Can you change door casings without damaging the baseboard?

3 years ago

Hi, we are renovating our home in phases and parts and need some help figure out logical order of things.. Big issue is that we only have a fixed amount of time before this first phase can be done.

We are updating the flooring (in most rooms) with new hardwood floor and replacing the baseboard with something more modern. At first, we wanted to change the door casings to match the new baseboard but after better measurements, learned that the matching style would not fit current space as there are a couple doors that are too closer to the wall and will not accommodate the new casing of 3 1/2''. Only width that we can fit would be 2 3/4'' which is the existing casing width.

Given that we have limited amount time to do this, can we change to the modern baseboard only and keep existing more traditional door casing? If this is the case, how difficult would it be to change the door casing in the future without damaging the new baseboard?

It would make more sense to change at the same time but since the style that we want is not readily available in stock, it takes longer to have it made to the new size and we won't be able to have it in time for installation/before painting. We are not working with a general contractor for this portion and are trying to figure this out by ourselves and really need some help. (We will be working with a professional for the next phase when redoing the kitchen/bathroom)

Here is a picture of what current frame looks like and the new baseboard we want.

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Comments (2)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
Funny I used that baseboard throughout my house.

Don’t plan your casing selection based on a couple doors that are too close to corners, base your casing selection on what works overall with the space and other selections. If a couple pieces of casing get ripped narrower in a corner it will be fine, it literally happens all the time.

I would not plan on this being two phases...
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
I would have no problem with the base you want to use being paired with the door casings that you have. The bevel on the base is complimentary to the door casings.

Remember: some homes have a certain character. Leaving a bit of that character in place while updating other areas is perfectly fine. The Europeans do it all the time.

Apartments in Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, Milan, etc all have these types of concerns. They have updated elements (like kitchens and flooring) while other parts are simply left alone (like doors and casings).

Go ahead and do what you are planning on doing. If it looks good to you, then you know you are fine. If you feel an eternal itch to change the door casings (like after a year or two) then go ahead and change them out. You have to deal with the consequences regardless.

I would push through your planned renovations and ignore what you cannot fix/change. I can guarantee that in 6 months you won't even remember you questioned the look.
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Can you change door casings without damaging the baseboard?

Comments (2)

HALLETT & Co.

SJ McCarthy

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