Cutting Cabinet Doors Shorter

The process of shortening cabinets typically involves cutting out a section and cutting down doors to fit the shortened cabinet.

Cutting cabinet doors shorter.

How to cut the bottom of a hollow interior door without damaging it. Cabinets are no more than plywood boxes and most can be changed readily. So it just took cutting a few inches out of the middle to make this door work. The boards that make up the frame are about 1 1 8 thick.

Here s the method of door cutting that works best for us. The microwave cabinet door was easier since i was reusing the door that originally went on that once taller cabinet. Each side of the hollow door is glued to a wooden frame. Cabinet installers shorten cabinets all the time to accommodate changing situations.

This means if you cut more than 1 1 8 off the bottom of the door then you have cut the bottom frame of the door completely off. Then we just had all the little finishing projects to do like caulking and extending the backsplash. Although these doors were made using a rail and stile cutter set you can use the same technique for doors made with tenons domino fasteners or even shudder biscuits. This method wouldn t be as easy if the door wasn t painted as it would be difficult to hide the seam.

This one only took me an hour ish to do. Trimming a wood door with a circular saw without splintering the wood or damaging the finish is a challenge. Once your wood filler is dry sand the cabinet down and prime and paint using this tutorial. All in all though i couldn t be happier with the finished product.

The doors are often used for. The best way to cut off a door bottom. Remove the cabinet doors with a screw gun and then mark the location of the cuts you need to make on the cabinet frame under the counter top and or between cabinets. Cut a strip of material out of the middle of the door then glue it back together.

However since the door is painted a tight seam and some wood filler would make the seam disappear. After cutting the cabinet down on my table saw and putting back together the section i d disassembled i salvaged the doors as follows. If you ve just installed carpeting your doors will probably rub and bind which means that you have to trim off the bottoms. Hollow interior doors consist of a solid wooden frame covered with a wood or composite veneer.