Q&A for How to Plane a Door

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  • Question
    Can a hollow core interior door be cut at the bottom so that I can put new vinyl over existing vinyl? How much can be cut at the bottom?
    Community Answer
    20mm.
  • Question
    How do I hold a door to plane the sides?
    Community Answer
    You can either buy a door stand (e.g. Trend Adjustable Door Stand) or create your own jig using off-cut timber.
  • Question
    I have a non-wood door that needs to be planed for my new flooring to fit. How would I do that?
    Ashton Gilmore
    Community Answer
    It greatly depends on the type of door. If it is a metal or fiberglass, I'm afraid you are out of luck. Some types may be able to be sanded down. However, never use a plane on anything except wood.
  • Question
    Is it best to plane the hinge or lock side of a hollow-core door?
    SGrosjean
    Community Answer
    It can be very risky to plane a hollow-core door, since you could very easily plane all the way through the wood. If you are trying to get a hollow-core door to fit better, it may be best to sand down the wood on the jamb, rather than the door.
  • Question
    Can you plane a hollow core door?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    Most hollow core doors have a small section of solid wood at the top and bottom of the door, so you can shave off a small bit to help the door close properly. Remove the door from the hinges with a screwdriver. Take a plane and use smooth, light strokes as you run it across the wood. Don't press hard and focus on removing only small amounts at a time. After each stroke, open and close the door to see if the door is still sticking. If it is, take it back off and continue planing. If it isn't, that's great! All you need to do is add some finish to the part that you removed so it's sealed.
  • Question
    How do you adjust a door rub?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    One way is to plane the door, which means you shave off part of the door so it doesn't rub or stick. You'll need to remove the door, which you can do by removing the pin in the hinge, if your door has a removable one, or by unscrewing the hinge from the door. Plane the edges of the door by working your way from the outside edge toward the center. Don't press hard and focus on removing only small amounts at a time. After you shave some off, put the door back in the jamb to see if it fits. If it doesn't, remove it again and add some wood finish to seal the section you removed and then re-install your door.
  • Question
    What tool do you use to shave a door?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    It's called a "plane." It's a tool that requires muscle power to run a blade over wood to shave it down and smooth it out. They have a smooth bottom surface with a blade at one end. There are a few different versions, but the most common is called a bench plane and is held with 2 hands. There's also a block plane, which is a smaller version that you use with 1 hand and works great to shave down small areas on a door. There are also a wide variety of specialty planes that will work for planing a door.
  • Question
    How do I hold and plane the door to shave the bottom?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Rest the bottom section of the door on top of a sawhorse or something similar.
  • Question
    Do l need a permit to build plaster board wall?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Check with your local building inspector. Rules vary from one jurisdiction to the next.
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