Fitting wooden door saddles - DIY Chatroom

RDS · 11-05-2009, 01:59 PM

Just wondering what is the 'pro' way of fitting a wooden door saddle.

My 1940s house has hardwood throughout the first floor, with wooden saddles in the doorways between rooms and even under closet doors. However, they're not installed in any consistent way. Some are centered on the door jambs, while others are off-center. Some are cut to fit around the door stops (hope that's the right term -- the vertical piece that the door edge rests against when closed) while others slide underneath them.

I need to replace a bunch that have become badly scuffed over time, and/or whose fasteners have worked loose. HD has premade ones I was going to use.

What's the approved, pro way to fit these? I.e. where are they 'supposed' to go in relation to the other parts of the door trim?

Thanks for any advice.

Maintenance 6 · 11-06-2009, 04:49 PM

I've always set them so that they are centered under the door when it's in a closed position. Then I cut the stops to fit against the saddle. In some cases, I've cut the saddle off straight at the jamb. In others I have cut them around the jamb and the baseboard so that they ended about an inch past the door, with a 45 degree miter cut. That was to match someone elses work from a hundred years ago. It was a lot more work, but I have to admit there was no tight corner to capture dirt.

RDS · 11-06-2009, 05:01 PM

That makes a lot of sense. Some of mine end with that miter cut and I see what you mean about how it fills the gap where dirt might otherwise accumulate. Guess that's why they did it. Thanks very much. I think I will try it your way (after taking a flush-cut saw to the stops that aren't already undercut).

Maintenance 6 · 11-06-2009, 08:37 PM

Glad to help, and good luck with your project.