Chances are if your home is more than a few years old, you have a door or two that look like this at the bottom. Maybe it's been caulked or even patched, but it still keeps rotting. I am going to show how this can be repaired easily and inexpensively by covering the jamb with aluminum. Obviously the best option would be to remove the whole door frame and replace it with a rot-resistant frame, but as with this door that has a stucco band, that is not always feasible and can be expensive. This is a way to cover the affected area and stop the rot from growing.
First, take a few measurements. You need the width and thickness of your door jamb trim as well as the length of the two sides and the top. If you don't have access to aluminum coil and a sheet metal brake, you will need to find someone that does to bend the cover pieces. Make them about 1/8" wider than the jamb in the middle, and make the legs as long as the thickness of the jamb on the front, and just long enough to tuck behind your weatherstripping in the back. Your pieces should look something like this:
Now, each piece will need to be cut to fit. Match the angle of your threshold on the bottom, and leave 1" long on the top. Cut and bend the middle portion over to make a tab like this:
You can see how the back leg fits between the jamb and the weatherstripping, and the front leg covers the front of the jamb. Once you have a good fit, press it in tightly, and fasten with aluminum nails:
After the two sides are in place, cut the top piece to fit and attach it the same way. The final step is to apply a bead of polyurethane caulk around the entire front edge and the bottom of the jamb as shown here:
These procedures will vary a little depending on what type of material surrounds your door. But in just a couple hours, you can go from this: to this!
