Not sure which size door to buy

[holman210]

Hello

I need to replace all my interior doors. At present I have doors which look like they were all made on site to fit the frames. Not one of my door frames are the same size. To start off with im doing the Living room door first which currently it too high and not wide enough.

The question is, I need a door 762 x 1960mm but cant seem to find any 1960mm tall. They all seems to be 1981mm. I know you cut them back but is it possible to take this much off? 21mm?

I tried trimming the current door to fit properly but its such a bad fit I couldnt trim enough off without hitting metal pins in the wood holding the door together

Thanks

 

[misterhelpful]

1981x762 is the most common size of standard doors.

If you are using hollow doors, it is recommended not to trim more than 6mm off any edge. This is because the outer framework is generally about 25mm down the sides and 30mm top and bottom. Excessive trimming of this will weaken the door. However, you can usually get away with trimming a bit more than 6mm off the top and bottom, so your 21mm overall requirement should be fine providing you take equal amounts off each end, but as you know, running into the framing staples can be a problem.
If you need to trim any more, then you are likely to need to replace the top and/or bottom timber strips to keep the doors structural integrity. This is not difficult, as you can just remove what is left of the original strip/s (if any) after cutting, and glue a new piece in place.
Fire doors need to be re-fitted with fire stripping. (I don't know much about the details of that.)

Hollow doors have a lock block fitted on one side only so that you can fit the latch and handle. Before trimming the door, check the top edge to see which side is marked 'lock' so you get it on the right side.

The simplest way to avoid problems with trimming is to use solid doors, most of which can usually be trimmed by a lot more than hollow ones.

There's lots of info on door sizes and types & trimming and fitting tips here:
http://www.simplifydiy.com/windows-and-doors/doors/door-sizes