# Windows and Drywall--uneven. Trim install. Help!!



## NickSaw76

I'm getting ready to put oak trim around every window in a house that was never fully completed. Though I'm not new to woodworking I honestly don't have much experience installing trim. I've got roughly 20 windows to trim and below is a picture of a problem I'm going to run into right off the bat. If you look closely at the picture you will see that the drywall sticks out past the window roughly 1/4" on all 4 sides of the window. Most of the windows are like this in the picture. There are others where the drywall sticks out 1/4" on once side, an 1/8" on the bottom and is flush at the top. The windows cannot be removed and reset since brick work outside has already been done. I have all of the oak trim but I'm stumped on how to install it over an uneven edging. Any ideas or help would be helpfull.


----------



## MastersHand

This is a best case scenario since your out all four sides. Simply add an extension Jamb and then trim away. The ones that is an eighth out just knock sheetrock in with your Estwing

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


----------



## mveach

The easiest way I have found is to rip strips to the thickness of the max difference. Put it on the jams and install the trim. Then calk all the way around the outside of the trim even the sides that have no gap. There are other ways but this a pretty simple fix.


----------



## NickSaw76

Ok thanks. Not sure why it's like this. Maybe they used a thicker drywall than what was planned? I'll try adding wood strips to see how that works


----------



## DannyT

lay your casing where its gonna be when you trim the window and mark the edge of it on the wall. cut the sheetrock about 3/4 of an inch towards the window from that line and remove it. this will allow the casing to tip and lay against the window jam. if its only an 1/8 do like MastersHand suggested and bang the edge in with a hammer. I used to have to do this on almost every house i trimmed. they let the wrong people install the windows.


----------



## NickSaw76

DannyT said:


> lay your casing where its gonna be when you trim the window and mark the edge of it on the wall. cut the sheetrock about 3/4 of an inch towards the window from that line and remove it. this will allow the casing to tip and lay against the window jam. if its only an 1/8 do like MastersHand suggested and bang the edge in with a hammer. I used to have to do this on almost every house i trimmed. they let the wrong people install the windows.


That's a good idea, too. I'll do one this way and see how it turns out. I'll post some pictures


----------



## Hammer1

You haven't said what type of trim you will use or how it will be installed. Most casings are slightly hollowed out on the back and the two backside edges have about 1/2" that is proud of the hollowing. Drywall is seldom perfectly flush with windows and doors. It's typically caused by the framing members not being flush with each other. This hollowing on the back of the trim allows the casing to step over a small discrepancy and still fit tight to the window frame and the wall. An 1/8" is about the maximum it can step over, less is better. You can either cut the square edge of the drywall with a utility knife to bevel the edge so it's a bit softer, or some will tap the drywall and crush the edge with a hammer. The idea is to soften that sharp corner on the drywall.

You can take an average of the difference that the drywall sticks out and rip some strips to use as fillers, or extensions, to furr out the window frame so it's within a reasonable range for the casing to step over. In your case, that might be 3/16" strips. In more extreme circumstances, you may have to cut tapered furring strips.

If you are using flat boards for casings, it will be a big benefit to hollow out the backs with dado blades on a table saw or with a router bit in a router table. If you are picture framing around the window, 45s on all four corners, things may take a bit more work to get tight miters. This is because the trim might be twisted a little if the furring strips aren't exactly even with the drywall. Often undercutting or back beveling the 45s will solve this. You can also put on all 1/4" strips with brads, set the brads deep and use a block plane to shave the strips as necessary so they will be very close to being flush with the drywall. 

If you are using a window sill and a headcasing, no miters, slight twists won't matter. You have a couple choices in attaching the furring strips. You can place them where you would want your casing reveal and keep the casing flush with them, or you could add a second reveal and hold the casings back from the edge of the strips, which I think looks better. Since I trim houses for a living, I don't mess with making all the furring strips nice and flush, too much time and you wouldn't know the difference when I'm done. I'll trim 20 windows in a day and start losing money if I don't, that's why I'll take an average for my furring or extension jambs. You may be able to take your time and do a bit more custom fitting. In either case, a hollow back will be your friend. If the faces don't come flush in the miters, you can shave a little off the proud edges on the back of one to bring things in line. An 1/8" deep hollow, which is more than standard moldings have, will give you some handy options when/if needed.

Normally I'm making extension jambs to furr out windows that are made for 2x4 construction in 2x6 framed walls. Same thing you have to do but I have wider pieces to work with. That way I can make a frame and install it as a unit. You'll have to nail on individual strips. Here are some pictures of a window with a sill and headcasing. I made the trim and hollowed out the backs. I can mass produce the pieces for the same size windows, all cut the same. I still have to fit the sills but the rest is a snap.

By the way, I like to have walls primed and painted, trim stained and one coat of finish, or primed and one coat of paint. This saves a ton of time compared to cutting in if things were to be painted or stained later. Nails on stained work will get filled with color putty and an additional top coat applied. Everything looks finished when installed this way.


----------



## tcleve4911

That was one of the best how-to's that you'll get concerning extension jambs and trimming out windows.
Nice job Hammer


----------



## GeorgeC

I would use an "L" shapped casing. This way you can ignore the uneveness at the corner. The short side of the "L" will wrap around into the window opening.

George


----------



## tcleve4911

GeorgeC said:


> I would use an "L" shapped casing. This way you can ignore the uneveness at the corner. The short side of the "L" will wrap around into the window opening.
> 
> George


.........really??? and where do you get L shaped casing?????:huh:


----------



## cabinetman

If you're making the trim, in lieu of seeing several layers of spacers, evaluate what the trim needs to do, and just rabbet to fit the DW, and the jamb.










 







.


----------



## GeorgeC

tcleve4911 said:


> .........really??? and where do you get L shaped casing?????:huh:


You make them. You can start from scratch, or buy a standard casing and then add the short side of the "L".

George


----------



## jeffoldhouse

I made all the trim in the last two houses I've built and did it exactly the same way as Hammer. Having the hollow on the back side is the only way to go. I installed all of the windows in the first house and had the same problem of the drywall protruding. The second house had vinyl windows and I just built the casing as a box to fit back to the window and then trimmed. I wasn't quite up to the 20 windows per day rate....but I was a little better on the second house than the first. :smile:


----------



## NickSaw76

Here are a few more pictures that show what I'm working with. The first picture is the exposed (front) side of the oak trim. The second picture is the back of the trim. The 3rd picture shows a piece of oak with a rounded edge on one side. I'm not certain but I'm thinking this is to be used on the bottom of the window (prob like the way Hammer1's pictures show). My dad was going to do all this but was diagnosed with cancer before he got to finish his house. He's now in his final stages and is unable to let me know exactly how he wanted to do things. There's only one 8-foot long piece like you see in Picture 3. The rest of the oak is trim and baseboard. So I'm not sure if he only planned on using it only on a few windows or not. Thanks again for all of the help you are all providing. I need to finish his home and get it ready to sell by summer

Picture 1









Picture 2









Picture 3


----------



## toollovingschultz

Nick tapered extension jambs used to frustrate me and I wanted to choke whoever set the windows. Now I use my track saw system from eurekazone here is a picture of my power bench but for $300 or so you can get a track and clamp ayatem that would let you cut any tapers you might need to on a extension jamb. 

the cool thing is after you get a track saw system breaking down plywood sheats was never easier


----------



## MastersHand

toollovingschultz said:


> Nick tapered extension jambs used to frustrate me and I wanted to choke whoever set the windows. Now I use my track saw system from eurekazone here is a picture of my power bench but for $300 or so you can get a track and clamp ayatem that would let you cut any tapers you might need to on a extension jamb.
> 
> the cool thing is after you get a track saw system breaking down plywood sheats was never easier


Where???

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


----------



## toollovingschultz

*sorry*



MastersHand said:


> Where???
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


the attachment didn't take I should have previewed my post. This is a home made version of the power bench with extrusion from eurekazone , the bridge from eurekazone, and 80/20 extrusion
Andy


----------



## willys

I'm a carpenter by trade. Have done this a thousand times. Hammers advice is rock solid.


----------



## wooddude

hammers got it right on, good advice.

one time i had to use a wood strecher but couldnt find it so i used a lamminate strecher:laughing::blink::no:

over and out


----------



## Gramz

*Thanks, Hammer!*

Hammer, your tutorial was so helpful to me. 

I live in a very modest 100 year old bungalow that hubby and I have been renovating ourselves (except for the drywall - we know our limitations) for the past year. I have been wanting to frame out the windows for months, but we took a break from construction during the cold months. 

When I decided to do the two bedroom windows this week, I thought I could just jump right in, but on closer inspection I discovered how uneven the drywall was around the window. I had no idea how to overcome that until I googled "how to trim out windows with uneven drywall" and found this posting. Your instructions were amazing, but I don't have fancy tools: just a mitre saw and some hand tools. And since everything in this old house in uneven, I decided to attach everything piece by piece to the existing framing. I did get to borrow a neighbor's table saw (new experience for me) to make the sill.

Anyway, I think I did a respectable job for a rookie. I tried to copy the style of the original trim (which was unfortunately destroyed when the house was abandoned a couple of years ago. Here's a pic of the just-finished work. Tomorrow I will paint it all nice and white.

Your instructions gave me the motivation to go for it. Thanks!


----------



## mortondryden

Windows are a crucial design element of your home. Here I get best explanation about windows and drywall. As well as many people like to hire best interior designer for home decoration.


----------



## Imnukingfutz

NickSaw76 said:


> I'm getting ready to put oak trim around every window in a house that was never fully completed. Though I'm not new to woodworking I honestly don't have much experience installing trim. I've got roughly 20 windows to trim and below is a picture of a problem I'm going to run into right off the bat. If you look closely at the picture you will see that the drywall sticks out past the window roughly 1/4" on all 4 sides of the window. Most of the windows are like this in the picture. There are others where the drywall sticks out 1/4" on once side, an 1/8" on the bottom and is flush at the top. The windows cannot be removed and reset since brick work outside has already been done. I have all of the oak trim but I'm stumped on how to install it over an uneven edging. Any ideas or help would be helpfull.


Take your razor knife or a rasp and shave the sheetrock back to being even with the window frame.....maybe 1 inch or so back for the larger spots poking out...it will bevel the rock enough so you can put your trim even with the window...the trim will hide any shaving you have to do and it will never be seen. 

Dont worry about the bottom of the window, your sill will hide that.


----------



## BZawat

Hammer's spot on. I find it easier to trim a window when the jamb is slightly inset from the drywall, rather than when the jamb is sticking out. I tap the edge of the wallboard with a hammer to crush it, stopping about 2/3 the width of the casing back. 
A little trick for cutting your miters in this situation that Hammer also touched on: for a back-cut 45, set your saw to about 44.5 degrees. Position the casing with the outside edge against the fence and lift the edge closest to you off the saw table slightly - about 1/16". (You can use a shim to steady it when making the cut if you prefer.) This produces a very slight compound with a miter of 45 and a back bevel of roughly 1 degree which hollows out the back of your pieces enough to ensure that the profile faces have no gaps. You may have to play with it a bit until you get the hang of it.


----------

