Shorten Doors After New Flooring — Cut Down Doors That Rub
The flooring crew finished, the doors do not close anymore, and cutting them was not in their contract. We cut them down cleanly and hang them back the same day.
JMB Builders will fix doors that rub the new floor anywhere in the Twin Cities metro. We pull each door, mark the cut for the right clearance over your carpet, tile or LVP, score and cut the bottom cleanly without chipping the veneer, re-cap hollow-core doors when the cut removes the bottom rail, and re-hang them. Exterior doors get a threshold or sweep adjustment instead of a cut. Priced per door, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per door, whole-house rate for many
- Clean cuts, hollow-core doors re-capped
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
New carpet with a thick pad raises the floor a half inch or more. Tile over the old vinyl does the same. Even LVP on a new underlayment is enough to make a door that barely cleared before drag across the room. Flooring installers usually do not touch doors, so the job lands on the homeowner with a circular saw, and the result is a chipped, crooked bottom edge on every door in the house.
We do it on the sawhorses with the right blade. Each door comes off, the new floor height is marked from the jamb, and the cut line is set for the right clearance: more over carpet so the pile does not drag, less over a hard floor. The veneer is scored first so the cut is clean on both faces. On a hollow-core door, if the cut takes out the solid bottom rail, we cut the rail free of the waste, glue it back into the door and clamp it so the bottom is solid again. Then the door goes back on the hinges and gets checked at the latch.
What you supply
- Nothing for the cut itself; just the finished floor in place so we can measure from it
- Your paint or finish for the fresh bottom edge, if you want us to seal it (quoted as its own line)
- A new sweep for an exterior door if the old one is worn
What JMB supplies
- Doors removed, cut on sawhorses with a fine-tooth blade and a straightedge, and re-hung
- Veneer scored on both faces so the cut does not chip painted or stained doors
- Hollow-core bottom rail cut free and re-glued into the door when the cut removes it
- Threshold, sweep or weatherstrip adjustment on exterior doors instead of cutting the door
- Bifold and bypass closet doors trimmed and pivots or guides reset
- Latch and strike check after re-hanging so every door still closes
- Photos of the finished doors in your job folder
- Sealing or painting the cut edge when you want it done, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Hollow-core (may need re-capping) vs. solid-core or solid wood doors
- Amount to remove: a light trim vs. a cut that takes out the bottom rail
- Painted or prefinished doors that need a clean scored cut and touch-up on the edge
- Closet bifolds and bypass doors that also need pivots and guides reset
- Exterior doors that need a taller threshold or new sweep instead of a cut
- Number of doors in the same visit; whole-house after flooring is cheapest per door
Send a photo of one door closed showing where it rubs, and a count of how many doors are hollow-core, solid and closet doors.
How long it takes
Most doors: 20 to 30 minutes each including removal and re-hanging. A whole house after new flooring is usually a day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Hollow-core doors
Light and quick to cut, but the bottom rail is only an inch or so of solid wood. Cut past it and the door is open at the bottom. We cut the rail out of the scrap, clean the skins, glue and clamp the rail back in so the door is solid again.
Solid-core and solid wood doors
Solid all the way through, so any amount can come off. The veneer or paint still has to be scored to prevent chipping, and a heavy door goes back on the hinges with a second person.
Closet bifolds and bypass doors
Carpet makes bifolds drag; hard floors make bypass doors swing. We trim the panels and reset the bottom pivots or floor guides so they run right on the new floor.
Exterior doors
We do not cut an exterior door; it ruins the seal at the bottom. A new floor at an exterior door is handled with a taller threshold, an adjustable sill, or a new sweep so the door still seals against the cold.
Shorten Doors After New Flooring — Cut Down Doors That Rub: questions, answered
How much clearance should a door have over new carpet?
Enough that the door swings freely without brushing the pile, usually around three quarters of an inch to an inch over the carpet, more for a thick plush. Over a hard floor like LVP, tile or hardwood, about a half inch. A little more clearance also lets return air move under bedroom doors when the HVAC runs. We measure from the finished floor at the swing path, not just at the jamb, because floors are rarely level across a doorway.
Can a hollow-core door be cut down without ruining it?
Yes, with one extra step. The bottom of a hollow-core door has a solid wood rail, usually around an inch tall. If the cut removes less than that, nothing changes. If it removes more, the rail goes with the scrap and the door is hollow at the bottom. We cut the rail out of the waste piece, glue it back between the skins and clamp it. The door is solid at the bottom again and the cut edge takes paint or a sweep.
Why do my doors rub the floor after new flooring?
The floor got taller. Carpet with a new pad, tile over old vinyl, or LVP on underlayment all add height, and doors are hung with only a half inch or so of clearance to begin with. The fix is to take that height off the bottom of the door. Bifold and bypass closet doors are hit hardest because their bottom pivots and guides were set for the old floor.
Do you cut down exterior doors after new flooring?
No. Cutting an exterior door removes the bottom seal and lets cold and water in. If a new floor at an entry or garage door made the door tight, we raise the threshold, swap to an adjustable sill, or fit a different sweep. The door keeps its factory bottom and still seals.
Will the cut edge of a painted door look bad?
Not if it is scored first. We run a knife along the cut line on both faces so the paint or veneer breaks cleanly at the line instead of chipping ahead of the blade, then cut with a fine-tooth blade against a straightedge. The bottom edge is raw wood and it is under the door, so most people leave it; if you want it sealed we can do that on request.
Can you cut down all the doors in the house in one visit?
Yes, that is the usual job after a whole-house flooring install. We work room to room: door off, cut, re-hang, check the latch. Most homes are done in a day, including the closet doors. Tell us how many doors and what kind, and send one photo, and we quote the whole house per door.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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