I just finished replacing all of the interior doors in my home and ran into the problem that all of then door openings were 80 inches but when you buy a new door, the door itself is 80 inches. With these all being wood I simply cut off the difference at the bottom of the door and frame to make them fit. I am no ready to replace my entry doors and of course they only have 80 inch openings as well. I was hoping to purchase fiberglass doors but they would of course be too tall. Can fiberglass doors be cut down at the bottom or am I stuck with a wood door?

 

Are they fiberglass or hardboard(masonite). The one's you get at big box are hardboard. The short answer is, yes, you can trim them. But the bottom reinforcement is only about 1" thick, so you may have to salvage that and reinstall it. There are 78" doors available, but I assume you already have them installed??? Getting the reinforcement out can be a bit tricky but once you do it , it is easy. Run a sharp utility knife around the piece to get it loose. Knock it into the door or gently pry it out. After trimming the door, reinstall it with glue or adhesive caulk.

Hope this makes sense.

 

Bill...he was talking about entry doors. I'd guess someone is in a manufactured home?

 

Not a manufactured home. 1968 brick ranch home. I dont know what the deal is but all doors interior and exerior were cut to 80 inch openings not an 80 inch door. I am looking at actual fiberglass doors. Most likely benchmark/thermatru from lowes. Further thoughts?

 

Brick home = modular brick sizes - that's the main reason for 80".

Cutting a frp door is possile but it's an ugly process. All frp doors are NOT the same. Some are solid cast frp, some are a frp skin over a wood face over a foam core, and others are a high density frp skin over a foam core. First, you need to know what you're deailing with, and then how to cut and fix it properly. Otherwise it's an expensive mess. Order a custom size door for the opening, or find someone that carries modular brick sizes.

 

Title says entry, message body says interior. Anyway, I agree with the above that it can be done, but considerable care is needed. Might be better to let a door shop do it.

 

Actually both say entry. The message says I just finished replacing interior doors and had to cut them. I am now about to replace my entry doors and was wondering if they can be cut. Please read carefully before you criticize me. Anyways, thanks for the advice so far. The doors are expensive enough themseleves though I can't imagine how much it is going to cost to have a custom size. I still do not understand why all of my doors (interior and exeterior) are shorter then usuall. The ceilings are normal height.

 

Well, sometime back in the day..before my day, I heard that most doors were 78". Maybe we've gotten taller.

And JB wasn't criticizing..just stating what he read..got me the first time too.

Cut from the bottom...clean out the leftover foam if required (I'm sure thats what you'll find), either reinsert the composite reinforcement from the cut piece (not sure how you'd attach it)...may be tuff..or use an external sweep with plenty of silicone on the face of the door.

Of course you will need to cut the frame and re-attach the threshold as well.

I'd probably use a plywood/paneling blade for the smoothest cut, but it should be covered by the external mount sweep.

btw..this will definitely void any warranty on the door.