Restoring shortened doors

[1915Farmhouse]

Several interior and exterior doors in my 1915 bungalow were shortened by 1-2 inches to accommodate carpeting. I have removed all carpeting and am restoring the original hardwood floors. My intention is to strip the paint and stain the doors.

What is the best way to restore doors to the original length?

[V-Man]

So the fix to your problem is simple, the implementation not so. But it will be difficult if not impossible to hide the fix if you plan on staining and not painting. Assuming they removed the 1-2" from the bottom rail (the piece of wood that runs horizontally along the bottom) all you need to do is add that strip back. Three things you'll need to contend with or solve: (1) finding a replacement strip of wood equal to the thickness of your door because in all likelihood the lumber readily available at the big box will not match, (2) dealing with an uneven door bottom and having to level or square it up, and (3) attaching the new strip to the door bottom (which might be as easy as driving a few 2-3" screws and some wood glue or more involved like drilling/inserting wood dowels). You'll also probably need to do some fill work and sanding where the new piece joins the door. Multiply this times the number of doors you need fix, not to mention removing and reinstalling the doors and the inevitable tweaks you'll need to make here and there. Definitely doable.

[1915Farmhouse]

Excellent, thorough recommendations. Thanks for your advice.

[nakaru87]

So long as it is structurally sound, there should be no reason it cannot be restored to its original beauty. Given the condition of the bottom in particular, it may take a considerable amount of time and elbow grease. I might even consider installing a temporary door, so it can be worked on and restored on a flat surface in a controlled and minimal exposure to dust environment. There are a great deal of YouTube “how to” videos which walk you through the actual process.

[1915Farmhouse]

Thank you for the recommendations!