Hang a Pre-Hung Door
Setting a factory-hung door plumb with an even reveal — the standard prehung sequence, the split-jamb variant, and the long-screw trick that stops heavy doors sagging.
Close a Gapping Inside Miter With a Shim Behind the Baseboard
Technique: Tighten Inside Miters
The Problem
Inside corner miters on baseboard gap for a reason that has nothing to do with your saw: drywall corners are never a true 90, and mud builds up at the bottom of the corner, kicking the base away from the wall. The cut is right; the wall is wrong. (A coped joint sidesteps all this — but if you're mitering, here's the save.)
The Technique
- Dry-fit the two mitered pieces and find the gap at the miter face.
- Slip a shim behind the baseboard — between the drywall and the back of the board, near the corner. The shim rocks the top of the board forward, rotating the miter face closed.
- Adjust the shim depth until the seam closes tight, then nail the base off with the shim still in place. Score and snap the shim flush.
- Alternative with adjustability: drive a screw through the bottom of the base into the wall's bottom plate near the corner, and turn it in or out to fine-tune how far the board stands off the wall.
Pro tip: "Do your best and caulk the rest" is the joke for a reason — but a shimmed miter beats a caulked one because caulk in a moving joint opens back up. The shim removes the movement instead of hiding it.
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