As long as I was working on the barn doors in the family room I decided to see if I could install the closet door. The jamb was already installed when I realized that I didn’t have a door that fit in the space. When I took the time to look more closely at the jamb I noticed the shims from the original door were still behind the boards. I pulled the jamb nails out and took off all the shims. Then I reinstalled the jamb minimizing the space between it and the framing as much as I could. I had to trim off some drywall and pound it as flat as possible. I nailed the frame in place again. Then the door barely fit. With the latch in place it closes tightly but reasonably well and the 24” door finally fit in a 24” frame.
I’m kind of fond of these old doors. Many people replace them because they are just hollow core and originally I thought I would too. But it is nice (and cheap) to be re-using the doors that came with the house and after all, I have saved them all this time. These have a lovely finish unlike the newer prehung doors I bought through Craigslist. I put a quick water based polyurethane on the new doors and they are still quite gray in tone.
I may take the time to renew the finish with a golden tint. But I really need to get started on trim.