Hello all. I’ve recently sanded down and painted all the door frames in our house and replaced all base and crown moulding. Now I’m trying to replace the plain slab doors with something new. My old doors were actual standard sizes (a 32″ door is actually 32″ wide). All the new doors I find are 1/8″ to 1/4″ too narrow. I don’t want the gap on the sides to be any bigger than it already is. Anyone have a fix to this problem or know how I can get doors that are actually 32″ wide?
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Where are you buying your slabs? I just replaced mine with 6 panel paint grades from Lowes and they were all exactly on size (32"=32").
I had the opposite problem as you. My old doors were just a little bit smaller. I had to shave every door but one.
No wonder I dont like working at home.
Go to a real lumber yard.
Tell the salesman you want unbeveled doors. He'll probably have to order them, but unless you want something really fancy, they should be able to get them in a few days.
When the factories bevel doors, they seem to take off a lot of wood. Getting the slabs unbeveled gets you the full width.
When I'm replacing doors, I now order the unbeveled doors. For me its a lot easier to fit the doors properly to the jambs rather than screw around shimming and fudging doors to fit.
Well, it sounds like you've chosen a work sequence that will end up making things harder on you than it has to be! That is, it's easiest to START with the doors, and then trim them out, and then do the baseboards last.
However, it can certainly be done. The door companies that I buy from supply door slabs that are exactly their "nominal" sizes. That is, a 32" x 80" door is exactly that size. Call around and I think you'll find something in short order.
Anyone have a fix to this problem
Depending on what's acceptable to you as far as reveals and general fit of door to frame it will be very likely that the frames will need to be adjusted and reshimed. Of course this also means at least some of the trim should be pulled.
If it sounds like a lot of work, it is, or at least can be. I have yet to replace a door in an existing jamb that didn't need some massaging.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I think your heading for trouble. Hire a door hanger
Hire a door hanger
Amoung other things, that is what people hire me for.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
If your a door hanger I must be missing the question ............. All book doors are actual size. Hook the door .Scribe it . hinge and bore .Is tat your system also?
If your a door hanger I must be missing the question
You're not missing the question, but you're sort of missing the joke.
You replied to IdahoDon, NOT the person who is having problems hanging his door. ;)
Thanks . Ragnar I will be more carefull.
No worries. I think IdahoDon's just poking a little fun at you is all.
I see this is only your third or fourth post. Welcome to the board!
Edited 6/14/2007 12:50 am ET by Ragnar17
I've replaced many doors and I've usually had the old one to use as a template. In the few cases where I didn't have the old door. the finished opening was square so I was able to simply measure. For an out-of-square opening and no existing door, I would probably make a template from plywood scraps.
"Hook the door" is an expression I hadn't heard before. What does it mean? I assume it means to place the new door in the opening so it can be scribed. But I usually adjust the height by cutting the bottom rather than the top and you can't scribe the bottom.
docando: Adoor hook is a device used by production door hangers to hold a door in position while it is being scribed.
I used to fit my own doors, but now I use a couple of local companies who will make up replacement doors using the old doors as templates.
They have all the jigs, etc and can do a door in the shop far faster and more accurately than I can do it in the field. The best part is that they guarantee the fit. I've done a couple of dozen replacements and - so far - have only had to "tweak" one hinge mortise by ~1/32".