I'm trying to finish a large closet into a makeshift office. I'd like to add a door to the opening to the room. The opening is 32" wide by 73". I was looking for a 30×72" prehung door, but everything seems to be 80" tall, and I don't think trimmable doors are designed to cut off 8".
How do I find or build a door that's the right size?
Thanks!
Best Answer
Search the internet for "architectural salvage"* in your area. Here you'll find everything from old doors & hardware to tubs, door knobs, shelves, and who-knows-what.
Look for a door that's 32" wide by at least 73" tall. If you're anywhere near a major urban area, you'll probably have several hundred to choose from. When you find the one you like, you've got about a 99.9999% chance of it being made of solid wood so you can safely & easily cut the extra height off. If the one you like is wider, you can most likely cut some extra width off, too. You can cut some from the top and bottom to keep the panels centered, or cut from only one end to re-center the panels (it's entirely possible that someone cut off only one end previously, leaving them off-center).
If you don't have the tools to do the cuts, they'll probably be happy to make them for you for a small additional fee. At the places local to me, I've seen doors with the old lock mortises very professionally filled so you can install modern lock/knob sets on them. They were happy to cut holes for a modern lock set for me, as well. They can probably fill the old hinge mortises, as well, so you can put new ones where you need them if you can't use the existing ones in the door.
While you're there, enjoy looking around at all the amazing things that have been pulled out of old houses. Be careful, though, you may end up buying more than you came for!
*There are other terms for this, too, but they're just not coming to me yet. It's early and the coffee hasn't fully kicked in.