PHOTO:DENISESFRAGAA
Toilet fl apper
B
Stud fi nder
C
Inspection
magnifi er
D
Blueprint
paperweight
FOR THE
ANSWER,
SEE PAGE 38
If there’s a difference between those
measurements, it means that the
fl oor is pitched and the fi ller has to
be cut to the shorter measurement.
When selecting stock for the
fi ller, I look for a stable, straight-
grained wood, like kiln-dried
poplar. It should be about
1⁄ 8 inch
thicker than the door, about 6
inches wider, and, as noted earlier,
the same dimension as the shorter
gap measurement. The extra
thickness allows me to sand the fi ller
fl ush with the door on both sides,
without removing any wood from
the door. The extra length allows
me to cut the fi ller exactly fl ush with
the door sides. And using a fi ller
TOM SILVA REPLIES: When it’s shut,
a door should clear the fl oor by
about
1⁄ 4 inch, or
1⁄ 2 inch if the door
swings over an area rug. So, yes,
the gaps under your doors should
be much smaller.
My favorite way to close up
gaps on painted doors is to screw a
fi ller strip to the door’s bottom
edge, and then paint it to match. If
your doors aren’t painted, you
might want to consider doing so—
it’s next to impossible to make this
repair blend in on a clear-fi nished
door. But if painting is out of the
question, then you may have to
take out the existing doors and put
new ones in their place.
To make the repair, begin by
measuring the gap beneath the
door on its latch side when the
door is closed, and when it’s open.
What
is it?