Good Question, But ...

Post Reply | Watch this Post

Hi handyed,

... There are some 'things' you should keep in mind.

First, you need to know which side/end of the door is straight and level. In other words, door openings, especially over time, tend to 'bend' and 'warp'. This means that when a door is installed, it may have been cut to make it level, and to make it close properly. So, if you happen to work off an end/side that has been cut, you may end up w/an off-line square hole! You know - A hole that's perfectly square but it's not level when you rehang the door! So be sure that you hang the door to check your 'markings' BEFORE you decide to cut to be sure they're level!

Also, you don't know what's inside the hollow core. Depending on what you're doing, you may want to 'brace' the INSIDE edge of the new opening w/wood blocking to create some rigidity. I've used wood blocking that's the same dimensions as the bracing that's in the door (from the MFGR). If you can't find it in stock at the store, you can rip your own. I simply glued the 4 pieces to the inside of the opening. Again, depending on what you do, I suggest this. IN fact, the horizontal blocking should run the full width of the opening (on the inside), at the least. Then you can use 'short' blocking (vertically) between your 2 horizontal pieces to complete the 4-sided blocking.

Usually, the opening is trimmed-out to finish the job. This means that the cuts on the door panel don't have to be PERFECTLY 'clean'. To help get the cleanest cut, though, use at least 2" Painter's Masking Tape on the paneling. First, cut a piece of cardboard that's the size of the opening and line it up. Then, take 2.5' strips of the 2" (or 3") Painter's Masking Tape, and run the tape (roughly) where each 'edge' of the 4 cuts will be. Then, draw your cutting lines on TOP of the tape, not on the door itself. Again, do this with the door hanging so you can check that you have STRAIGHT lines! The tape will help prevent the wood from splintering. Use the finest tooth Skill Saw blade you have. You'd start your Primer Hole for the saw blade by drilling a hole that's a little wider than your saw blade, right next to one of the lines you drew on the tape. Then, start sawing. Make sure the tape is pressed well in place.

Now, you want to be even on BOTH sides of the door, eh? Once you've cut one side, use a level and mark the BACK side of the other panel. Again, rehang the door and make your marks when the door is hung because the final job will be as it is when the door is hung, NOT when the door is laying (level) on the floor!

You don't have to rehang the door each time you need to, with all the 'pins', or even completely w/the pins in the hinges. Just hang the top hinge and bottom hinge, just enough to ensure that the door is 'hanging' as it should AS THOUGH it was completely hanging in place. See what I mean?

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!