Trimming A Door

Robie

What's the correct way to do this?
I've put down a wood floor in an old Victorian pantry, which extends into a small landing, leading to the basement. The house has settled over the years and everything is pretty crooked. I have put down underlayment and the floor, but made the mistake of not measuring gaps at each end of the door before removing it. (I gutted the entire room and took the door off weeks ago)
My problem...getting a uniform gap at the bottom of the door the entire width of the door.
Any hints are welcome. Thanks.

__________________

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. ~Alan Simpson

Teetorbilt

How did you take the door down? Knock out the pins or unscrew the hinges?

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Robie

Took out two pins...

__________________

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. ~Alan Simpson

Teetorbilt

The easiest way is to build a square out of scrap the width of the door by about 24" high and check a few points throughout the entire swing of the door. Write down the highest and lowest points. Measure from the floor to the bottom of the hinge plate and subtract the amount of the gap that you want. Transfer that amount to the door, measuring from the bottom of the door hingeplate down. Put a strip of 2" painters tape across the bottom of the door and, using your new square, put a pencil line across the bottom of the door at the new height. This will give you the proper height at the hinge side. Use the measurements from when you checked the swing and adjust the lockset side accordingly. This will get you the proper height throughout the entire swing.

To get the gap perfectly equidistant to the floor in the closed position; Mount the door and use a pencil on a spacer block to transfer the exact angle and trim away.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Tom R

Another method.

Grab a straight-edge (your 4' level will work) at least as wide as the door opening, and a framing square. Hold them both together with the long leg of the square against the hinge-side of the jamb, and align the short leg with the straight edge (going across). Hold them both even with either the top or the bottom any hinge as a 'registration point'. Now make a co-inciding mark on the opposite jamb. Now take your square and straight-edge to the door to the same (hinge) registration point and straight-edge across (square off the hinge-side of the door), and make a mark at the end. Now you have a place (on each side) to measure from.

Now just measure down from your jamb-marks to your new floor, - - subtract your desired gap (usually 3/4" - 1"), and simply measure desired distance down from each co-inciding mark on each side of your door.

Straight-edge a line across and cut . . .

__________________
http://www.tr-built.com

Mike Finley

I must be reading this wrong. Did the line of the level of the floor change or did it just go up uniformly across it's surface? Can't you just cut the bottom of the door the thickness of the finished flooring? Just measure off the hinge on both the jam and the door. I must be missing something.

maj

I believe the door was not straight with floor to begin with.

__________________
The views expressed in this post are merely opinions of named poster and in no way shall be deemed meaningful by members of the herd. By no means does anything posted by named poster mean a damn thing for anyone else partaking in this thread.

Nick H

Thats OK if you know the door had a uniform gap to start with, if you cant get the door back on you cant be sure.
Also, if your floors are really "p*ssed" you cant always get a uniform gap underneath as the lockside can bind on a rising floor. I reckon you should take of just enough to get the door on and then go from there, taking a few goes to get it right. If you try to measure it and do it in one go, and get it wrong, well I suppose you could glue it back on. LOL

__________________
Dont give me problems, give me solutions.

Tom R

I believe it'd be pretty hard to get it wrong with the method I gave.

The whole purpose of this method is to avoid having to both cut and hang the door twice.

Confidence, - - have confidence . . .

__________________
http://www.tr-built.com

Mike Finley

Got it. I knew it couldn't have been as simple as it sounded.

Greg Di

That method makes sense to me.

What would've made more sense to me was to remove the jambs during your demo phase and reset them properly (plumb/level) and then cut the door straight across the bottom using a scribing technique.

But...I run into more f-d up things than normal things, so I can see myself posting your question too.

Robie

Thanks guys!

__________________

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. ~Alan Simpson

Nick H

Tom, make sure you remember that the next time you get it wrong

__________________
Dont give me problems, give me solutions.

Tom R

Impossible, - - my confidence stems from getting it wrong so many times already!!

__________________
http://www.tr-built.com

ELM

Ya know,

I really wouldn't be critical on a question like this except you people have been exceptionally critical on any post I have written. Ya gotta be kiddin me? Must be why the header says, " gee, you haven't posted for a while", when I log in.
Bottom line...lurk and gleen.

Tom R

Umm, - - not sure what you're talking about, - - but, uh, OK . . .

__________________
http://www.tr-built.com

ELM

sorry,

Too many beers, and the wrong damn forum.

Tom R

Too funny, ELM . . .

__________________
http://www.tr-built.com

maj

Could this be why ELM ?...............

__________________
The views expressed in this post are merely opinions of named poster and in no way shall be deemed meaningful by members of the herd. By no means does anything posted by named poster mean a damn thing for anyone else partaking in this thread.

Robie

Thanks again for the help. This couldn't have been any easier. I ended up using my Bosch Miter Master and placed one leg on the hinge side of the jamb and the other on the floor. Measured from the floor to the bottom of the hinge, subtracted 1/2" for clearance. Took the angle from the Miter Master and cut the door. Perfect!

__________________

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. ~Alan Simpson