One of the most irritating and damaging issues in a household is a door that rubs the floor when opened or closed. In order to fix this kind of problem, most people simply tighten the screws in order to secure the door in place.
However, it is natural for the screws to loosen up due to frequent use. This can result to the door hanging off the screws and rub itself on the floor. In the event that tightening the screws do not address the issue, you will need to remove the whole door and sand the bottom in order to have an ample amount of clearance.
You Will Need
- Belt sander
- Carpenter’s compass or a piece of wood
- Clamps
- Screwdriver
- Workbench
- 50-, 80- and 120-grit sandpaper
- Hammer (Optional)
Steps
- Make a line that will serve as your guide or reference when sanding. In order for you to create the reference line, you may use a carpenter’s compass if you have one readily available. In case you don’t own one, you can substitute for a piece of wood. When using a piece of wood, you need to determine how much clearance you want the door to have from the floor. The width of the piece of wood will be determined by the distance of the clearance.For example, if you are looking to have a half inch clearance on a door that measures 26 inches in width, you need to secure a piece of wood that is 36 inches long and .5 inches high. To create the reference line, place the piece of wood on the floor against the door that you will be working on and draw a line across it.
- For you to get the bottom of the door with ease, place it on a workbench, you may need to use a clamp to hold the door securely in place. This can help keep the door from moving while you are working on it.
- When sanding the door, you can use a sander belt for best results. However, you can still sand the door using traditional hand sanding if you do not have a belt sander readily available. When using a belt sander, start by using a 50-grit sandpaper. You will then need to switch to an 8-grit sandpaper when you are about a sixteenth of an inch away from the reference line that you have created earlier. As soon as you reach the reference line, switch over to a 120-grit sandpaper in order to get the best results.
- Another important tip that can be of good use to you is that you can rent a belt sander from a local hardware store if you do not own one or buying one is out of your budget range. Since most doors tend to be heavy and quite a challenge to hold when the screws are removed, ask someone to help you remove the door.