If you are thinking of upgrading your doors interior to your home there are a number of points you should consider.
- Are you replacing one door or all of them?
- Will you be able to use the existing door frames?
- Do you want to replace the existing door frames as well?
- What image are you trying to create with the new doors, and what is your budget?
Are you replacing one door or all of them?
Perhaps there is one door or a set of interior French doors within the house that if renewed would not look out of place with the remainder of the doors. On the other hand all the internal doors are maybe quite old, damaged in places, need redecorated, don’t close properly or you fancy a change.
Replacing all the doors can dramatically transform your home. It may sound like a big job but the benefits out way the interruption.
Will you be able to use the existing door frames?
Reusing the existing frames is the easiest and least expensive method to upgrade the doors in your house. This involves hanging the new doors to the existing frames.
The existing frames however may not be suitable and you should check the following:
Will the old frames blend in with the new doors? For example the old door frames maybe painted softwood and you want to upgrade the doors to a hardwood e.g. oak doors. In this instance you may consider replacing the frames as well so that everything will blend.
Check the dimensions of the existing frames to determine if they are standard door sizes.
Are the frames square? Sometimes natural settlement of the building structure may put the door openings slightly off square. If the settlement is excessive it will mean cutting too much from the new doors for them to fit. New frames may be required in this instance.
Do you want to replace the existing door frames as well?
Perhaps you want to replace all the frames as well as the doors.
Replacement of the existing frames will undoubtedly produce the best overall job especially if the existing frames are old and damaged by wear and tear.
However, this will cause the most damage to each room. There are circumstances when the old frames can be removed without causing damage to the decoration. It will depend how the frames are fixed to the structural opening. If you decide to replace the frames it may be impossible to avoid some damage to the decoration.
What image are you trying to create with the new doors and what is your budget?
There is vast array of internal door styles available on the market to meet all budgets. Most doors are available in standard sizes as single doors or as French doors ranging from plain flush plywood type to more expensive framed doors incorporating solid wood panels. Maybe interior glass doors are an option.
Numerous wood species are available to choose from including:
- Oak
- Ash
- Cherry
- Mahogany
- Pine
…..to mention only a few.
A few examples of internal hardwood panelled doors
Most doors are available either pre finished or unfinished allowing you stain or paint the doors yourself. Pre finished doors are generally produced to a very high standard and look great but are obviously more expensive.
If your budget is an issue – white interior doors are a perfect choice and very popular and reasonably priced.
Some examples of white faced internal doors
You may be interested in reading all about oak interior doors.