Choosing and Fitting the Right Interior Doors

Do you sometimes find yourself looking around your home thinking that something needs an update, but you can't quite figure out what? It could very well be your doors! They often are overlooked, but doors can be a great aesthetical asset and can really help bring your whole decor theme together. Take a look at this easy to follow guide for the best tips on how to choose and then fit some new doors.

Common Door Materials

Hardwood – Made from one piece of solid wood. Traditional, strong and durable, with a variety of woods available. Great for sound blockage and increasing the value of your home. On the other hand, they can be expensive, and they may warp or crack.

Moulded/Hollow – Made with a lattice/honeycomb core and coated with a veneer. Common in new homes, a money-saving alternative to solid doors, light, and easy to install. These doors rarely warp but they don’t block much sound or provide much fire resistance.

Engineered – Made with a core of multiple kinds of wood and coated with a veneer. The most common mass-produced door, it’s the best value for money, provides great sound and thermal insulation, and is unlikely to twist or warp.

Common Door Designs

Flush – Flat, plain door with no, or few, design features. Simple and elegant, they’re available in lots of different varnishes and finishes.

Bifold/Concertina – A great space-saving option, these doors open and close within the door frame as they are made in multiple sections and connected with hinges. These are common for walk-in wardrobes and pantries.

French – These are double doors that connect two rooms, often used between the living room and the dining room. They open on hinges that allow them to swing out and are available in many finishes. They’re a dramatic and chic option.

Panelled – Traditional in design with sunken or raised panels to produce the design. The most popular number of panels are 2, 4 and 6.

Sliding/Pocket – These doors open sideways on a track across a wall, or slide into a gap in the wall. They’re great for busy homes and are a fantastic space-saver.

Barn – Perfect for kitchens, these doors open in half horizontally, so they can be opened by only the top, the bottom, or both. They let air into a room without letting kids or pets in/out.

How to Hang a Door

Measure the height of your door frame, checking that it’s plumb and square against the wall.
Transfer the height measurement to your door and cut the excess from the bottom with a saw. Sand the edge.
Measure the width of your frame and transfer to the door.
Use an electric planer to remove the excess and sand the edge.
Place the door in the frame, support the door from the bottom using wedges, making sure the top and side have a gap the same thickness as a 2 pence piece.
Mark the bottom of the hinge positions on the door.
Remove the door from the frame and mark the hinge position fully, including depth.
Chisel the outline of the hinge and cut out the middle at 5mm intervals to avoid splitting the wood.
Mark the holes for your hinges and drill pilot holes.
Screw all the hinges to the door.
Use the wedges to support the door in the frame and insert the middle screw into each hinge to attach it to the frame.
Check the door swings smoothly. If so, add the remaining screws. If not, cut more of the door or alter your hinges as needed.
To attach your latch and handles, mark the centre of the strike plate on the door and use a set square to transfer your marks for the latch and handles.
Mark the centre of the door edge.
Mark the depth of the latch on to your flat bit drill head and drill the centre mark to the correct depth.
Draw around the latch plate and chisel out space the same depth as the plate.
Drill your pilot holes.
Mark the position for the latch bar and drill from both sides to prevent splintering.
Drill your latch plate into place and insert the latch bar.
Measure and fit your door handles over the latch bar and drill in place.

How to Fit a Doorframe

Measure the size of the door frame needed and fit the head and jambs together to the needed size.
Secure them with long wood screws, making sure the head and jambs are flush together.
Cut off any overhang.
Fit plain timber a few millimetres from the bottom of the frame to create a brace that will keep your frame aligned. Make sure the distance between each jamb is the same at the top and the bottom.
Square up one of the top corners of the door frame and fix a diagonal brace to keep the frame square.
Push the frame into your wall opening and mark out your fixing points depending on what kind of wall you’ll be drilling into.
If fixing to a stud wall, mark your first fixing points 100mm up from the bottom, then at 450mm intervals.
If fixing to a brick wall, stagger your fixing points and drill a third of the way in from the outside edge.
Drill pilot holes at each fixing point. Check the frame is flush with the wall.
Screw the frame to the wall using 100mm screws and remove the braces.

Check out our full collection of doors and fittings to find your perfect interior door, and then take a look through the rest of our DIY department to make sure you have all the tools you need for the refitting. Want to pick up some more creative DIY challanges that will help you refresh your home? Look through our articles on installing new taps, tiling, and laying new flooring.