Narrower Doors for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCXLIV

Using a saw guide

Face it: there must be about a bazillion websites out there that offer do-it-yourself instructions, a lot of them written by professionals who want to help out amateur DIYers. So why would anyone who wants to know "How to Cut Down the Width of a Door" look to a freelance writer with a BA in English, in particular freelancers who – like Hunker.com contributor Andrea Stein – clearly have no idea what they're talking about? Yet there she is, bold as brass, spreading her personal version of dumbassery around the internet...

In fact, trimming a door to width is a fairly uncommon project; uncommon enough that no one here at AN headquarters has ever had to take it on. Some have had to re-stile a door to fit in an shorter opening, but width? Even the ones who've lived in 19th-century Victorians haven't ever had to try that; so it's a safe bet that some office worker from Chicago hasn't tried it. Stein didn't even know why a DIYer might need to trim a door to width, merely saying that,

"Installing a door may seem like a straightforward process, but if the door does not fit precisely into the door frame, then a little extra work may be involved. Trimming the door may require reducing the door's width..."

Given that modern doors are available in standard sizes (not to mention pre-hung), it's unlikely that the average suburban homeowner will need to do so. If you do, however, you don't want to follow Andrea's instructions, not least because she left out a step. Oh, and she also doesn't know how to use the tools she specifies. Here's what we mean:

• Andrea says to measure the door frame and "Subtract 1/4 inch from both the height and width." We have no problem with that.
• Next, you "Mark the measurements on the door to determine how much width must be trimmed from the door..." She didn't say so, but you should trim half the width off each side if it's more and, say, ¼ inch. In fact, that's what her reference says.
• When marking, Stein says to, "Tape over the marked lines with painter's tape." OK, we'll buy that, but her next step is bogus: "Score a line down each side of the door by running the utility knife down the edge of the tape." No, Andrea, you score the cut line, not the "edge of the tape"!
• And finally, Andrea demonstrates utter ignorance of power tools, telling her readers to, "Switch on the circular saw and move the door forward to help the saw blade cut through the wood."

Now we ask you, do you really want instructions for this job written by someone who thinks you "move the door forward" when using a circular saw? Hell, the woman's reference CLEARLY said to use a cutting guide... and to move the saw, not the door.

We don't know about you, but if we ever need to trim a door to width, we want better instructions than those written by a twelve-time Dumbass of the Day recipient... you know, like Andrea.

DDIY - DOORS