Cut down commercial doors?

[PCustoms]

Anyone ever cut down commercial doors?

I need a couple 36" wide doors to make a French door setup for an outbuilding, proving harder to find used doors then expected.

There's a couple sets of commercial steel doors in good shape available, but they are 2" too tall. One option is to re-frame opening, but can I just cut the doors down? My thought is to cut using a metal blade in skillsaw (already have both), then put a 1.5"x1/8" strip in the void and tack in place.

Unless I'm missing something or misremembering last time I handled a commercial door this should work, unless there is foam or filler.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Depending on the exact door this could or could not work. The door stiles and top brace are usually welded together at the corners. You would be cutting this connection. As long as you weld them together in some manner, you should be OK. You would need to reinstall the original top brace, or something similar. Most hollow metal doors have some sort of core filler, fairly easy to remove a bit. Top of door may have a closer reinforcement plate to cut through.

 

[PCustoms]

Top of door may have a closer reinforcement plate to cut through.

I feel like I've looked at the bottom of similar doors before and there was a pretty deep U-channel, similar to how residential doors usually have a 1-2" wood filler strip.

Guy hasn't gotten back to me and it's about a 2gr round trip. But cheap and it's raining again today, so not much else to do.

 

[Rusted Nut]

I feel like I've looked at the bottom of similar doors before and there was a pretty deep U-channel, similar to how residential doors usually have a 1-2" wood filler strip.

Guy hasn't gotten back to me and it's about a 2gr round trip. But cheap and it's raining again today, so not much else to do.

Yes, most have a u channel. You probably pop the welds and reuse it.

 

[no704]

Depends on the door, you should be able to get 2” if you trim the top and bottom, but that will of course effect the hinge and strike mounthights

 

[The Cobbler]

easy peasy with a welder and a cut off wheel .
2" is probably past the channel in the door top or bottom. if so, cut the door with a zip blade in angle grinder . get the channel out of the cut off pc.. remove the cardboard web or styrofoam so the channel fits back in. tap it back in to the door . some tack welds and a rust primer. you're good
want to get real fancy, drill some holes in the door skin so you can plug weld the channel back in place.
bondo is the go to fix for hollow metal doors too

 

[PCustoms]

Depends on the door, you should be able to get 2” if you trim the top and bottom, but that will of course effect the hinge and strike mounthights

Seeing as how this isn't a standard install and I'm making my own jamb, that won't be an issue.

Seller hasn't gotten back to me. Probably tossed them, last I saw he lowered price to $25

 

[no704]

I used to scrap at least 2 doors/ week