How To Trim Down A Door That No Longer Fits Inside Of Your Home

Sometimes, a once sleek interior door starts getting grumpy. Maybe the door won't stay open or close as easily as it used to, and you have to apply extra effort — even put your whole weight on it. It can start with a light scratching; you have to nudge it a bit. If the hinges are fine, the problem is likely to be the door itself. It has probably expanded and no longer fits its frame. Wooden doors are often the culprits, especially because they absorb moisture. So, this is something you're likely to notice during rainy seasons. Still, even if your door hasn't grown in size, you may still want to trim it a bit for several reasons, including to fit that thick, fluffy carpet you recently installed.

Whatever the case, if you have a door that no longer fits its frame — or grates the floor — you don't have to upgrade your door frame; just trim your door. But there's a way to do it. You should be careful not to chip and splinter the sides, something quite common, especially with veneered doors.

The first step is to assemble the right tools: masking tape, sanding block, a straightedge, and a circular saw. You'll also need a pencil, a utility knife, a clamp, and a workbench to position the door when trimming it. After this, measure your door frame, ensuring you double-check so you don't make a costly mistake. Many carpenters are familiar with the rule: Measure twice, cut once. You can now unscrew your interior door from its frame and place it on the workbench. This done, mark both sides of the door to reflect the measurements you're aiming for, place the straightedge on the door to align with the marks you've made, and then take a clamp to anchor the straightedge to one side of the door.

While holding the now correctly-aligned straightedge, use a pencil to draw a straight line on the door. The straight line should run from one side mark to the counterpart on the opposite side. After this, take your utility knife, and while holding the straightedge where it's supposed to be, score the door several times to cut through the veneer. To make everything clean and quick, the utility knife should have a brand-new blade. Also, let the straightedge remain in place after drawing the pencil line.

After scoring, you'll notice you have two lines: the pencil line and the scribe line. Tape the door about ⅛ an inch to the scribe line, not on it, and on the larger part of the door you'll be keeping, not cutting away. The tape protects the finish of the door and ensures it's not scratched out. As you begin to cut, make sure the base of the saw is square to the blade and that the blade is sharp. Now cut the door by accurately following the pencil line. The critical thing here is that following the pencil line gives you some flexibility. You can veer off slightly without chipping the sides since whatever chipping will take place will only go up to the scribe line. If you followed the scribe line when cutting and slightly veered off, you'll risk chipping the sides of the door. Hence, the tiny space between the pencil line and the scribe line, about 1/16th of an inch, acts as a buffer.

Now get your sanding block and sand down the surface you've just cut. Sand also the upper edge, at between a 30 and 45 degrees angle. In the end, the work should be so fine that anyone looking may think it's factory-cut. One more thing: Before putting the door back, remember to paint the cut surface. Unpainted door edges absorb moisture, and hence, tend to warp with time. If it's new, ensure you choose the right paint finish for your door.