Do Carpets Fitters Adjust Doors After Fitting Carpets

One of the most common gripes for homeowners that have just had a new carpet fitted is that there isn’t a lot of clearance between it and the doors. This makes opening and closing the doors difficult. There are even plenty of stories where doors are completely jammed because of the thick new carpet. This begs the question: do carpet fitters adjust doors?

Generally speaking, your carpet fitter won’t plane down a door to make it fit over the new flooring. However, there are a lot of companies that will do this for a fee. It really depends on who you go with. 

A lot of the bigger, nationwide companies will offer this service for an extra cost. However, if you employ a sole trader then they may not have the carpentry skills to be able to offer the service. 

There are some that use a door trimmer which is a specialised tool used for ensuring a good fit between the door and the flooring. However, these are very costly pieces of equipment so not every self employed fitter will have one. If they do, expect to be charged an additional fee. 

For many people, the carpet fitter will remove the door from its hinges and prop it against a wall. However, they usually won’t rehang the door and will advise you to shave it before putting it back on. This is pretty frustrating but in reality, there’s not much you can do if your fitter doesn’t offer a door adjustment service. 

When it comes to finding a carpet fitter to install your new floor, it is worth doing your research first. If you are adamant that you would like your door to be planed down then speak to various fitters and find one that offers this service. However, do keep in mind that this will limit your choice of fitter.

Related Article: Is It Better To Paint Or Carpet The Floor First

Do You Need To Take Doors Off To Fit A Carpet?

Most carpet fitters will not get involved with the doors unless they really need to. Of course, as we have mentioned, some fitters will offer additional services relating to the doors but this is rare. 

So, before your carpet fitter arrives, you might be wondering if you should remove the doors. Not having doors in place will certainly make the installation easier but most experts would recommend that you remove, trim and reinstall the doors before having new carpet laid. This is standard practice but you will need to make sure to trim the correct amount off the door according to the type of flooring you are installing. 

FAQ: Should A Door Touch The Carpet?

You don’t want a huge gap between the door and the carpet for a number of reasons. Primarily, the door won’t fully serve its purpose of keeping out noise, drafts and other things. This can make spending time in the room less comfortable. On top of that, a big gap doesn’t look great and if you’re trying to improve the aesthetic of your home, that’s the last thing you want. 

On the other hand, it’s super important not to allow the door to rub on the carpet. If there isn’t enough room to comfortably open and close the door then this means it will rub on the pile. Over the course of time, this could wear some of the pile away, affecting the quality of the carpet. 

The severity of this will depend on the type of carpet you have. For example, looped pile and berber carpets are more likely to be worn down quickly by a door that’s rubbing on them. Furthermore, consider how often the door is moved. If it’s a room where the door stays open for most of the time, you likely won’t have a problem. However, if it’s a room whose door is constantly being opened and closed, you need to be more careful. 

As a rule of thumb, you should aim to trim the door so that it just makes contact with the carpet. This won’t rub and cause wear and tear but it won’t leave a massive gap either. You’ll get the perfect balance. As with everything else we have discussed in this guide, it’s important to make sure you take measurements before trimming the door.

FAQ: How Much Carpet Clearance Do You Need For A Door?

How much clearance you need between the door and your carpet will vary depending on the thickness of the carpet. When you are laying any type of floor, whether that’s carpet, laminate, vinyl or anything else, you will need to trim the doors. 

While some carpets are thicker than others, generally speaking, it is recommended to leave at least half an inch gap between the door jamb and floor. Make sure to measure before you cut and adjust this distance in line with what’s being laid. 

Related Article: Do Carpet Fitters Take Away Old Carpet

Conclusion

When you install a new carpet, there’s a lot more to think about than just the floor itself. One of the biggest problems is things that could get in the way. Doors being the perfect example of this. So, do you need to take the door off and will your carpet fitter trim it for you?

Most of the time, if a carpet fitter removes a door for installation, they will expect you to trim and rehang it. That said, there are a handful of carpet fitters that will offer these kinds of services for an additional fee. It’s not always the case which is why it’s important to ask about this before agreeing to working with any one person. 

Provided that the door just skims the carpet, you should have a good fit. But before trimming the door, be sure to take measurements so you get it spot on.