Removing the sliding glass doors from our sunroom was thrilling, but it left a less glamorous job behind: finishing the exposed door openings. Once the metal frames came out, we were left with raw wood edges that looked unfinished and, more importantly, were vulnerable to rot when exposed to moisture. Addressing that risk was our top priority.
Because our house had recently needed exterior rot repairs when it was painted, we’re especially careful about anything that could trap water or invite further damage. Rather than patching the openings with standard wood, I chose PVC trim for most of the work. It’s a bit more expensive—about five dollars more per piece—but it won’t absorb moisture or rot, so I figured the long-term durability justified the cost. For areas that won’t see direct water contact, like the tops of the door openings, I saved some money by using pre-primed wood.
Each board I bought was 1″ x 6″ x 8′, which turned out to be slightly wider than the gaps I needed to fill. After measuring each opening, I cut the boards to length and ripped a little off the sides on the table saw until they fit neatly. Once I adjusted the fence, the ripping was straightforward and quick.
With the boards cut to size, I applied construction adhesive to the back of each piece and secured them with a nail gun. I like the combination of adhesive and nails because it creates a strong, lasting bond. For the ceiling pieces I added a few screws for extra reinforcement—I didn’t want to risk anything coming loose overhead.
Once every board was installed, the next step was caulking. We spent a couple of hours filling gaps and seams around the new trim to keep moisture out and to give the openings a finished appearance. Caulking not only helps prevent water intrusion, it also hides small imperfections and makes the new trim read as part of the room rather than as an afterthought.
For the bottom edges where the trim meets brick, I used clear silicone caulk. Based on a similar experience during a porch project at our previous home, I’ve learned that white caulk can look messy against rough brick because the bead gets pushed into the textured surface. Clear silicone seals just as well but lets the straight line of the board remain the visual edge, so the finish looks cleaner once smoothed.
After the caulk was in place and smoothed, the openings already looked much more polished. The project took a few hours for the installation and several more for careful caulking, but the difference was worth it: the room no longer feels unfinished and the risk of water-related damage has been greatly reduced.
We still plan to paint the interior trim to match the rest of the room; currently the inside reads a cream tone while the exterior is white, so we’ll address that next. But before we pulled out the paintbrushes, curiosity got the better of us and we opened up the ceiling to take a look around. There’s more to come once we finish investigating up there—hoping we can turn that into a small loft or at least make some useful improvements.
In the meantime, it’s nice to enjoy the new open feeling in the room. The new trim has made a big visual improvement, and someone in the household is already taking full advantage of the brighter, airier space.