I am in the process of building a small ( 7' 2" x 10' ) storage shed in the back yard. I have some old french doors that I want to use on the shed and I was planning to remove 3" from the bottom of the doors prior to putting them on the shed. Will this affect the structural integrity of the doors? The french doors are 79" tall and each door is 2' 6" wide (combined width of 5'). The rails and stiles are solid wood and the windows are single pane.

My other question is regarding what header size to use for the french doors. Would a pair of doubled 2 x 6 's be strong enough or would it be better to use 2 x 8 's?

 

I would think a 2x6 header would be sufficient especially since it's just a shed.

3" is a lot to trim off of any door! Are these interior or exterior doors? If interior - what type of finish is on them? The elements won't be kind to an interior door! I've never trimmed that much off a solid wood door before. Wait and see what the others say but if you do cut off the bottom [or top] be sure to fill any voids and apply a coat or two of oil base primer to the raw cut.

 

My concern is the same as Marksr's. If interior doors, how well will they withstand the weather? Cutting off 3" won't make them unusable, but may tend to allow them to rack when opened more than if they were full sized. How do you intend to deal with the threshold? Water will scoot under interior door units, so you may have to install a threshold under the frame before you install it.

 

Before I got too involved with cutting them I would advise you to make sure they are solid. The edge may be a solid piece but the door, especially interior doors made in the last century+, are usually a veneer laminated over a stave core. The laminating was done with glues that are not necessarily water resistant.

If the door is fairly well protected and well painted on ALL edges then it could perform ok for an extended period but I would make sure of the "protected" qualifier I stated earlier.

Cutting the 3" off the bottom could get you into the area where the joint is and you will potentially weaken the structure. A door like you have is probably using dowels to join the rails to the stiles. If there are 4 dowels in the joint and you cut away 1 you are ok but if cut 2 that may present issues. After you cut the bottom I would try to work some glue into the joint. Perhaps even tap the joint slightly apart to create a larger gap for the glue to get into. Use something like title bond 2 or 3 and after you get it in draw the stiles and rails back together and clamp overnight.

 

I am inclined to think that it would be safer to cut 1.5" off both the top and bottom rather than going for the whole thing off of just one side. You will have a better success rate given some of what others have expressed as their concerns.

Why the short opening, if you are building from scratch, can you not adjust the building to accommodate full size doors?

 

How high is the bottom rail? How much wood will remain if you cut off 3 inches?

 

@marksr I agree, the doors aren't that heavy, I'm going to go with doubled 2x6 's for the header.

@Wirepuller38 The bottom rail is 8-1/2" high so removing 3" would leave 5-1/2" (the top rail is 4" high).

@chandler The doors are exterior doors, originally from my parents house (built in 1954). I am planning to install a threshold under the door.

@czizzi The original plan was to build the shed around the french doors. Then concerns were raised (by another family member) about the aesthetics of the shed regarding the height of the wall on a shed that's only 7' 2" wide on the gable end. The other concern is that I don't want to exceed the cities 12' height limit on sheds/outbuildings.

@calvert I agree that taking 5" off is risky and may cause structural problems down the road, if not immediately.

After reading everyone's responses I've decided not to shorten the doors. Having a shed with tall walls and functioning doors is preferable to a shed with short walls and non-functioning doors. Thanks to everyone for the responses!

 

Agreed. Lower the pitch of the roof if possible to stay in the confines of the ordinances. I think we were under the impression the shed was already completed except the doors. Good choice.

 

The header isn't so much for the gap or weight of the doors as it is to carry the load above the opening.

After you've installed/fitted the doors you need to take them down and seal the tops/bottoms to make sure they can't absorb moisture. This may have been done previously but it's still a good idea to double check or even apply a fresh coat of paint/poly to the edges.

 

@marksr Thanks for the advice. I am planning to repaint and seal the tops and bottoms of the doors. The doors were in use from 1954 - 2006 before they were replaced with a set of double-pane french doors. With proper upkeep I figure the old ones will be good for at least another 52 years .

 

If you cut the doors, you might find voids where the pieces were put together - I generally fill those with caulking.