Change internal door, saw the opening

[snowjim]

Hi,

After having craftsmen replace 2 doors in the house, I am now aiming to try to replace the remaining 4 doors.

The craftsman installed 8x21 doors, which are 25 mm taller than the door opening. He cut it down with a jigsaw, but I know he cursed a lot over nails. He also had to drive in extra screws to keep the top plate in place after sawing.

So now that I'm going to take on this job, what do you think about using a reciprocating saw with a metal blade instead? Is there anything else one should consider when installing a door? Is a 60 cm level sufficient, or do I need to buy a larger one? And it is indeed frame screws that should be used and not nails, right?

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

We sawed the door down instead four doors in four hours without stress with demolition and assembly.

 

[snowjim]

You mean that you kept the old frame and only replaced the actual leaves by sawing them off at the bottom? In our case, the frames are from the 70s so they need to be replaced and also nothing matches when it comes to hinges or locks with what is available to buy now.

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

No complete doors so we also sawed down the frame

 

[Hajjen]

We sawed the door opening with a reciprocating saw using a wood/metal blade, worked perfectly. Suitable with frame screws, yes! Depending on the wall's construction, you might need to embed studs in the wall on the sides...

 

[Thomas_Blekinge]

A longer spirit level is useful. You can use it to check for levelness as well as check if the door frame side pieces are straight or if you have installed them crookedly with the frame screws.
If you have Swedoor frames, make sure to drill through the pre-drilled holes; otherwise, the frame screws will bottom out there and it will be incorrect.
Start with the side piece where the hinge is located. Then you can temporarily hang the door and straighten the other pieces so that the gap is even around the door.

 

[snowjim]

We cut the door at the bottom instead, four doors in four hours without stress with demolition and installation

Ah, that works too, but you have to make sure to get a nice cut when trimming the door. 2.5 cm isn't really that much. It's actually much easier to trim the frame and the door.

I'll have to think about this a bit.

 

[Jörgen Ö]

Yes, the normal procedure is to cut at the bottom of both the frame and the door leaf.
The best tool to cut the door leaf with is a plunge saw with a guide rail.

 

[Liteavvarje]

Yes, the normal procedure is to cut both the frame and the door leaf at the bottom.
The best way to cut the door leaf is with a plunge saw with a guide rail

And with a fine-toothed blade, a heck of a turn on it, then you'll get a nice cut.

 

[snowjim]

Or maybe one can get the hardware store to cut, they do have pretty good machines for that =D Otherwise, I have a circular saw with a straight edge that can probably get the job done, but how nice it turns out is another matter.

I'll think about it a bit, definitely sounds easier to saw off the frames and the door. Then I would also have avoided tackling the tiles in the bathroom.

 

[Bernieberg]

If they are modern doors with a frame filled with paper and then a board on the outside, you may need to insert a strip for support after you've sawed (i.e., if you saw off the entire bottom piece of the frame.

For someone else who is 203 cm tall, doors that have been cut down 25 mm lower than standard are a death trap

 

[hul]

Or maybe you can get the hardware store to cut it; they have pretty good machines for that =D Otherwise, I have a circular saw with a straightedge that can surely get the job done, but how nice it will be is another matter.

I have to think about it a bit; it definitely sounds easier to cut the frames and the door. Then I would also avoid having to deal with the tiles in the bathroom.

think a bit before you choose to cut the doors, what type of doors are they?
Solid?

 

[Andreas_kalmar]

It is fine to reuse the list that is on the door downstairs, just glue and tap it into place.

 

[snowjim]

They are cheap molded ones with mirrors.

 

[snowjim]

Have been thinking a bit now and the question is whether it might be better to cut it up and get the standard height. However, it turned out not to be 2.5 cm but 7.5 cm that needs to be cut up.

The question is, though, what to do with the toilet, as there are tiles on the inside, see here: http://i.imgur.com/szfGl2R.jpg

I suspect you can't just cut it with anything, so I'll probably have to remove 3 of them and find replacement tiles.