Sand and round the corner of the door where you sanded it with 100-grit sandpaper attached to a hand block.

If you're experienced with them use them if you want. You can also splinter off little pieces by planing end grain improperly. This can sometimes be corrected by shimming one of the hinge mortises with thin pieces of cardboard. 7 Common Reasons Your Door Wont Open (and How to Fix It), Making an Entrance: Your Door Installation Cost Guide. Book about basic carpentry and furniture-making? Join 6,748 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. If you sand a bit too much off and go over the line, that's OK. Doors will eventually sag and stick as they age, usually once they reach the middle of their service life. With your 50-grit sanding belt, all you need to do is remove the excess wood with it. My first impulse was just to say "Umma _plane_? If so, retightening the screws might solve the problem. These two tools require more skill. This can come from poor installation of the door or door frame, swelling of the door or settling of the house, which causes frame alignment problems. This is a simple job that any handyperson can do.

Sometimes hinges will pull out at the screws and what is really needed is putty in the screwholes and re-hanging the door. Once youre about a sixteenth of an inch away from the scribe line, we recommend switching to an 80-grit belt so you can cleanly and thoroughly sand the actual line. Put the knob back on and hang the door normally. https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Powerful-82mm-Planer-240V---850W/p/141167, https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb673csw-165mm-plunge-saw-230-240v/9257j?_requestid=374229. Put some masking tape on it to keep the veneer from splintering too much and use a fine-toothed blade. Replacing your interior doors is an often-overlooked way to add some design appeal to your home. You then would need to readjusting the hinges as mentioned above. Here are some of the materials you may need for this project, and how much each of them costs: Electric hand plane (optional): $40$250. Also, it could leave a smoother finish on the bottom of the door. Whether you have home improvement projects or general home maintenance needs, you can count on us to deliver quality workmanship and superior customer service. Shaddy has also worked as a newspaper reporter and writer, and as a contributing writer for Bicycling Magazine. A rasp-type plane will often do the best job. Few things are more annoying for a homeowner than a door that sticks. But if you've never used them you can damage the door. However, it may cost as little as $15 if all you need is a manual hand planer, or as much as $550 if you want a high-end electric hand planer and also need to buy a new gallon of paint and stain. Regardless of the size of the job, we have a craftsman that can tackle it. As the side begins to sand away, watch the line until you have sanded the side of the door up to the line. The cost to hire a handyperson is $55 to $75 per hour, and it will take no more than an hour to do this job. Cutting hinge mortises slightly deeper with a wood chisel can also eliminate sticking at the latch side of the door. If it is hollow, you can always cut off the top cm, peel away the veneer from the edge piece, and then reinsert it into the door at the new edge with some wood glue to hold it in. Or you could use a small portable electric. If you're tired of pushing through (literally), the answer is to do what is known as "planing," which means to shave off a small portion of the bottom of the door to stop the sticking. If you decide to plane your door yourself, you'll spend between $70 and $280 if you use a manual hand plane, although the cost could be much lower than that if you already have paint as well as basic tools like a hammer and pliers. Start by scribing the door where it rubs against the jamb. Planing is usually the last resort, since it will mean touching up the planed area with a sealer or finish to match the door. All posts copyright their original authors. Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by EdSlocombe, Jul 5, 2018. Basically, the top part is a little too tall, probably 1 cm or so. Easy to make a mess with an electric plane if you haven't used one before. Wear safety glasses and breathing protection. Contrary to popular belief, the best tool to plane the door is a belt sander. It costs an average of $110 to plane a door, with a typical range of $70$150. A-Yes, as long as the septic-tank system is large enough to handle the extra load. Hold the belt sander horizontally on the side of the door. Regardless of the size of the job, we have a craftsman that can tackle it. Need professional help with your project? Start by checking the hinges to determine whether any screws are loose. While this design used to be popular in older homes, this isnt what youre trying to achieve here. Place a clamp on both ends of the door, clamping it securely to the sawhorses. I was taking off a lot more than 1 cm thoughthe inside edge piece was more like 2 or 3 cm wide so you might be ok just sawing through it. If it's been gradual, it also means the house has sunk and/or shifted but it's not as worrisome. Sand back and forth keeping the belt flat on the side of the door. At some point, the pencil will begin to draw a line on the door, transferring any angle on the door jamb to the side of the door. This makes varnishing less messy to do compared with using a brush. Turn it on and begin sanding parallel along the side of the door. It costs an average of $110 to plane a door, with a typical range of $70 to $150. Wut. If your door is touching or rubbing the frame at any point around the perimeter of the frame, chances are that the door or frame is not square. i've planed the top of a door with an electric planer and it worked fine for shaving a few mm off (though I did run into problems splintering the end pieces by going against the end grain. French doors: practical or just for show. Stop every few seconds to check if youre sanding squarely and not creating a beveled edge. Once youre done, all you need to do is to apply a wood stain or paint the sanded edge of the door. Separate the two arms by 1/8 inch and turn the wing nut at the top to lock it in place. Wipe a matching stain on the sanded area. Heres a tip: when youre varnishing the edge of the door, apply some polyurethane using a lint-free rag. The coarse texture of the belt removes wood quickly and youll usually end up with an even finish. We offer a wide range of services for that fresh look, or just maintenance or updates to keep your home functioning and safe. Specializing in hardwood furniture, trim carpentry, cabinets, home improvement and architectural millwork, Wade Shaddy has worked in homebuilding since 1972. Shave the door down slightly for a quick fix. However, I suspect you used a water-repellent sealer. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. (You must log in or sign up to reply here. What`s wrong? Remove the doorknob with the screwdriver. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. (Obviously, you won't need the whole gallon to repaint the bottom of the door, but you generally can't buy paint by the ounce.). Visit the Solution Center to Explore Articles. If you can scrape off all the paint, you can probably color the wood successfully with a combination stain and water repellent. Many water repellents contain wax, making them unsuitable as a base for paint. I think a cm is way too much to do with a planer though, or a sander. Its annoying to hear the cracks and snaps of the door, but its even more annoying trying to close it tightly. To plane the bottom, remove the door from the frame and lay it flat on sawhorses or a workbench. This is already an inexpensive project, but there are a few ways to cut costs even more. You should generally cut between 1/8-inch and 1 inch when planing a door. Use a carpenters compass for this to accurately determine where the door is actually rubbing against. In this case, your cost range is $95 to $480. Stay up to date with the latest home improvement trends. That might negate the need to get a planer at all! You might even have some of the materials at home already.. https://www.screwfix.com/p/bahco-244p-xt-hard-point-saw-22/8633h)? Belt sanders are far easier to control when shaving down doors. It usually pays to try a few other ways of repairing a door first, however. However, you could use a belt sander, which some believe is even better than a hand planer for planing a door. Technically, you can use an electric planer, but belt sanders are cheaper. Q-Our interior doors are of the plywood-covered, hollow-core type, and several are sticking badly. At this point, the pencil will not be touching the door. If the screws are loose because of enlarged holes, dip wooden matches or toothpicks in wood glue and force them into the holes, then let the glue dry. Finally, if youve already got a construction project going on, you could have the contractor take care of the door in the meantime. Making furniture from reclaimed materials. Photo: Javier Zayas Photography / Moment / Getty Images. If you do decide to plane it, you may want to take 1/2 from the top and 1/2 from the bottom, so you don't run into problems on a hollow door (especially if someone has already done it before). A hand plane will do it, but it can be tricky if you haven't ever used one, especially on the end of a door that has a combination of end grain and side grain. You could also go the electric hand plane route, which will make the job even easier, though at a higher price. Place the door across two sawhorses with the pencil line facing up. When planing a door, you run the risk of splintering it if you don't do it correctly. i wouldn't have that much patience. Slide the tip of the flat blade between the door jamb and the door. When working on end grain at the corners, plane toward the center of the door to avoid splitting the edge wood. A-Hollow-core doors have solid-wood frames several inches deep, and the edges can be planed moderately if necessary. We offer a wide range of services for that fresh look, or just maintenance or updates to keep your home functioning and safe. You can also use a hand-held power planer or a hand-held manual block plane to shave down a door. Enter a zip below and get matched to top-rated pros near you. If the sander tilts slightly when you have it flush on the side of the door, keep it tilted to maintain the angle. If measures such as these fail and it becomes clear that some wood must be removed from a point on the door, try sanding the high spot with the door still in place. For one thing, you can use a manual hand planer instead of an electric hand planer. A-Cuprinol is a brand name for a number of products, and I`m not sure which you used. It may cost as little as $15 or as much as $550. Did this suddenly happen? What's wrong with a good quality sharp hand saw (. Be sure to check the hinges as well, before you go hacking at the door. Another way to save is to use paint or stain you already have rather than buy a new gallon. Our craftsmen are here for you. Remove the door from the hinges using a screwdriver. In this post, Handyman Connection of Lincoln discusses how to fix a sticking and sagging door with a belt sander. Place the scribe tool at the point on the door -- either the top or bottom -- where there is the largest gap. Make the most of your home now more than ever! When solid doors stick this way, I know they can be removed and planed down, but can that be done with hollow-core doors? Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, Dark Canyon, in 2008. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. If the door still sticks at one or more specific points, it might simply be out of square in its frame. The results of the MetaFilter User Survey are in! i've done it and it works fine. Sand it right up to the line that you marked earlier, taking care not to sand into it. For example, if the door sticks at the bottom of the latch side-the most common sticking point-a shim behind the bottom hinge will sometimes lift or square the door enough to eliminate the problem. High spots on the top edge or latch edge of a door can often be planed with the door in place. Spray the area with two coats of aerosol lacquer to finish. Slide the scribe tool either up or down the door all the way. Doors should fit into frames without binding or sticking. 1 cm is a big shift. Some doors have a slight angle on the side. Q-I rebuilt our porch and laid a new wood floor, treating the floor boards on both sides with Cuprinol. Q-Can a garbage disposer be used in a home that has a septic-tank system? Trim off any excess wood and reset the screws. How to Attach Moulding to Dress Up the Doors of Kitchen Cabinets, How to Convert Sliding Bi-Fold Closet Doors to Hanging Closet Doors, How to Repair Damaged Wood on a Glass Door, How to clean a showerhead, according to an expert, How to Install a Closet Door in an Unsquare Frame. Start on the side with the doorknob. Call us today at (402) 867-6990 or fill out our form to learn more about our repair services. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. If youre feeling stuck, theres likely a quick fix, This is a straightforward project with two cost categories: materials and labor. Set the scribe tool to 1/8 inch. To sand the bottom of a door without removing it, put the sandpaper on the floor, grit side up, and pull the door back and forth across it. If you cut off more than that, you risk damaging the door. It has two small arms, one with a pencil and one with a flat blade. If so, I'd have the house looked at by an engineer, it's possible your house has sunk and/or shifted. Make sure to keep the sander moving to avoid grinding a hole in one spot. If you hire a handyperson to do it, they will usually charge $55$75 per hour. Mendel is right, doors don't just get "too tall" overnight, and for no good reason. But again, that is only if you also have to purchase a whole gallon of paint and stain too. Home Improvement: I have a door which isn't fitting into its frame. You can open up more space between the door and the floor by sanding the bottom of the door, but it will take longer compared to using a hand planer. The scribe tool resembles a compass. If adjusting the hinge doesnt work, what youll need to do is plane the door. An electric hand planer will save you a lot of work, but this is the most straightforward way to save money. I painted the wood, trying both oil and latex paint, but the paint won`t stick.

", but the other comments are definitely right that it's not necessarily that simple. The average cost of a door installation is $1,010. In that case, all you'd need to buy is the manual hand plane. The job is relatively simple, but it does require some skill. You can learn more about them. You dont want to risk damaging your door by winging it on your own! Is there a tool or method which will allow me to shave the top cm from the door? Especially if it's one of those lightweight kind of doors that's really two veneer panels with furring strips across the top and bottom, it may not be the best answer. Shut the door. If youre not confident sanding and planing your sticking and sagging doors, then let our experts at Handyman Connection of Lincoln do it for you. Handyman Connection 2022 | Privacy Policy. Any of the above can cause the door to rub or stick on the frame when opening or closing the door. You can reduce the cost of planing a door by using a manual hand planer or using paint you already have. While this is a project you could do yourself, we recommend having a local handyperson or general contractor near you do it instead. Once youve done your measurements, remove the door from its frame. ), put the door back up with just a couple of screws to see how little needs to be taken off the bottom of the door, cut the door, using my shiny new 14 saw, congratulate myself on a job done well, but more importantly, a job done simply and inexpensively.

Finally, switching to a 120-grit belt allows you to smooth the edge of the door.