ddb had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...es-307769-.htm
:
OK...Let's make this simple. Having just cut down about 15 of these very
same doors (six panel hollow-core), from 80" cut down to as small as 76",
let me say this:

1) Any so-called contractor leaving open ends on a door is not a real
contractor. Don't pay them. Don't hire them. Don't let them on your
property.

2) If you're cutting the door down by 3/4 or less, you can cut the bottom.
Don't cut the top.

3) Contractors habitually don't cut the top because (a) if you've got a
pre-hung, you'll leave a gap, or (b) if it's a replacement slab (you're
just replacing an existing door and keeping the old jamb and stop) with no
hinge or handle cut outs, they'll measure top-down to get hinge placement
on the door vs. the ones they'll route or chisel out on your new door.
However, this isn't a hard-and-fast rule (see #4 below).

4) If you've got to cut down more than say 2 or 3 inches, and you feel
that the 'balance' between the door panels is too wacky from top to
bottom, you CAN cut the top and bottom. However, you're going to have to
chisel out a new hinge placement to ensure you don't leave a gap a the top
of the door. In the case where you're replacing existing doors, buy a
'slab' door with no hinges and handle cut outs, and buy an inexpensive
Irwin doorhandle/hinge install kit at Home Depot and a good, sharp, 1"
chisel. It worked perfect for me.

To cut down a hollow door more than 3/4" and make it right, this is what I
did:

* Measured the offset *carefully* on my circular saw to the outside of the
blade, in my case, 1 12/32".
* Clamped a straight-edge to the top or bottom of the door that I wanted
to cut. This was measured off at Offset + the amount I want to shorten the
door by.
* Cut the door with the circular saw. I ended up with a cut end with the
entire solid plug sandwiched between the veneers of the door.
* Used table saw to line up the plug to trim *just* the veneer off. Worked
awesome every time. I set it so I could literally peel the last bit of
veneer off about the thickness of a piece of paper, so I knew the plug was
perfect.
* Spread wood glue on inside of door where plug will go. Wipe with finger
to get even coat. Do the same on the door plug. Insert. Clamp for 30
minutes.

Done. I've done both bi-folds and interior doors with this method, and it
works awesome. I have a 1962 basement+main with original doors at 78",
plus a new basement reno that is 80" standard with a lower ceiling in my
laundry taking it down to 76".

PS: If you need to cut the door lengthways to trim it, use a table saw and
get a friend to help you handle it through. Don't use the circular saw
method for that ... too slow, and if it's not perfect, you'll notice the
tiniest imperfections lengthways, whereas at the top and bottom, you don't
notice any small stuff at all (like saw blade marks).

Your 'contractor' is an incompetent buffoon. Sorry...I've had one of those
too...who hasn't?

-------------------------------------
nnnnnnnnn wrote:


I just had a number of interior doors replaced in an old house that I am

having renovated. The door replacements were done to make all of the
interior doors in the house match instead of having mismatched door
styles
throughout the house. The original doors were 77" to 78"
high. I had the
doors replaced with inexpensive hollow core Masonite veneer 6-panel
door
slabs.

The replacement door slabs were 80 inches high, so they had to be cut.
But
the cuts meant that either the top or bottom ended up as just an open
hollow
space between the front and back veneers. Somehow that doesn't seem
right
to me. What do contractors normally do in this situation? Do they
really
just leave the top or bottom open like that? Do they try to fill in
the
space with a replacement filler piece?

When I search in stores and on the Internet, I can't seem to find
interior
door slabs that come in any size less than 80' high. Am I missing
something? Don't manufacturers sell hollow core doors that are
78" high so
that when they are cut a little shorter there is still a solid end
piece at
the top and bottom?

Is my only other option to use solid core replacement interior doors?
And,
if so, do they sell solid core interior replacement doors that are 78
inches
high?






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