.

Doesn't look like they sell matching jambs or trim separately, though they do offer matching BM.

And don't be too sure it's not mahogany, may be one of the cheap types that are not really in the mahogany family, but has the same look and is called mahogany. Like Philippine Mahogany is actually in the Meranti family, but you find it everywhere marketed as real mahogany. Their trim appears to be solid wood (no veneer), so who knows.

What Is the Philippine Mahogany Hardwood Used in Chris-Craft Boats? / Rockler How-to

 

Thank you, Ray! I've seen faux grain applicators in box stores, will see if it can be done on the jamb. Gunguy, thank you, yes, ordering a new jamb would be too much, even if available. Yes, I've contacted their office for details on the door and where it was made. Looks like the door is veneered, and the veneer is very thin, and it's fake mahogany and it's made in China -- hence, not much expected here. I've read that Honduran mahogany, teak and white oak make good doors but never fake mahoganies.

 

I've finished 100s of front doors where the door was stained but the jamb brickmold was painted. Most exterior doors come with preprimed frames. I normally paint the jamb/brickmold the trim color of the house but it's not like there are any set rules.