New carpeting can do wonders to improve the appearance of your home, but if it’s thicker than the previous floor covering, it can cause doors to drag, making them difficult to open and close.

The solution to smooth-swinging doors is trimming the bottom. Cutting a door, solid or hollow core, can be relatively easy if you have the right tools and take a few minor precautions. While many folks choose a handsaw, a circular saw also can make a uniform cut and will require quite a bit less elbow grease.

When you trim a door with a circular saw you must use caution to preserve and protect the door’s appearance and to prevent the saw from splintering and tearing the wood fibers, especially with hollow core doors.

Start by marking the height of the cut — a point where you are sure the door will swing freely without touching the carpet. Use a small hammer and a nail or nail punch to remove the door. Place it on a pair of saw horses. It’s a good idea to use towels or old scraps of carpeting to prevent damage to the door finish.

Mark the cut line with a straightedge. Score the cut line with a sharp utility knife. Several light passes with the utility knife should be made. The deeper the scored line the better.

Then make a cut ever so slightly below the score line. Scoring prevents surface tearing and chipping.

If you have elected to use a circular power saw be sure to use a “finish” blade that has many teeth per inch. The more teeth, the finer the cut. A good finish blade is far less apt to tear the surface. A carbide tipped blade also is a must, regardless of the number of teeth per inch. The carbide tip will not be affected if a staple or a nail is encountered.

Use caution when choosing a power saw over a hand saw. If the saw table is dirty or a bit rusty or rough it can mar the door’s stained or painted finish. To avoid this, apply strips of duct tape to the face of the saw table. This will not only preserve the door’s finish, but will make the saw glide more easily as well.

Tip: If you are reluctant to use a circular saw for fear of making a crooked cut — fear not. Simply clamp a straight edge to the door as a guide. Use light pressure to give the saw table a perfectly straight path to follow. Take care to preserve the door’s finish by putting a small piece of cardboard between the clamps and the surface of the door. Lightly sand all four edges.

That freshly cut edge of the door will absorb moisture and must be sealed to guard against future swelling and warping. If the door is painted be sure to use an oil base primer on the raw edge and either a latex or oil base finish coat (depending upon the existing finish). If the door is to be stained, use an oil base stain and a coat or two of oil base polyurethane. Finally, reinstall the door by placing it into the opening and installing the top hinge pin first then the remaining hinge pins. Following this process allows you to use the door’s weight to interlock the remaining hinges.

Visit the Careys at www.onthehouse.com or call the hot line, 800-737-2474. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 10 a.m. every Saturday.