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Can I trim hollow core internal doors?

We would like to replace all internal doors in our house that was built in the 50's. The only issue is that nothing in this house is of a standard size! The door frame height seems to be ranging from 2020 - 2030 and I was wondering if it is even possible to trim hollow core doors at all? Or do we have to go for custom sized doors which are a lot more expensive?

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JDE

Monamona Once had to do this although it was to make an even shorter door. I just cut it to length at the bottom took the horizontal piece of wood from the offcut clamped and glued it back in with a couple of brads each side and aquadhere. Make sure to seal it (paint the bottom of the door) so moisture doesnt get in and cause sweling later.

JDE

Yorky88

Hey @monamona yes you can but it does depend on how much you need to cut off I generally just use an electric plain to customise a standard door to fit where I need it to go

MitchellMc

Hi @monamona,

I thought I would stop by to welcome you to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great to see you've received helpful replies from both @JDE and @Yorky88 and many thanks for your question.

You'll most likely be using doors which are 2040mm high. If you need to take off more than 10mm I'd recommend splitting the difference between the top and bottom. There are strips of timber around the perimeter of the door and cardboard in the interior. When splitting the difference it ensures the structural stability of the door is maintained and that you don't go completely through the strip of solid timber. As @JDE mentioned if you need to take off more than the thickness of the strip of timber you can simply cut and reposition it.

We look forward to hearing more about your project and would encourage you to let us know if you need further assistance or would like to share your efforts with the community.

Mitchell

garykemble

Hi @MitchellMc

I have a similar situation but I need to trim the sides of the door by 10mm. Can I use the same approach?

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @garykemble. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about re-sizing a door.

Removing 5mm from both sides of the door would be within acceptable tolerances of most manufacturers. I believe you'd be fine doing so. If you mean removing 10mm from each side, that's beginning to push the limits, and you should consider removing the side runners and moving them in the required depth instead of removing that much material from them.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

missedout

Some very good ideas - I've been missing for a month or so due to a bad fall which meant 3 different hospitals for a month.

missed out.

EricL

Hello @missedout

I'm sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you are feeling better and are on your way to a speedy recovery. Once you're ready to take on your next D.I.Y. project, make sure to post your progress. We'll be more than happy to provide advice and information.

Please take care.

Eric

missedout

Thank you. missedout,

sometimesDiyer

This is the thread I'm looking for. Just got an additional question on how much can be safely trim from each side?

I'm looking to replace an existing door that 807mm width and I'm looking at the following door with 820mm width:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/corinthian-2040-x-820-x-35mm-external-door-duracote-flush_p2024435

Is trimming 7mm on one side and 6mm on the other still be ok?

Thanks!

EricL

Hello @sometimesDiyer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your doors.

If I recall correctly, you can trim only 5mm from each side of the door. Please allow us to double check with our supplier. As soon as we have more information, we'll get back to you.

Thank you for your patience.

Eric

sometimesDiyer

Thanks for looking into my query Eric, and looking forward to hear back. And just in case the door from my link cannot trim by down to 7+6mm, I would like to hear if there are other door with bunning that can do it, honeycomb or hollow core to keep the door light. Thanks again!

EricL

Hello @sometimesDiyer

I've been in contact with the Corinthian customer service team, and they have confirmed that you can only trim 5mm all around. The Hume doors are are even more limited as you can only trim 3mm all around. I therefore suggest double checking your door sizes and ordering a custom sized door from the special orders desk. This will save you from having to trim the door in order for it to fit. The general steps are to choose an internal door that you like and ask the special orders team to make a quote for you to the size that you need.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

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