Closet door replacement

Saturday once again I hit Brooklyn CT where Rudy sold me half a French door set, $60. The twin door was in bad shape, so Rudy was willing to sell me just one piece. It is to replace the closet door, on right in photo! If you say the French door looks too big, I have to agree! This post is all about cutting it down to size, a 6 hour project.

Prying off the catch, where it would latch with its twin....

Measuring where to cut....place the old door on the new door & trace the shape.
Beginning to cut, photo below. The blue clamps are holding the door to another of my old doors, so nothing slips during sawing. Do circular-saw work outside (last time, half my basement was covered in sawdust). See the notch below saw blade? I forgot to set the blade low enough! Minor mistake, it only took a minute to saw 3 inches for another pass to saw off the bottom!
Re-sized door! Those sticks behind the door are the side pieces that were sawed off.
After a scrubbing it looks very fine....
preparing to chisel a hinge mortise. Line up the new door with the door your're replacing, so the new hinges will line up with their counterparts in the door frame.
starting to chisel


In photo below, the new hinge is set in place. Don't tighten the screws completely until you hang the door on the frame hinges. That way, the new hinge on the door will tighen in the correct alignment.
vive le French door!



Still to come.....
- patching where the old door latch was
- new knob
- fabric, or faux stained tint or etched-glass tint behind windows, so the cotton balls do not display so prominently....

the moldings are primered because the hallway awaits new paint.