The way people cut door jambs keeps getting worse

I was on a job in Portland last week and had to redo three door jambs for a guy who used a oscillating tool freehand. No guide block, no depth stop, just eyeballed it and cut right into the subfloor about a quarter inch. Back in 2010 my old boss taught me to use a scrap piece of flooring as a spacer and score the jamb first with a utility knife. It takes an extra two minutes but saves you from chipping the finish or cutting too deep. Has anyone else noticed a lot of guys skipping the basics like that lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielr9423d ago

Eh, is it really that big of a deal? A quarter inch into the subfloor gets covered by trim anyway.

kelly_nelson9522d ago

Oh jeez, I gotta disagree with you there. I mean, a quarter inch might not seem like a lot, but that's still cutting into the structural part of your subfloor. Once you start compromising that, it can lead to squeaks or even weak spots down the line, especially if you ever need to replace the flooring. Plus, not all trim is created equal, some baseboards are pretty thin and won't hide a gap that deep. I'd rather keep the subfloor intact and just shim or adjust the flooring height instead.