Undercutting door frames?

[gerti]

Wife makes me (OK I want to too) replace carpet with floating wood flooring. The carpet is laid right up to the door frames, which reach down to the sub floor. I think my best choice would be to cut the bottom of the door frames, so the new wood floor would be flush underneath.

From what I read a Fein Multimaster would be a great tool for that, but I am not sure if my budget will allow for one (unless someone convinces me it is absolutely the way to go and it will be easy and quick).

So I am thinking that one of those flexible japanese pull saws might be the ticket. I could use a block the height of the floor minus blade thickness flat on the sub floor, and use it to guide the saw.

Is that the way to go? I'll have to do 7 doors.

Thanks

Gerd

[Thom2]

I *THINK* Schroncey will back me up on this since I helped him do his floor this way too.

snag a $10 HF japanese pull saw, then use a scrap of the flooring as your guide. I think it works great (just don't hit a nail, DAMHIKT)

[gerti]

snag a $10 HF japanese pull saw, then use a scrap of the flooring as your guide. I think it works great (just don't hit a nail, DAMHIKT)

That confirms what I was thinking. Did you make adjustments for the underlayment (if you used any) or the kerf (thickness) of the saw blade?

Thanks

Gerd

[Thom2]

That confirms what I was thinking. Did you make adjustments for the underlayment (if you used any)

you can glue a strip of underlayment to the guide block if it makes you feel better, but underlayment compresses and rarely runs into the jambs/trim.

or the kerf (thickness) of the saw blade?

Thanks

Gerd

now you're talking like a woodworker and not a carpenter (I'm guilty of that too) ... woodworking requires precision, you'll never notice 1/16" gap on a jamb/trim, and if you do, they make caulk ... JUST CUT IT!

[Stormbringer]

snag a $10 HF japanese pull saw, then use a scrap of the flooring as your guide. I think it works great (just don't hit a nail, DAMHIKT)

Surely it's April 1st and my calendar is on the wrong month. Cleary the guy wants to shell out bucks for a real tool and you recommend a $10 HF saw. Who's side are you on anyway?

Gerd, I agree the fein is a bit pricey. This Bosch will do the seven doors by the time you get one done with that chinese push saw. Currently $99. Has recently bounce back and forth to $75. Has also been $70-ish on the CPO Bosch site. I think this a 1/3 the price of the Fein? Remember, seven doors equals 14 jambs - all while laying on the floor pulling that saw. That could get boring really fast

Keep in mind though that the Bosch is limited to what it can do, but it probably does it better than anything else. If you don't forsee any other projects that could require flush cuts (read the Amazon reviews for other examples before you say no) than go with Thom's recommendation and save yourself $65 (assuming a Bosch price of $75)

Good luck,
Greg

[Thom2]

Surely it's April 1st and my calendar is on the wrong month. Cleary the guy wants to shell out bucks for a real tool and you recommend a $10 HF saw. Who's side are you on anyway?

MINE! .. the more money I can save on BS house renovations, the more money I can put into the shop

besides, I think you'd be surprised at how little 'sweat' it takes to operate a $10 HF saw for this job .... I'm all for power tools (read my sig ) but some things just don't require the inconvenience of a cord OR the $100 outlay

[RodKirby]

I guess I'm old but, "7 doors" definitely = power tool

[Jim Boyd]

I seem to remember using my biscut cutter for this job.

[cabinetman]

If you decide to do this with a hand saw, I recommend using this one. The handle reverses without tools in seconds, and is useful to have for other procedures.
.

[Stytooner]

If you have a sawsall, you can get a long fine tooth blade. Fine teeth are typically Bi-metal, so hitting nails is not a concern. These are flexible enough to ride on a gauge block and make a pretty decent cut. This is assuming that you are removing the base board or that there is already enough clearance under it.
If you think you might cut into the base, just pop those ends loose and flex them back and stick a wedge in there to hold it out while you make the cut.
I have used this method many times. It's fast and easy.

[Greg.B]

Lowes sells a saw where the laminate floor is. Great little tools for $18 bucks, maybe less, can't remember. I did a few doors and no issues. Take a scrap piece of the floor your installing, and use that as your height guide. Yes a power tool is always nice, but I figured that amount of times I would need to undercut something outweighted the need for a power tool.

[kdaustin]

Undercutting door frames

I have to second the reciprocating saw idea. It is a handy tool to have around.

Ken

[nickg]

When I did my kitchen floor, I rented a tool called a "Jamb Saw" at a tool rental place. As I recall, it was a type of circular saw that operated vertically, allowing you to get close to the door frame so you can undercut the vertical frame piece. You can go pretty quickly and neatly - as I did 5 door frames in a few minutes. Definitely a "specialty" type tool that only professional floor installers would probably buy!

Nick

[Tequila]

I own that Bosch saw and it is absolutely worth the money if you have that many doors to do.

[IBBugsy]

I just did my floor last week and I "almost" rented a Door Jam Saw for $40. I had 8 doors to do. I'm not sure how well it would have worked since I didn't end up renting it.

I cut under one door frame with a Dremel, then decided it wasn't practical to cut the frames. I don't know about the floor panels others have used but mine was the Easy Living brand from Home Depot. You have to attach the new floor board at a 45 degree angle to the existing row to lock it in (then push it down onto the floor) and there was no way to do this while being under the door frame? If I could have laid the new panel flat and slide it in to the existing panel to lock it, then I could have stayed under the frame. So I just cut the panel close to the door frame molding and will use some colored caulk to fill the gap. Hopefully, the caulk is flexible enough to address the small expansion these floors undergo...