Door rubbing on carpet A door that is rubbing against the floor can sometimes be a simple nuisance but sometimes it can cause damage and negatively affect the HVAC system of the home. A door that repeatedly rubs against the carpet can cause the carpet in that area to wear prematurely. If it is rubbing against a hard surface, like a wood or laminate floor, both the floor surface and the door will be damaged. Additionally, if an interior door is rubbing against the floor because it has inadequate clearance, this problem can negatively affect the return air system of the home. If the home has a central air HVAC system that does not have return air registers in every room, a condition that is the norm, then a ¾ inch gap is required between the bottom of the door and the floor to allow air to return to the return register when the room door is closed.

Thankfully, this condition can be fixed by the average homeowner with some basic tools that many homeowners already have.

A frequent cause of rubbing doors is one or more loose hinges. The symptoms for this condition are hinge screws that are protruding or  hinges that move back and forth when the door is operated. This can be fixed by simply tightening their screws back into the hinge. If screwing the hinge screws does not seem to fix the issue, this likely indicates that the screws need to be replaced with ones that are longer. Longer screws will reach the framing lumber that is on either side of the door and will help create a secure fit for the hinges.

Trimming door bottoms If the door has inadequate clearance to the floor but it operates properly and has a proper reveal all around the door jamb, then trimming the bottom of the door will be necessary. This can be accomplished by using a plane, a hand saw, a jig saw, a circular saw, or a track saw. Essentially, any tool that will allow you to make a long, straight cut can be used. A hand tool like a plane or a hand saw will be the least expensive to buy however, they typically require more skill to accomplish a clean cut. A tool like a track saw or a circular saw with a guide is expensive to purchase but it will make it easier to make the cut.

Trimming the bottom of an interior door is a relatively straightforward process. An exterior door is more challenging because of the weatherstripping and the door sweep. You may wish to consider hiring someone to adjust the exterior doors.

While the door is still installed in its place, run some masking tape along the bottom inch or two of the door. Then find a flat object that is ¾ inch thick and is as long as the door is wide and place it on the ground adjacent to the door. Then run a pencil along the object to create a line on the tape that you’ve put on the door. This will be the cut line for the bottom of the door. Then take the door off of the hinges, make the cut, and reinstall the door.

Depending on how clean the cut turns out, you may need to do some paint touch-up on the edge of the cut.

You can find more information about how to accomplish this in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ST32kxNOs