Extending length of internal door ..

[Stuart]

I need to replace the Victorian 4 panel door in my bathroom ..I have another door which I think would suite but it is 2 1/2 " too wide and about 5 " short ..The reduction in width isn't a problem ..just remove 1/2 the excess from each side ... What I want to know is the best way to join the additional parts to the door,one part at the top,the other at the bottom......I can use a piece off another old door which is the same thickness ..I thought about drilling holes in the extra piece part way down then a thinner hole to accommodate screws with glue between each piece ...Dowels would probably be abetter option but I don't have the facilities to do that .. An easier way would be to get a joioner to do the lot and hang the door as well.... What do you think Ok guys .? Stuart

[R Taylor]

personally, I'd avoid a lot of buggering about by buying a new larger door to trim to size and then sell the old shorter door to offset the cost of the above.

just a thought.

RT

[Stuart]

Thx RT but what I didn't say was that the door is 27" by 87" so it is a VERY non-standard size ..We are talking about a door for a flat that is about 100 years old ........Even a place that I enquired about buying a door from ( they say they sell original style doors) said they would need to extend a door to suit and that was going to be £145... Stuart

[R Taylor]

many reclaimation yards will have dozens of doors for sale. try a few more.

have a look under wood stripping services, or door stripping services in a few non local yellow pages in the library. London or Manchester for example.

if you are determined to stick to period doors it's not going to be cheap but you may be able to get a trade in deal for your old door ?

RT

[BigWallop]

Any door is easily extended or shortened by adding or subtracting timber from them. The best thing to use on older doors is soft wood, which is got at any good DIY store, because this is generally what older internal doors are made of.

Why does the panel door need replacing? If it's rotted then you need to replace, but if it is only in need of a refurbishment then parts aren't that difficult to obtain to make it good again.

[Stuart]

Thats what I would have thought ..It can't be that difficult and as you say it is just softwood,pine or similar ...

I'm replacing it becuse the existing one is in poor condition and needs stripped and the replacement HAS been stripped and is in better condition apart from the size Stuart

[BigWallop]

You could parts off the old door to extend it. If you can make the joint straight flat and true, then glue it together and use these:

screwfix to hold it place until the glue cures. PVA wood glue says it's stronger than the wood, so it should hold it tight for many years. :-))

[Set Square]

In that case, how about making the doorway *smaller* to fit the door you've got?

[Stuart]

Nah...All thr doorways have fancy architraves round them so it would daft ... Stuart

[Dave Jones]

I'd hire a biscuit joiner for about £30 a day, bit of glue and sand the join

[Stuart]

Now there's a thought ... Stuart

[Stuart]

Or buy this one ...

got one of them ....

Stuart

[Andy Hall]

You would also need a means of clamping up the door while the glue dries/cures.

This could be done reasonably easily with some long pipe clamps which you may also be able to rent or alternatively improvise something with

50mm square timber with stops fitted to be just longer than the door. Then simply use wedges between the stops and door to squeeze it up. For this, I would suggest two rows of biscuits (one starting each side) and spacing about 200mm apart.

[BigWallop]

Or rope wrapped around the door to hold it in place is also good instead of clamps.

[Rob Morley]

Why not use a few G-clamps with wedges?

[N. Thornton]

Youre getting some longwinded solutions, just glue 2.5" strips of pine aka redwood on, top and bottom.

If the door gets some rough treatment, if you then plane them so the doors a mm thinner at top and bottom than at the new wood join, theres no likelihood of misalignment and abuse resulting in the bits getting knocked off.

NT