Highlights
It costs an average of $110 to plane a door, with a typical range of $70–$150.
It may cost as little as $15 or as much as $550.
If you hire a handyperson to do it, they will usually charge $55–$75 per hour.
You can reduce the cost of planing a door by using a manual hand planer or using paint you already have.
Few things are more annoying for a homeowner than a door that sticks. If you're tired of pushing through (literally), the answer is to do what is known as "planing," which means to shave off a small portion of the bottom of the door to stop the sticking.
It costs an average of $110 to plane a door, with a typical range of $70 to $150. However, it may cost as little as $15 if all you need is a manual hand planer, or as much as $550 if you want a high-end electric hand planer and also need to buy a new gallon of paint and stain.
Average Cost to Plane a Door
| Average Cost | Low End | High End |
|---|---|---|
| $110 | $15 | $550 |
Door Planing Cost Breakdown
This is a straightforward project with two cost categories: materials and labor. You might even have some of the materials at home already.
Materials
Here are some of the materials you may need for this project, and how much each of them costs:
Manual hand plane: $15–$50
Electric hand plane (optional): $40–$250
Painter's tape: $5–$15
Paint: $15–$40
Stain: $20–$120
Sandpaper: $5–$20
Pliers: $5–$20
Hammer: $5–$15
Labor
This is a simple job that any handyperson can do. The cost to hire a handyperson is $55 to $75 per hour, and it will take no more than an hour to do this job.
Cost to Plane a Door Yourself
If you decide to plane your door yourself, you'll spend between $70 and $280 if you use a manual hand plane, although the cost could be much lower than that if you already have paint as well as basic tools like a hammer and pliers. In that case, all you'd need to buy is the manual hand plane.
You could also go the electric hand plane route, which will make the job even easier, though at a higher price. In this case, your cost range is $95 to $480. But again, that is only if you also have to purchase a whole gallon of paint and stain too. (Obviously, you won't need the whole gallon to repaint the bottom of the door, but you generally can't buy paint by the ounce.)
While this is a project you could do yourself, we recommend having a local handyperson or general contractor near you do it instead. You don’t want to risk damaging your door by winging it on your own!
Tips to Reduce the Cost of Planing a Door
This is already an inexpensive project, but there are a few ways to cut costs even more. For one thing, you can use a manual hand planer instead of an electric hand planer. An electric hand planer will save you a lot of work, but this is the most straightforward way to save money.
Another way to save is to use paint or stain you already have rather than buy a new gallon.
Finally, if you’ve already got a construction project going on, you could have the contractor take care of the door in the meantime. That might negate the need to get a planer at all!
Door Planing Questions and Answers
Is planing a door easy?
The job is relatively simple, but it does require some skill. When planing a door, you run the risk of splintering it if you don't do it correctly.
How much should I trim off the bottom of a door?
You should generally cut between 1/8-inch and 1 inch when planing a door. If you cut off more than that, you risk damaging the door.
Can you sand down a door to fit?
You can open up more space between the door and the floor by sanding the bottom of the door, but it will take longer compared to using a hand planer. However, you could use a belt sander, which some believe is even better than a hand planer for planing a door. Also, it could leave a smoother finish on the bottom of the door.
