Do Carpet Fitters Shave Doors? (Everything You Need To Know)

Carpet fitters are people who install carpets in homes and businesses. They measure the rooms where the carpet will be installed, cut the carpet to fit, and then install it using tools and adhesive. One thing you may realize after working with a carpet fitter is that the door doesn’t necessarily close after the carpet is installed.

It’s quite common for there to be a slight gap between the door and the floor after a carpet installation. This is because the carpet creates a bit of bulk that can make it difficult for doors to close all the way. This is especially if you used a thicker carpet than you previously had, or went from a hard floor to a carpeted one.

In this blog post, we’ll answer the question, “Do carpet fitters shave doors?” and explain everything you need to know about this common issue.

Answer To The Question Do Carpet Fitters Shave Doors:

Surprisingly enough, you would think that carpet fitters would shave doors as part of their job, but they don’t. The main reason for this is that it’s not necessary in a lot of cases. However, there is an option to talk to the carpet fitting company and have them add this to the job if you feel like it’s something that needs to be done. When adding this, you could expect to pay extra depending on the company.

What Could Go Wrong If You Get a Carpet Fitter To Shave Your Doors?

Carpet fitters are mainly good at installing carpets and might not have the best tools to shave your doors. This is why it’s recommended that you leave this task to somebody qualified to do it such as a carpenter or handyman.

Another thing that could happen if you have multiple doors in your home, is that the carpet fitter could mix up the doors when putting them back on. This might not seem like a big deal, but it can cause a lot of problems such as making it difficult to open and close the doors, or having them not fit in their frame correctly.

Another reason why you might not want to get your carpet fitter to shave your doors is that they could damage the door itself. If you’re good at doing DIY projects yourself, you may be better off taking care of this task.

So overall, we don’t recommend getting your carpet fitter to shave your doors unless they specifically say that they’re qualified to do so.

How To Properly Shave Your Doors To Fit Your New Carpet

If you still want to get your doors shaved even after knowing the potential risks, here are a few tips on how to do it properly.

Get an Electric Hand Planer

The first thing you’ll need is an electric hand planer. This tool will make it much easier to shave your doors down to size and get a perfectly flush fit.

Remove Door From Its Hinges

The next thing to do is remove the door from its hinges. This will give you more room to work and make it easier to shave the door down.

Use a Piece Of Tape To Mark Where You’ll Be Shaving The Door

Once the door is removed, you’ll want to use a piece of tape to mark where you’ll be shaving it down. This will help you stay within the lines and avoid accidentally shaving off too much. It will also help protect the door from getting scratched up.

Use the Electric Hand Planer To Shave The Door

Once you have your lines marked, it’s time to start shaving the door down. Start with the electric hand planer and slowly work your way around the door until it’s the right size. Make sure you use nice even pressure and don’t try to rush it. Using different pressure in different parts of the door may result in an uneven finish.

Put The Door Back Up

Once everything is all shaved down, it’s time to put the door back up. Make sure that it fits snugly in its frame and that the hinges are properly aligned. If everything looks good, you’re all done!

Tips for Doing This Efficiently

Stay Safe

The first thing is safety; make sure you’re wearing gloves, protective eyewear, and a dust mask. This will help protect you from any flying debris or wood chips. Reading the directions on your hand planer is also a good idea so you know how to properly use it.

Work Slowly

When shaving your doors, it’s important to work slowly and evenly. This will help prevent any mistakes and give you a better finish.

Do One Door At a Time

Doing one door at a time will keep you from making the mistake mentioned above. The last thing you want to do is get your doors mixed up!

Are There Any Other Ways To Get Your Door Over a New Carpet?

Although what we mentioned above is the best option, there are a few other ways you can go about it.

Jigsaw Instead Of a Hand Planer

If you’re not comfortable using a hand planer or don’t have one, you can also use a jigsaw. This will take longer, but it’s still an option if you don’t want to use a hand planer. Using a Jigsaw may be a little bit harder to get a perfectly flush fit, but it’s still possible.

Handsaw

Another option is to use a handsaw. This is similar to using a jigsaw, but it will take even longer.

Trim The Carpet

The very last option is to simply trim the carpet. This isn’t the best option because it will leave a visible gap where the door is, but it’s an option if you’re struggling. This will be the least aesthetically pleasing option, but it’s still an option.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into shaving a door to fit your new carpet. It’s not something we recommend doing unless you’re confident in your ability to do it properly. We hope this blog post has helped clear things up and that you now have a better understanding of the process.

Always make sure to take safety precautions when using power tools.

If you found this blog post helpful, please share it on social media or with friends and family who may find it helpful. Also, take a look at our other most recent blog posts below:

Do Carpet Fitters Shave Doors? (Everything You Need To Know)