In this section we will talk about several problems that people
run into when working with doors.
Locks
Weather stripping
Sticking doors
Screen and Storm doors
Thresholds
Take the door outside and lay it across a couple of saw horses that are covered
with carpet.
Using the measurement from the door jamb, Measure down from the bottom edge of the
lower hinge on the door, mark the bottom of the door.
Take a carpenters framing square and lightly draw a line across the
door at your mark.
Using a utility knife score the surface of the door on the line approximately
1/32 inch deep or 3 or 4 passes with the knife. ( be sure to stay on the line.)
This knife cut will keep the door from splintering when you cut it.
Take a piece of cardboard that is 12 inches x 36 inches and lay across the door
just above the line.
This is to protect the door from scratches when you run your saw across
the door.
Due to manufacturers cutbacks in hollow core doors there may not be much
solid wood in the bottom of the door and you may have to cut it all off.
leaving the door with a big hole in the bottom. This is common
now days, and will be fixed after trimming the door.
Take your circular saw, making sure that you have a sharp smooth cutting
carbide tipped blade in the saw, set the saw on the door with the wide part
of the guide table on the cardboard, cut the door along the line keeping
the blade just below the line so when the blade flips the wood out of
the cut it will not splinter the door. If you let the blade go above the
line it will splinter the door...
You should now have aproximently a 5/8 inch piece laying on the ground.
Using a power sander or a sanding block with 80 to 100 grit sandpaper,
Sand the bottom of the door smooth also sand a slight bevel on the edges.
If You had to cut all the solid wood off the bottom of the door.
Use the piece you just cut off to fill it back in.
Look up inside the door, there should be some kind of spacer keeping
the two sides apart in most cases it is cardboard webbing.
Push any webbing that is at the cut, up inside the door approx. 1 inch.
With a sharp 3/4 inch wood chisel scrape the glue that was holding
the webbing off the inside of the door.
Take the piece you cut off and remove the end pieces that are glued on
and peal off the vener. You may have to use your utility knife or the
chisel to help remove the veneer from the piece of wood. After removing the
veneer take a sander or sanding block and sand the glue off the piece
of wood.
Using carpenters wood glue, Put a thin layer of glue on all surfaces
inside the door. Now push the piece of wood into the door until
it is flush with the bottom of the door. Using some small blocks Clamp
the door veneer to the wood using C-clamps in two places approx. 1/3 the way in from
the sides.
Let dry for about 15 minutes then remove the clamps and sand the bottom of the
door smooth with a slight bevel on all edges.
You are now ready to rehang the door.
If you have any comments or questions, Send me an E-mail to: km5am@hotmail.com