Features

Tip of the Week

By Morris and James Carey
Saturday December 15, 2001

Door hinge fill-in 

 

Updating an older home, you’ve permanently removed an interior door from its jamb? And now the recesses for the hinges and strike plate remain? You can just paint over them, but it’ll look better if they’re gone from sight. That means filling in with putty, and sanding. It could take several applications and lots of time — and the results might still be less than perfect. The answer: First fill the recess with a piece of a paint stir stick. You’ll find the thickness of the stick is close to the depth of the recess. Just cut to size and glue it in place. Use one coat of putty to fill in around the patch. Follow with a quick sanding and a touch of matching paint.