Shimming

Trade jargonOhio homeowner glossaryCC-BY-4.0

TL;DR

Shimming is the insertion of thin tapered wedges or flat packers between a unit and its rough opening or substrate to bring it plumb, level, and square before fastening. Window and door installers place shim pairs at hinge points and lock strikes so the frame does not bow when screws are driven, then trim the excess flush.

Definition

What it means

Shimming is the insertion of thin tapered wedges or flat packers between a unit and its rough opening or substrate to bring it plumb, level, and square before fastening. Window and door installers place shim pairs at hinge points and lock strikes so the frame does not bow when screws are driven, then trim the excess flush. Composite or cedar shims are preferred over soft pine where they will bear weight long-term.

Category

Where it sits in the glossary

Shimming is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.

Why this matters for Ohio homeowners

Why Ohio homeowners should know it

This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.

ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.

Tools that use this concept

ProFix tools that touch this term

See also

License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.

Emergency