How to Sand Down a Door That Rubs

Create the line that you will use as a reference when you're sanding. You may use a carpenter's compass to create the line or a simple piece of wood. If you choose the piece of wood, decide how much clearance you want the door to have from the floor. This distance will determine how wide the piece of wood needs to be. The length should be the width of the door. For example, if your door is 36 inches wide, and you want a half inch clearance, you need a piece of wood that is 36 inches long and a half inch high. Place the piece of wood on the floor against the door and draw a line across it to create your reference line.

Remove the door by taking out the screws on each hinge. You may need to use a hammer to knock the screws out if they have been in there for a long time.

Place the door on a workbench so that you can get to the bottom easily. You may wish to clamp the door to the bench to keep it from moving while you're sanding.

Sand the door. Using a belt sander works best, but you may hand sand it if you do not have access to a belt sander. Start by using 50-grit sandpaper. When you are about one sixteenth of an inch away from the reference line, switch to 80-grit sandpaper. Once you reach the line itself, use 120-grit sandpaper to create a smooth edge at the bottom of the door.

Put the door back on its hinges, and check the fit. If the fit is not perfect, you may need to repeat the process until you have a perfect fit.

Restain or repaint the door. Because the sanding has removed the finish at the bottom of the door, you will need to restain or repaint the whole door.