Cutting a fiberglass door

I just installed a new pre-hung fiberglass entry door, to go from my basement to the outside. I went with fiberglass due to the inclement weather we get year round. Before I bought the door I measured the old door and found it to be a 30", which, much to my dismay, meant I had to special order the door as, nobody carried that size for an entry door.

No problem, I went to Lowes and ordered a 30x80" door, but when I removed the old door I found that it was 79", not 80". I didn't want to rip out the walls and replace the header so I disassembled the top of the door frame and cut off an inch. It was a hassle but much less work than the alternative.

I didn't think cutting an inch off the top of the door would be a problem, as I thought it was wood around the perimiter, but I found out different and now I have exposed the foam core.

Does anybody know if this will be a problem for me sometime down the road?

Thanks...RC

 

Dig some foam out and bondo it??

 

did you try to fit the door into the rough opening before cutting it? most 80" doors only measure 79-1/4" to 79-1/2". but aside from that, you probably will have problems with the exposed foam. chances are, if the door were decent quality, it would have had a wooden rail across the top, between the fiberglass skins. normally, that would have to be removed and then re-inserted after the skins were cut. thats why when you order fiberglass (or even steel) doors at lesser heights, they cost around $75-100 more than a standard 6'-8" door. as it stands, unless you find some way to protect that foam, it will more than likely start to rot within a few months. good luck to you.

 

Yep, I tried to fit it...no go. Had I known I would have ordered it to fit, since I had to order it anyway, but now it's too late...the damage is done. I think I will go with Hellrazors suggestion on this one.

The door has wood on the sides, but when I cut off the top it appeared to be filled with bondo. I just didn't think about digging out the foam and filling with bondo. Now I just need to find some slooow setting bondo, with that much to fill.

I love the smell of bondo in the morning. lol

Thanks guys...RC

 

More hardner you put in bondo the faster it hardens. So adjust your mixture.

 

Right...thanks.