Internal door rot repair
Discussion
Mave said:
anxious_ant said:
Mave said:
If you get a 1/2" router (you can pick up cheap mains ones from £50), you can use it to trim the bottom off the door as well. You can even use the old door as a guide if you offset it and clamp it to the new one...
Yes, I plan to use the old door as rough guide 
Never though about using the router to trim the bottom, should be more accurate than a jigsaw depending on how much I need taking off.
Do you have any recommendation of said routers?
I've browsed Wickes, Screwfix and Amazon and so far this is what I am coming up with :
Amazon link 1/2
Amazon link 1/4
edit : fixed link
I might use my jugsaw to trim bottom of the door.
The 1/2" routers looks a bit big for trimming hinge recess / mortises so might go for 1/4" ones.
Might also have a go at removing/fitting kitchen units (!) so router might come in handy.
Edited by anxious_ant on Monday 13th December 08:34
Edited by anxious_ant on Monday 13th December 08:36
LocoBlade said:
anxious_ant said:
Major advantage of a router for me is that you'd never get the depth wrong.
Yep, you don't need a router but chiselling accurately to a consistent depth is a skill most of us DIY'ers probably don't do enough of to become particularly good or speedy at, so why not use a router to make life easier. milkround said:
Op where are you based?
If you are anywhere local to cardiff I’ll pop around and give you a hand.
Wow, I'm really touched by the kindness of peeps on PH!If you are anywhere local to cardiff I’ll pop around and give you a hand.
I am in deepest darkest Northamptonshire I am afraid, but really appreciate the offer.
As it's only £35 / door I think I will take a gamble and have a go myself
I've tried asking around and £70 per door is the cheapest I can find for a chippy to fit it.
Edited by anxious_ant on Monday 13th December 08:31
Flibble said:
Fwiw I wouldn't use a jigsaw on a door, they don't cut straight. I do mine with a hand plane, and a track saw if it needs a bigger cut. I'm a bit wary of electric planes too as they're a bit aggressive.
I already have a jigsaw and it comes with a laser guide.With a good blade it does clean cuts. Track saw is an interesting suggestion though, I will have a look
Do you happen to have links to any recommendations?
I realise I am building up a shopping list of tools, but from experience it is important to have the right tool for the job.
Makes things much easier and less bodging.
anxious_ant said:
I already have a jigsaw and it comes with a laser guide.With a good blade it does clean cuts.
Track saw is an interesting suggestion though, I will have a look
Do you happen to have links to any recommendations?
I realise I am building up a shopping list of tools, but from experience it is important to have the right tool for the job.
Makes things much easier and less bodging.
For a one off you really don't need a tracksaw. Track saw is an interesting suggestion though, I will have a look
Do you happen to have links to any recommendations?
I realise I am building up a shopping list of tools, but from experience it is important to have the right tool for the job.
Makes things much easier and less bodging.
I own this corded Makita one and it's great. But it's not cheap.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-SP6000J-Plunge-Mak...
Loads of people rave about the festool. But i've never used one. I am sure it's great - but it's serious money.
A circular saw is more than good enough if you clamp a straight edge (basically use a spirit level with two clamps). If you really want a tracksaw then I'd go for a cheapy one unless you plan on using it a lot.
A jigsaw isn't ideal because even with a straight edge clamped on it will weave a bit. But with a plane you could get it to work but it's not ideal.
Really for this job you only need:
1. A saw to trim the door. Many will do but I think the most DIY compromise is a cicular saw. You could use a handsaw but I wouldn't.
1a. Some sort of straight edge. Can be anything which is the width of a door which is straight and flat. A spirit level is so versatile you should have one anyway!
2. A plane of some sort. Either a hand plane or a power plane.
3. A tape measure.
4. Some chisels which are sharp.
5. A drill of some sort. With a few drill bits. Plenty of drill bit kits have everything you need and more.
6. A stanley knife/utility knife.
7. Some pencils with a pencil sharpener.
8. Wedges/air bags to help hang/fit the door.
Everything else is stuff which makes it quicker any or slightly easier in the right hands. I'll admit I would use the track saw (because I have it). And I'd use a laser measure rather than a tape measure to get my first reading to chop the bottom to length. I'd use a laser level to see how level the door frame was. I'd use a trim router (not some 1/2 inch beast) to trim out much of the hinges. But none of that is needed. And in some cases I would dare to say could make the job more difficult if you have never used those tools before. The power plane is great. But you need to know how to use one.
With basic tools I could hand a lightweight internal door to the same standard as any chippy on here. I have zero doubts about it. But as a beginner see this as fun rather than a job. If it take you a day to do your first one then thats fine. You are learning some skills and enjoying yourself. Take your time and stop if you are not sure. The job won't be perfect - but I promise that if you look it will be a damn site better than many professionals work! Have a look in your friend's houses at so called professional level work sometimes. Don't insult your friends homes - but you will realize that your best effort can beat a lazy pro.
milkround said:
anxious_ant said:
I already have a jigsaw and it comes with a laser guide.With a good blade it does clean cuts.
Track saw is an interesting suggestion though, I will have a look
Do you happen to have links to any recommendations?
I realise I am building up a shopping list of tools, but from experience it is important to have the right tool for the job.
Makes things much easier and less bodging.
For a one off you really don't need a tracksaw. Track saw is an interesting suggestion though, I will have a look
Do you happen to have links to any recommendations?
I realise I am building up a shopping list of tools, but from experience it is important to have the right tool for the job.
Makes things much easier and less bodging.
I own this corded Makita one and it's great. But it's not cheap.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-SP6000J-Plunge-Mak...
Loads of people rave about the festool. But i've never used one. I am sure it's great - but it's serious money.
A circular saw is more than good enough if you clamp a straight edge (basically use a spirit level with two clamps). If you really want a tracksaw then I'd go for a cheapy one unless you plan on using it a lot.
A jigsaw isn't ideal because even with a straight edge clamped on it will weave a bit. But with a plane you could get it to work but it's not ideal.
Really for this job you only need:
1. A saw to trim the door. Many will do but I think the most DIY compromise is a cicular saw. You could use a handsaw but I wouldn't.
1a. Some sort of straight edge. Can be anything which is the width of a door which is straight and flat. A spirit level is so versatile you should have one anyway!
2. A plane of some sort. Either a hand plane or a power plane.
3. A tape measure.
4. Some chisels which are sharp.
5. A drill of some sort. With a few drill bits. Plenty of drill bit kits have everything you need and more.
6. A stanley knife/utility knife.
7. Some pencils with a pencil sharpener.
8. Wedges/air bags to help hang/fit the door.
Everything else is stuff which makes it quicker any or slightly easier in the right hands. I'll admit I would use the track saw (because I have it). And I'd use a laser measure rather than a tape measure to get my first reading to chop the bottom to length. I'd use a laser level to see how level the door frame was. I'd use a trim router (not some 1/2 inch beast) to trim out much of the hinges. But none of that is needed. And in some cases I would dare to say could make the job more difficult if you have never used those tools before. The power plane is great. But you need to know how to use one.
With basic tools I could hand a lightweight internal door to the same standard as any chippy on here. I have zero doubts about it. But as a beginner see this as fun rather than a job. If it take you a day to do your first one then thats fine. You are learning some skills and enjoying yourself. Take your time and stop if you are not sure. The job won't be perfect - but I promise that if you look it will be a damn site better than many professionals work! Have a look in your friend's houses at so called professional level work sometimes. Don't insult your friends homes - but you will realize that your best effort can beat a lazy pro.
I will do some research on the circular saw as it looks like this makes a cleaner straight cut compared to jigsaws.
This Bosch one for £70 look good enough for me, as I don't need a bigger one.
Well... I do need to cut a doorway at the side of the garage but I definitely think that's a job for a builder
Rest of the tools I already have, or is pretty cheap to purchase.
BobSaunders said:
Any recommendations on a decent bathroom extractor fan? I think i need a 747 engine based on the mrs generating so much steam.
I've actually done this recently. I installed centrifugal ones which sounded like a jet but does not really extract any more compared to the silent ones on standard 100mm ducting, even with the advertised extraction rate. The only way to extract more is a bigger hole... I've since swapped them back to silent ones. Anything below 28dB would be virtually silent. Extraction rate should be around 25 litres/sec.
You could also opt for ones with humidity sensor, but check if you have the required wiring. (permanent live). If you get those with draft flaps you need to check them periodically as they can sometimes be jammed shut.
After a steamy session it's always advisable to leave the door open
anxious_ant said:
Many thanks for this, it's really helpful
I will do some research on the circular saw as it looks like this makes a cleaner straight cut compared to jigsaws.
This Bosch one for £70 look good enough for me, as I don't need a bigger one.
Well... I do need to cut a doorway at the side of the garage but I definitely think that's a job for a builder
Rest of the tools I already have, or is pretty cheap to purchase.
If you can afford a bit more:I will do some research on the circular saw as it looks like this makes a cleaner straight cut compared to jigsaws.
This Bosch one for £70 look good enough for me, as I don't need a bigger one.
Well... I do need to cut a doorway at the side of the garage but I definitely think that's a job for a builder
Rest of the tools I already have, or is pretty cheap to purchase.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-HS7601J-Circular-M...
Or:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Professional-GKS-Co...
Would be my choices. Both are professional grade tools and corded. They will last you a long long time. But the green bosch would do the job fine as well.
As above I use a track saw because I have one, a circular saw and a straight edge is perfectly fine (I did a couple like this before getting the track saw).
Jigsaws really struggle because the blade is only fixed at one ed so they tend to flex a bit - it makes getting a properly straight cut very difficult.
You can probably trim a door with a small router if that's all you have - I did a 40mm worktop on a 1/4" router. It's slow going though so I wouldn't recommend unless you have one already.
Jigsaws really struggle because the blade is only fixed at one ed so they tend to flex a bit - it makes getting a properly straight cut very difficult.
You can probably trim a door with a small router if that's all you have - I did a 40mm worktop on a 1/4" router. It's slow going though so I wouldn't recommend unless you have one already.
milkround said:
anxious_ant said:
Many thanks for this, it's really helpful
I will do some research on the circular saw as it looks like this makes a cleaner straight cut compared to jigsaws.
This Bosch one for £70 look good enough for me, as I don't need a bigger one.
Well... I do need to cut a doorway at the side of the garage but I definitely think that's a job for a builder
Rest of the tools I already have, or is pretty cheap to purchase.
If you can afford a bit more:I will do some research on the circular saw as it looks like this makes a cleaner straight cut compared to jigsaws.
This Bosch one for £70 look good enough for me, as I don't need a bigger one.
Well... I do need to cut a doorway at the side of the garage but I definitely think that's a job for a builder
Rest of the tools I already have, or is pretty cheap to purchase.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-HS7601J-Circular-M...
Or:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Professional-GKS-Co...
Would be my choices. Both are professional grade tools and corded. They will last you a long long time. But the green bosch would do the job fine as well.
Suppose I would need to invest in some safety goggles too.
Many thanks to you and everyone here for patience with my questions.
Planning house move next year so trying to keep things within budget.
Flibble said:
Jigsaws really struggle because the blade is only fixed at one ed so they tend to flex a bit - it makes getting a properly straight cut very difficult.
For sure. I'm sure there are some jigsaw gods on here but using one to trim the bottom of a door is a recipe for trouble for the average person. I planed a couple of doors at the weekend after a new carpet. It took me ages as I was paranoid to take too much off (would have been way quicker with jigsaw too as I needed quite a bit off) but got there in the end. I bought Screwfix's cheapest planer - under £30 and worked well.
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