Can you shorten a steel entrance door?

DonS · Oct 30, 2006

I'm just not sure of the construction of a steel/metal door. I have the tools to cut it, but not sure how to replace/repair the cut opening. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience for making such a modification? Can the part of the door that you cut off (top or bottom) be reworked so that it fits back inside the cut end so that its sealed?

texasjohn · Oct 30, 2006

Need more info... is this a roll-up door, sliding door, walk door... a photo might help.

If it's a walk door... I'll tell you what little I know.. I went dumpster diving in an area where new houses were being built. Found 6 doors that were being thrown away... I think the lady of the house wanted more fancy doors. One was the right width for my busted barn walk door, but too tall by about .5 inch. I cut .5 off of the bottom with a skill saw and carbide blade. WEAR GOGGLES, bits of metal fly everywhere

The metal is very thin. I do not plan to pretty up the door... it's in my barn... I'm going to leave it as is with no weather stripping on it, anywhere.

The door was metal clad. The inside looked like HDB. The latching edge had a strip of what looked like pine with a metal covering, if I recall correctly. I see no way to successfully reattach the bottom. My door was not hollow, but filled with stuff...hdb or insulation... heavy door. The only way I can think of to do it would be to cut two slices out. Throw the one with two cut sides away and glue the other back in place with silicone caulking. However, the cut will show.

DonS · Oct 31, 2006

Hi John, The door is a walk door its going into a basement from the outside. I haven't bought it yet because I'm not sure if it can be done. Home Depot can special order one but there $250-$270 and I need two of them. A normal steel door is just a little over a $100.

goaliedad · Oct 31, 2006

How much do you have to cut off? I had to trim about 3/8 inch off one- pulled the weather seal off and cut it. there was a wood filler that was deep enough that I just tacked the weather strip back on. Different doors, different construction.

good luck

MarkV · Oct 31, 2006

I think it will be a matter of how the door is constructed. Some metal doors have a wooden edge running the perimeter of the door to support hinges and lock sets. Others are just filled with ridged foam and reinforced with extra metal for the stress points. I’ve cut the ones with an interior wood edge and then added weather stripping to the bottom after sealing the wood. If foam filled you could cut out some of the foam and glue in a piece of wood cut to size so weather stripping could be attached.

How about an e-mail to the manufacture and see what they have to say.

MarkV

RonMar · Oct 31, 2006

I have areally short house and have had to shorten some doors. I have only had to do one metal walk-in door and I did it basically like MarkV described. The door I had was a wooden perimeter frame, foam filling and metal skin. I had to remove the same amount from the door as the perimeter wood frame(about 2"). I cut it off from the bottom with a sawsall and a metal blade. I then removed the skin from the piece I cut off and trimmed the original bottom wood frame crosspiece to fit up inside the door again after I removed enough of the foam. I made it a tight fit between the upright wooden frames(had to use a rubber mallet to drive it in) and I glued it into place just like it was originally. I then re-applied the original weatherstripping assembly to the bottom. This was a pre-hung/pre-framed door. From the frame I removed the threshold assembly and cut off the same ammount from the bottom of the frame uprights and reattached the threshold piece. Took me about an hour to complete and when I was done, it looked as if the door had come from the box store that way.

DonS · Oct 31, 2006

One door needs 7" taken off. I was thinking about getting it with a dead bolt hole so the knob would be higher then plug the other hole. The other door needs 2 1/2" removed. These are good tips. Thanks

Dargo · Oct 31, 2006

DonS said:
One door needs 7" taken off. I was thinking about getting it with a dead bolt hole so the knob would be higher then plug the other hole. The other door needs 2 1/2" removed. These are good tips. Thanks

I'm a big "make it fit" kind of person, but I think I'd have to bite the bullet on this one and just order the doors to fit. But, on further thought, if you are by chance retired and just want a project that will keep you occupied for a few days...

EddieWalker · Nov 1, 2006

I've never done a metal door before, just lots and lots of interior doors. The thing I'd be concerned about would be sealing it up again. Because water will splash up in all directions and becuase it will never stop trying to get into your door for all eternity, I'd cut the top part if I was to try this. The top of the door will be protected by the frame and it's on the inside, which is less likely to get any weather.

Eddie

EddieWalker · Nov 1, 2006

I've never done a metal door before, just lots and lots of interior doors. The thing I'd be concerned about would be sealing it up again. Because water will splash up in all directions and becuase it will never stop trying to get into your door for all eternity, I'd cut the top part if I was to try this. The top of the door will be protected by the frame and it's on the inside, which is less likely to get any weather.

Eddie