I have an 80" door in my basement that needs to be trimmed to fit a rough opening of about 34x77.5". I'm trying to match it with a single panel shaker style door that matches the rest of my house. I've found a door I like and thought I could trim the bottom 4 inches off, but I'm concerned that it's not recommended and that it might mess up the door knob height. Will I have to settle for a door slab without a pre-bored hole so that I can cut it to size and drill the hole afterward?
2 Answers
You're on the right track! Honestly, if you cut a pre-hung or pre-bored door too much, the knob ends up too low and it looks awkward. Adding filler back to the bottom can feel a bit flimsy. I’d suggest picking up a door slab without a pre-drilled hole, trim it down to fit perfectly, and drill the hole at the right height to match your other doors. It takes a little more work, but it'll look way better in the long run!
Trimming a hollow core door is definitely doable! Just make sure to cut it down and then reblock it with some glue. I've done it many times and it works just fine. But keep in mind, ideally, you should try to take a bit off the top and bottom to balance it out, like 2" from each side to hit that 4 inches.
Great, this is reassuring. Thank you very much!