Oak Doors too big.. trim doors or widen door way?

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by PaulusPigus, Aug 24, 2017.

  1. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Bought people pair of beautiful high quality internal oak French doors for £75. Each door about 1cm too wide and. 75 cm too tall.

    I don't have tools or experience to trim.... Would pay if best option. Otherwise widen door way? Solid walls and RSJ above. Lining 28mm thick. Could I cut out door side of lining and replace with thinner, say 18mm? Or should I remove lining, cut away some wall and replace lining?
     
  2. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    Assuming they are 0.75cm (7.5mm) too tall, it should be a straightforward job for someone with the right equipment to trim to fit although all of the 10mm width will have to come from the hinge side of each door unless you want to adjust the rebates as well. That may be too much depending on the construction of the doors in which case you might want to look at reducing the width of the lining slightly - fiddly but doable. Failing that I would have thought that you could buy some beautiful high quality internal oak French doors that actually fit for less than the cost of widening the opening and making good afterwards.
     
  3. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Thanks. Have been looking on eBay, Gum Tree and elsewhere but exact size not found. Each door exactly 74cm and 75cm wide, 197cm high. Seems not standard. These are perfect style though and only £75.

    I think they can absorb 10mm trim. But as alternative, would thinner lining be functional? I realise needs to be thicker if only plasterboard, but thought ok if solid walls to take longer screws?

    Thanks again
     
  4. Mr Rusty

    Mr Rusty Screwfix Select

    I'd be very surprised if the doors won't stand 10mm off the width and 7mm of the height, however you will need someone with the right tools to fit. Also, it may be the opening isn't perfectly square so adjustment will be required to the trimming. It doesn't really matter if the wall is partition or solid - if it is partition there will still be a stud upright just inside the lining to take fixings. You could install a slightly thinner lining to gain the extra 10mm (or some of it) either side, but that's much more of a fiddly job.

    I'd find a local reliable chippy and pay him to fit. You'll get a good job and everyone will be happy, and you'll soon forget you had to pay for a days work when you look at your nice doors :)
     
  5. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Thanks both for your advice. I am looking for a chippy. How many hours would you estimate for the door-trimming approach?
     
  6. Mr Rusty

    Mr Rusty Screwfix Select

    IMO It's a days work to make a really nice job - set-up gear, trim door, test fit, trim again, cut the hinge pockets and for door furniture (latches, bolts), fit, tweak, clean up, have a brew. OK, you could prob do it in a bit less than a day, but you have beautiful high quality doors, so don't scrimp on a rushed job! Fitting paired doors neatly takes a bit more care than just a single, particularly if there is any out-of-squareness. In any case, it has to be worth while doing the job - ball park £200, maybe a bit more/less depending where you are is what I would expect to pay. If you plan to pay peanuts expect to get monkeys!
     
    WillyEckerslike likes this.
  7. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Yes, understood! Thanks again
     
  8. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    My only concern about the 10mm off the width is that it's all coming off one side. It should be fine but worth a bit of checking beforehand just in case.
     
  9. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Here are some pics of the doors, including the sides seen from top end. The rebate depth where the doors close together is about 11mm.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    It doesn't look like there's anything left in the rebates. Do you have similar pictures for the hinged sides of the doors?
    Edit: P.S. The turn bolts would also present a challenge as one or both of them would need to be moved to accommodate shortening the doors.
    Edit #2: I don't know why but it never occurred to me that the doors already had all the fittings/furniture. On that basis it may be better to look at changing the linings especially as you've already removed the architrave.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
  11. Mr Rusty

    Mr Rusty Screwfix Select

    Aha - now we see the pictures! Having existing hinges and bolts doesn't actually make the job any easier! if anything it makes it slightly trickier having to line up new and old. Also, it looks like your door lining is quite chunky, and a slightly thinner lining would be fine. An easy job for a decent chippy. If it was me doing it, looking at the pix now, I'd put a new lining in more suited to the door size. It looks like there is enough space to fit it and square it up with adjustable packing so that the new lining is perfectly square and true. A new lining will also mean there will be no issue with existing hinge pockets in the old lining which certainly won't line up with the existing hinges on the replacement doors! New lining, fit the doors, new architraves and jobs a good'un.

    They are actually not solid oak - you can see the veneer in pic #2 (nothing particularly wrong with that), but won't take too much trimming before the core, whatever it is, gets exposed. As you've already removed the architrave, swapping the lining out is no big deal. If it's going to be painted white then an ordinary whitewood/redwood lining will be fine.

    It's still a days work, but the new lining won't cost much.

    EDIT - WillyE and me on the same page here!
     
  12. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Thanks guys. I showed the rebate only as as an indication of depth of the trim. Same trim on hinge side - see attached.

    No, not solid oak through, I suspect. But they are MUCH heavier than other engineered oak doors I have, so something solid in there :)

    Maybe a lining swap then - as long as the walls take the load instead of the lining I presume?
     

    Attached Files:

  13. ginger tuffs

    ginger tuffs Screwfix Select

    the only way is fit doors to new linning then alter opening to suit
     
  14. Mr Rusty

    Mr Rusty Screwfix Select

    they do - they will. No worries. @ginger T - the doors are only 10mm ea side oversize - the brickwork opening won't need altering, just a slightly thinner lining.
     
  15. Chippy mick

    Chippy mick Member

    I've trimmed oak veneered doors past the lipping before then sanded to a really smooth finish then used the iron on edging then put a dab of gorilla glue in the holes for the hinges. You'd never know
     
  16. ginger tuffs

    ginger tuffs Screwfix Select

    yes agreed but old doors need extra space to adjust frame to doors
     
  17. PaulusPigus

    PaulusPigus New Member

    Thanks all! Will get to it ths weekend and let you know. Fingers crossed :)
     
  18. mr moose

    mr moose Screwfix Select

    Personally I would trim the doors, there is plenty there to play with.
     

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