There is a variety of problems that can occur when you end up installing doors at the wrong height. For instance, wrong measurements often result in you wasting money and time. In case you’re wondering how much space should be there between your carpet and the door, you are in the right place. Continue reading for the answer.
Here’s how High it Should Door Be Above the Carpet
Typically, a gap of about two inches between an unfinished floor and an interior door is essential. Over a finished floor, there is usually a gap of ½ or ¾ inches. This variation solely depends on the type of flooring you have.
For instance, half an inch of gap between the carpet and the bottom of the door will prevent the door from catching up on the carpet and wearing it down. In the case of an exterior door, however, there should be no gaps at all. This is important in order to prevent rain, snow, bugs, etc., from entering the house.
How Much Gap Is Needed Around A Door For Carpet?
Depending on how thick a pre-hung door is, you will need to ensure a gap of ½ to ¾ inch at the bottom of the door. This prevents it from snagging on the carpet as doors rubbing against carpets often result in wearing down. Talking about clearance around the door for a carpet, a gap of 2 mm is ideal, but going beyond to about 5 mm can prove helpful later on.
Should Carpet Touch The Door?
Installing doors at the wrong height wastes time, money, and resources, as you will definitely need to fix it at some point. This is why it is important to take the correct measurements and follow the standard rules to avoid consequences.
A clearance gap at the bottom of a door is essential, as it allows airflow even when the door is closed. This gap will not just let in outside air for ventilation, but it also serves the purpose of a return air duct.
While the gap is important for the comfort of your house, it holds the same value for carpeted floors. The door will catch on the carpet as it swings open and shut. This results in wear and tear and might even make holes form in the carpet.
The door can rip off the pile of the carpet, depending on the area it rubs against. Not to mention, the tear will be even more if the carpet type uses a looped pile (example: Berber carpet) as the door will rub against and snag on the top fibers.
The wear and tear of the carpet will also depend on the usage of the door to some extent. For instance, the door is likely to cause more damage if it is opened and closed too often.
How Do You Keep A Door From Catching Up On The Carpet?
If you notice that the issue is developing with the passage of time, try tightening the screws on the hinge cylinder of the door. It is likely that the screws turn with the movement of the door.
In case you’re planning to place a carpet under an already-hung door, you may need to sand the bottom. You can use sandpaper or a hand planer to slightly plane the bottom of the door. And if you need to create more gaps, you can also remove and trim a few millimeters.
How To Adjust Doors For Carpet?
Most times, the clearance height at the bottom during door installation is ½ an inch or less. Whether your door was installed to fit tiles, linoleum, or hardwood, this gap is not sufficient when you use a carpet covering on your floor.
While your door may swing perfectly while opening or shutting, it is very likely to rub or scrape against the carpet. Usually, this will result in wearing down the carpet’s quality as well as appearance. For instance, you may start noticing holes or slight discoloration on the carpets wherever the door passes.
To avoid this, you can trim the bottom of your door with the help of a crosscut blade, and table saw. Here is how:
Removing the Door
To remove the door, find the hinge cylinder and use a nail and place its tip vertically at the hinge cylinder’s bottom. Tap the pin at its bottom so that it rises upwards. This will allow you to grasp it so you can twist and pull the pin out of the hinge. Repeating the same step with all the pins will ensure that the door easily comes out.
Preparation
Use two sawhorses to place the removed door across them. You can use a screwdriver to remove the knob from the door and then stick masking tape along both sides. The strip of the tape should be right in the center, half an inch away from the bottom. Passing the blade through these strips of masking tape will prevent splintering during the trimming process.
Setup
Grab your crosscut blade and install it on your table saw. Make sure to install your blade at the height of 1/2, and ¾ inches from the highest tooth of the table saw to the part where the blade comes out from it. Now it’s time to set the fence about half an inch away from the blade’s right side.
Then, lock it. Once locked, use a push stick (preferably ½ inch thick) to the right side of the fence. Installing a push stick will keep you safe as it ensures that your hands don’t go too close to the blade.
Procedure
Typically, you will only need to trim about half an inch of the door from the bottom. However, you can also trim up to ¾ if you feel it is necessary. Make sure to not cut more than ¾ inch as the door will separate from the frame.
You will need to tightly place the door against the fence of the table saw. You’re doing it right if the hinge cylinders are facing upwards. At this point, you will also need another person to hold the door from the top.
Now switch on the saw and start pushing it forward in the crosscut blade. Make sure you’re using both your hands to hold the edge of the door while the other person guides its outside edge. You must grab the push stick once the door is halfway through it and place it on the blade’s right. Do not stop until you see the blade coming out from the back of the door.
Finishing Off
Once you’re done, remove the tape as the first step of finishing off. Then, use sandpaper of around 180 grits and fold it before sanding the edges of the door and rounding them. You can use a stain marker to color the trimmed edge of the door. To reseal it, you must spray the bottom and edges using an aerosol lacquer spray. Now you can put back the doorknob and hand the door back again. This will be a simple reverse process of how you removed it from the frame.
Key Takeaways
Ideally, there should be a gap of ½ or ¾ inch between the bottom of the door and your carpet or any other floor covering. This is critical to prevent the carpet from wearing off at the site where the door rubs against it. To extend the gap, you can remove the door from its frame and trim it using a blade and table saw.
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