replacing busted door jamb

when my wife and I bought the house we live in a few years back the master bedroom door jamb area looks like at one point the previous owner either locked themselves out or had a fight and kicked the door down.

I attached a photo of the current state of the door jamb, I'd like to get it repaired as the door doesn't shut right and the metal clasp for the doorknob (I'm not a repair guy so I don't know the correct name for it) is loose because there's not enough wood to secure it.

everything I find online assumes the wood is all there, which its not in my case, the previous owner took it out and just painted over it (as if that'd resolve the problem).

is there a way I can replace that wood or is this going to be a more involved job?

 

You would first remove the casing from both sides of the door. Be very careful with it as you don't want it to break. Cut the paint and caulk on both sides with a utility knife, then carefully pry it off... a glazing bar works well for this. Pull the nails through the back of the casing... don't drive them back out the front with a hammer.

You could also pop off the door stop. Same thing, score the edges, pry carefully. You want to save it in order to reuse it since it matches the others.

Once the trim is off, examine how the top jamb is fastened. If the top is mortised into the side jamb, (which it usually is) you will need to drive it over to expose the nails. Clear out any shims that are between the jamb and the studs with a Sawzall. Run the saw all the way up and down the side to cut any nails that are holding it. Then hammer the side jamb near the top. You will see it come loose from the top jamb. You would then need to carefully cut those nails with the sawzall. Use a fine 9" metal blade and cut at a 45 degree angle, cut slowly so you don't lose control and cut into the trim.

Once you do all that the jamb will be free. You would probably want to use solid wood for your jamb. 1x6 is 5 1/2" wide. If your jamb is narrower, you would have to rip the 1x6 down to size on a table saw, and sand the cut edge. (Stock jambs are usually 4 9/16" wide... you can buy that if it works) Then it is just a matter of shimming and renailing the jamb, putting the door stop and casing back on. You will close the door, mark the center of the latch, then open the door and chisel out the strike plate mortise.

A nice way to do that is to mount the strike plate with 2 screws then carefully score the edges with a sharp utility knife. Then remove the strike plate and clean out the mortise. Once it's done bore the hole about 1/2" deep with a 3/4" spade bit. Then reinstall the strike plate and you're done.

Well, you're done after you caulk the edges, fill the nail holes and paint.

 

Thanks for that tip, I'll give that a try or if it looks too intense, I may just have my father in law help me.

 

Not a bad idea. Might end up costing you a 6 pack though.