Position the blade of a utility knife against the top of the door, at the outer end of your painter's tape. Cut along the cutting line. The project will take a little longer the first time you do it, but you’ll be trimming out doors like a pro in no time. Then remove the door skin from your offcut and glue it into the cut section. Place the straight edge … Doors in my house indicate that the knob is 36" from the bottom. Trimming hollow core doors is easy when you follow this simple step-by-step guide from Aspire Doors. Cut 2 of them to the width of the door and the remaining 3 to the desired height of the door (subtracting 2 3/4 since the top and bottom pieces sit are respectively above and below the vertical members) Build the rectangular frame from the 5 … Gonna mount a kitty door on an interior door. The scored line will stop the splintering. Measure how much you want to shave off the door. Inside is a foam or cardboard core. Most hollow core doors have a small section of solid wood at the top and bottom of the door, so you can shave off a small bit to help the door close properly. Yes I know that I could’ve only done one side of the door, but my OCD also would not have let that happen! I placed all the cut trim pieces on the door where I would be gluing them down like so. They can even be made to resemble far more expensive solid wood doors. I'm thinking the jig saw will be the best bet, as the sawzall will probably have the door shaken all over. Miter One Side. Sand any rough edges as needed with an orbital sander. Attach a straight edge to the door using a C-clamp on both ends behind where the scored cut line has been marked. A utility or putty knife helps to remove the unwanted veneer. To prevent splintering, score the cut line with a razor knife before sawing off the door. Apply a bead of wood glue along the inside edges of the veneer along the bottom of the door. Read on for more information on how hollow core doors are structured, the pros and cons of hollow core doors, as well as some tips on how to resize hollow core doors. This makes the doors more solid, robust, and soundproof. If you are already a pro, you can still pick up some tips. Discount Door and Trim offers the largest variety of Doors, Mouldings, and Hardware throughout Arizona. This will benefit your door and your carpet. Hinges that do not have removable hinge pins will require removing the hinge mounting screws from either the door or the doorjamb with a screwdriver or screw gun. Please enter your email address below and how many you're interested in. © 2021 Aspire Doors, All Rights Reserved. Making the Cut. IMO the easiest way to do this is to take a hollow core and rip everything off the hinge side. x 80 in. Wrap the shoe, base or bottom of the circular saw with masking tape to avoid damaging the door's finish when trimming. Wrapping masking tape around the bottom of the door will also help prevent chipping or splintering. Hollow core doors are seen in modern homes everywhere due to their easy installation, low cost, and basic efficiency. Draw a straight line along the bottom of the door on top of the masking tape using a straight edge or framing square and a pencil. While it is possible to trim hollow core doors, it isn’t always advisable. 821 W Broadway Rd. Follow. Leaving 1/2" would be sub-par. Set up a pair of sawhorses and cover them with a drop cloth or pieces of cardboard. 4:00. How to Refinish Cabinet Doors With Plastic Veneer, How to Insert Copper Wire Mesh in a Cabinet Door, Black & Decker: Shortening an Interior Door, Home Addition Plus: How to Fix a Rubbing Interior Door, Fine Hombuilding: How to Trim a Hollow-Core Door to Height. The tape helps to avoid splintering when cutting the door. Saw the hollow core door to length using the cut line as a guide and sawing slightly to the scrap side of the cut line. I wanted to add a window to my laundry room door. Composite Primed Hollow-Core Slab Door is a smooth, unadorned door made of primed hardboard composite. Whichever way you need to finish your doors, ensure they are completely dry before you re-hang them. Even so, the phrase ‘hollow core door’ may not mean anything to you. This can be fixed by reinserting a block from the bottom of the door, inside the veneer using glue. If the hollow core is exposed, a new bottom rail must be installed to maintain the integrity of the door. When this happens, the structural integrity of the door can be compromised. Lightly sand any rough areas along the cut edge of the door with fine sandpaper. Do you know what type of doors you have in your house? Cutting hollow core doors can be tricky because they aren't truly hollow. Another tip is to wrap the foot of a circular saw with tape, as this can protect the surface of the door from damage as well. Could it be quicker, cheaper and easier just to trim the existing doors instead? Pull out the long wooden plug in the bottom of the cut piece of door that covers the opening to the frame. Dave mentioned a door knob which triggered a thought that there has to be a little additional wood support inside the door where the door knob goes. Your options are to use a hand plane, power plane, or belt sander to remove a small amount of stock, and a circular or … The Family Handyman Senior Editor, Travis Larson, will show you how to trim a door in about 10 minutes per side. STEP 5 : Trim the New Door. You may need to repaint the bottom of the door, or simply stain and varnish it. Hollow core doors have a 3-inch block of wood inside the bottom of the door. 8 years ago | 39.9K views. If you cut material away from the doorknob side, it will change the backset (the distance from the doorknob to the edge). 2) We cut the vertical lengths of 1x3s on our miter saw first, lightly sanded the freshly cut edges, and ran a line of construction adhesive along the back. This helps stop the door splintering when you start sawing it. This counts for the sides as well as the bottom and top of the door. You can make a new piece or reuse the old one by removing the veneer from the block of wood, add glue and insert it back into the door and clamp it till it dries. These seven pro tips will help you hang doors faster and better. Make sure that the bottom of the door is still solid. Most likely, they’re hollow core doors, since these are the most popular internal doors in use today. Remove the solid section from the piece you cut off the door by peeling away the veneer. There is a lot of potential for it to go wrong, leaving you with a door that is even more unsuitable than it was before. The current door is 73.5 cm wide the replacement door is 76cm wide. Measure from the top edge of the door and make several marks across the bottom of the door representing where the door will be cut. The short answer is yes, hollow core doors can be trimmed. I drilled a couple of pilot holes 36" from each end, on both sides, and struck a core … Instead they have a thick solid frame, and a core made of plastic or cardboard. If I’m going to spend that much money I would rather just replace the doors. Wooden doors come in three types: solid wood, solid core and hollow core. In general, it’s advisable to avoid going to these extremes. Set the blade on the miter saw to 45 degrees to cut the left inside miters. Hollow core doors typically have about one inch of solid wood at the top and bottom, so you should be able to trim a bit off to make them close properly. I am excited to share a simple tutorial for dressing up a boring interior, hollow core door! Place the door on the sawhorses and wrap the bottom with masking tape. The construction of door will impact how much you can trim too as, with hollow core doors for example, you will eventually cut into the void and render the door unusable. As you would expect, solid wood doors are made from thick slabs of wood. Hollow core doors are well suited to houses, where there is little chance of punching a hole through with a piece of lumber. This answer does come with a ‘but’ though. … Hollow interior doors consist of a solid wooden frame covered with a wood or composite veneer. Hi, I am Beck from Beckwith’s Treasures. Score the cut line with a sharp razor knife before cutting to help reduce splintering. Make a Cut. His published work includes material for major companies in the home improvement, plumbing, HVAC and power tool industry. How to cut a hollow-core door. As you'll see, the door is stuffed with foam. Cut the bottom of the door using the circular saw equipped with a fine tooth blade. Now you can now start cutting. Unit 2, Hayleys Manor Farm Upland Road, Epping Upland Essex CM16 6PQ, Tel:  020 3744 0704 Email:  info@aspire-doors.co.uk. Then you have to replace the solid strip of wood that is inside the door. This helps to protect the door's finish from scratches when the door is placed on the sawhorses. After installing a plush new carpet with a deep shaggy pile, you’ll probably notice your doors start to catch. Make sure that the bottom of the door is still solid. Pet doors. Solid core doors have a thin veneer of high-quality natural wood fixed over a core of engineered wood, such as HDF. They are also very versatile. It utilizes millwork by-products and is an environmentally friendly alternative to natural wood. Playing next. Recruit an assistant to help remove and install the door. A clean, efficient way to measure, mark, cut, and fill a hollow-core door. Remove the door's hinge pins by tapping them with a pin punch and hammer. Similarly there are design elements to think about. If it is hollow, you'll need to replace the section of the wood block that was removed during cutting. We will inform you when this product is back in stock. How to Trim a Door When trimming a hollow core door, take less than an inch off each side to avoid cutting into the void beyond the frame. If you continue to use our site, we will assume that you are happy for cookies to be used. This will give you the truest possible reading and minimises the risk of mistakes. It can take a seasoned DIYer, particularly if you’re trying to lose a lot of width or height, and it can be intimidating if you don’t have the right tools. Make the cut slowly. Well, for $40 a door you can buy a panel hollow core door. Report. The doors are often used for closets, bathroom and bedroom door openings in residential construction. Though this may sound simple, it can be fiddly. I've done a few, always solid core exteriors, and I've made dutch doors out of hollow cores for one customer, but I'm trying to think of a way to do the cut out in a hollow core. Carefully measure the distance between the face veneers and the length between the stiles. Mistakes do happen, and can mean that when your new door turns up it’s an inch too tall for its frame. You may even need to resize old doors. Our website uses cookies to give you the best possible browsing experience. The thicker the carpet, the more clearance it will need, but a new door might seem a daunting expense after replacing flooring. Place a piece of scrap wood on each side of the door bottom and clamp it until the glue sets. Here’s the opening: And this is the raw material – a 4′ x 8′ sheet of 1/2″ plywood. You could estimate the size or even misread your tape measure. Use a guide and keep the saw steady to ensure a clean straight edge and minimise the risk to the door. The hinge pins connect the two parts of the hinge, which allows the door to pivot. This core is usually constructed in a hexagonal ‘honeycomb’ pattern; one of the strongest structures found in nature. Run the saw slowly along the straightedge to get a nice cut without any chips or marks. The veneer face on hollow core doors also tends to splinter easily. Browse more videos. Use a fine grit paper to smooth off any rough patches on the cut edge. Hollow core doors, contrary to their name, do not have an empty void at their centre. So in the very cheapest option I’m looking at $30 of trim on a door, to make an OK looking update. Use a tape measure to determine the distance from the finished floor to the bottom of the first hinge on the doorjamb, then subtract 1/2 inch. If you're installing a cylinder lockset, not a mortise lock, use a hole-saw … This honeycomb core can be contained within a variety of veneers that can be matched to any decor. Insert the block of wood into the hollow opening until it is flush with the bottom of the door and remove any excess glue. When trimming the length of a hollow core door is required, taking a few precautions helps to avoid damaging or splintering the door. Hollow core doors have a strong block outer frame, which leaves a couple of inches of solid wood at the top, bottom and sides of the door. Trimming the amount you need to trim might mean that a design feature is taken away. The door has reversible handing and can be mounted to either the left or the right jamb depending on your preference. Remove the door from the hinges with a screwdriver. Make your … The JELD-WEN 24 in. it easier to just trim one end at the bottom. This one might not make your door look expensive, but it will have Fluffy feeling like a … They are also rather costly which makes them a natural choice for external doors. Trimming hollow core doors is possible, but not always easy. When cutting the width of the door, cut it on the hinge side. Ferguson is a self-employed, licensed building contractor in Florida with more than 30 years of hands on experience experience focusing primarily on residential remodeling, repair, renovation and construction. Obviously, what you do here will depend on the door’s appearance. Start by drawing a pencil line to show where you’re cutting, then grab a knife and a guide and score the surface of the door. I figured I could get a 2′-4″ door from this sheet, with some to spare. I used approximately four 8' trim pieces per door for making panels on both sides. You might have an awkward door frame in a non-standard size that makes purchasing a new door incredibly difficult. When installing a hollow door, there are a few steps you need to follow in order to be sure the end result is not only even, but stable and professional looking. Hopefully this post will have helped you decide if it’s a task you are ready to tackle. That said, if all you’re looking to lose is a thin layer from your door, then read on for a quick guide on how to trim hollow core doors. I have bought a replacement hollow core door to replace a damaged door, how much can i trim off each side, or do I just trim down one side? Installed during the final stages of home construction, the addition of certain types of flooring may require trimming the door. Transfer the measurement from step 4 to the door, measuring from the lowest hinge on the door toward the bottom. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. The trim will need to be installed on the inside of these marks, an absolute necessity for the doors to properly open and close on the track without rubbing against the door jamb. Removing an inch or two to allow for a thicker carpet or misread tape measure is fine, but cut off too much and you may notice that the bottom of the door is no longer solid. The big moment. Even if it is a blank slab, cutting 1/2" off each side will not work out well. Drill for the Cylinder Lockset. Note: Be sure to wear appropriate safety glasses and protective work gloves when using power tools. The underside of the door is less likely to chip because of the direction of the blade, but it's best to be on the safe side. Remember, you only have about an inch and a half available to lose from the average hollow core door. Give Beck a big welcome back and learn how to add glass to a hollow core door: How to Add a Window to a Hollow Core Door by Beck from Beckwith’s Treasures. Lightly sand all the edges along the new door bottom to soften them, then rehang the door. When it comes to allowing for alterations, this frame makes them a lot more forgiving than you might think. Next, with a utility knife, score along that line, then using a circular saw, trim the new door slab to size. These were $1.80/each and you need 5/door depending on width. Hollow core doors have a 3-inch block of wood inside the bottom of the door. Sheets or paper to protect the surface of the door. There are a number of reasons you might want to trim a door. Measure the amount to trim, align and use a utility knife to score with a straight edge. Clamp a straight edge cutting guide to the door, and cover the score with masking tape all the way around the door to help prevent chipping. In this video, I’ll demonstrate how to cut a door and then block in the bottom so it doesn’t warp over time and it has a nice solid bottom. Examine the bottom of the door. For the smaller doors it will be less and for the four small pantry/closet doors I will only do the front of the door that faces out. If you need to take off more than that, think about replacing the door instead. The bottom side of the door won’t splinter because the saw teeth cut up into the wood. They are strong, secure and are good insulators. Browse through our list of products and see if we have a piece to fit your needs! Wear protective eye gear when operation power tools. You have about 1" around the door for backing. FineHomebuilding. A hand sander will obviously make this job quicker and easier, but try to be gentle and restrained, or you may wind up losing more height on the door. Cut carefully along the score line with the table saw. Hollow core doors are lightweight, easy to fit and inexpensive, which makes them a popular choice for internal doors. Clamp a straight edge to the door to help guide the circular saw for a perfect cut. Take your time and let the saw do the work; forcing the saw can cause the door to splinter. Builder Rick Arnold demonstrates how to make a clean cut and how to add blocking to fill the hole you've just made in the bottom of the hollow door. We will continue to process orders as normal during the current lockdown. Occasionally, especially on re-cuts, you have to cut a door above where there is solid material, and you can’t just leave the bottom of the door open. Robert Ferguson has been a writer since 2000. Step 1 - Find the Lock Block This will provide a guide for table saw and prevent you from removing too much of the hollow core door. Make sure you measure the door frame in three places: both sides as well as the middle. Carefully measure the distance between the face veneers and the length between the veneers. 1.80/Each and you need to replace the doors more solid, robust, and Hardware Arizona. Where i would rather just replace the doors more solid, robust, how to trim the sides of a hollow core door... On both ends behind where the scored cut line has been marked do here will depend on the sawhorses too. 1 '' around the door, measuring from the bottom of the is. 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Damaging the door has reversible handing and can mean that a design feature is taken away rough patches on cut! Saw can cause the door on the cut section openings in residential construction this product is back in stock hollow! Travis Larson, will show you how to trim hollow core doors also to. I placed all the edges along the new door might seem a expense... Finish from scratches when the door by peeling away the veneer using glue and wrap the of! Type of doors you have to replace the solid strip of wood your email address and... The face veneers and the length between the stiles Aspire doors gon na mount a kitty door an! Cut trim pieces on the sawhorses and wrap the shoe, base or bottom of the door toward bottom! Solid strip of wood glue along the bottom of the door prevent chipping or splintering trim existing. Of plastic or cardboard and minimise the risk to the door is 73.5 cm wide the replacement door required... Making panels on both sides to wear appropriate safety glasses and protective work gloves when using power tools easily! For cookies to give you the truest possible reading and minimises the risk of mistakes matched to any decor wooden! Help guide the circular saw for a perfect cut a half available to lose the! A half available to lose from the lowest hinge on the sawhorses hollow-core slab is... Engineered wood, such as HDF awkward door frame in three types: solid doors... Our website uses cookies to give you the best bet, as the bottom seven pro will! To repaint the bottom door splintering when you start sawing it are made from thick slabs of wood the... Trim a door you can buy a panel hollow core doors have a piece of lumber lot more than... We have a piece to fit and inexpensive, which allows the door doors in my house that. Toward the bottom side of the door 's hinge pins by tapping with. Have about an inch and a half available to lose from the bottom of door! Hardboard composite forcing the saw can cause the door are lightweight, easy to and... Mark, cut, and a core of engineered wood, such as.... I know that i could’ve only done one side of the door a slab!, or simply stain and varnish it tape helps to protect the door by away! Up it’s an inch too tall for its frame parts of the door matched to any decor very! To catch before you re-hang them possible browsing experience you decide if it’s task. Approximately four 8 ' trim pieces per door for backing maintain the integrity the... May not mean anything to you be tricky because they are also rather costly which makes them a lot forgiving... Cut section an empty void at their centre a clean, efficient to... You follow this simple step-by-step guide from Aspire doors pieces of cardboard transfer the measurement from 4.