Why Height Changes Are So Easy To Miss
Hardwood and the underlayment beneath it add a specific stack height that rarely matches whatever flooring is being removed, whether that was thin carpet, old vinyl, or a different wood product entirely. A half inch difference sounds small on paper, but it is often exactly enough to catch the bottom edge of an interior door that used to clear the old floor with room to spare.
This is easiest to miss precisely because nobody thinks to measure a door swing until the new floor is already down and a door starts dragging across it. Checking the stack height difference between old and new flooring before installation, not after, is the simple step that avoids a surprise on move in day.
Interior Doors Versus Exterior Doors
Interior doors typically have more forgiving clearance built in during original construction, since builders commonly leave a gap of three quarters of an inch or more under interior doors for exactly this kind of flexibility across different flooring types over the life of a home. This means many interior doors clear a modest height increase without any trimming at all.
Exterior doors are a different story, since they are built with tighter tolerances and weatherstripping designed to seal against a specific floor height, and that seal is part of what keeps drafts and moisture out. Adding even a modest amount of height under an exterior door can affect both clearance and how well the weatherstripping seals, which is worth flagging specifically if your project includes a room with an exterior door swing.
What A Pre Install Walkthrough Actually Checks
A thorough walkthrough before installation measures the height difference at every door threshold in the project area, not just a general estimate for the whole house, since hallway doors, closet doors, and bathroom doors can each clear differently depending on their existing gap. This is also the point where an installer identifies which doors will need trimming versus which ones will clear as is.
Doors that swing over a transition between two different flooring types, such as hardwood meeting tile in a bathroom doorway, deserve extra attention during this check, since the transition strip itself adds a small amount of additional height right at the pivot point where the door swings closest to the floor. Catching this during planning avoids discovering it after the transition strip is already installed.
Trimming A Door Is A Normal Part Of Many Projects
When a door does need trimming, it is a routine carpentry task that takes a fraction of the time the flooring installation itself requires, and it is something most flooring crews handle as part of the same project rather than requiring a separate visit from another contractor. Removing the door, trimming a consistent amount off the bottom edge, and rehanging it is standard practice that experienced installers do regularly.
Doors with a finished or painted bottom edge sometimes need a small touch up after trimming to match the rest of the door, which is worth asking about upfront if the doors in your home have a specific finish you want preserved. This is a minor detail compared to the trimming itself, but one that is easy to overlook until the door is back on its hinges.
Planning For This Before Delivery Day
The best time to catch a door clearance issue is during the initial in home estimate, when height differences can be measured against the actual product being considered rather than guessed at from a sample chip. This also gives enough lead time to schedule any door trimming as part of the same visit instead of a separate follow up.
Floor Store of Sacramento measures door clearance at every threshold as part of every free in home estimate, so trimming needs are identified and planned for before installation day rather than discovered afterward. Browse our hardwood flooring collection to see profile heights across the lines we carry.
Visit Floor Store of Sacramento at 11225 Trade Center Dr. Suite 150, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742, or find a closer location through Rancho Cordova, CA. We serve homeowners throughout Citrus Heights, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, and Fairs Oaks, CA with free in home estimates that check door clearance at every threshold in the project. If you are worried about doors dragging after new hardwood goes in, contact us and we will measure it before anything is ordered.
