Choosing the Right Interior Doors for Your Home

Interior doors play a huge role in your home’s décor. The right doors should blend in and feel right in your hand. So whether you’re building or redecorating, let us help you choose.

Door Construction

There are three types of interior door: solid wood, solid core and hollow core. Solid wood doors are the most expensive option but they look great and provide that heavy feel in the hand that is associated with quality. They are long lasting, provide excellent heat and sound insulation, and can even increase the value of your property.

Solid core doors consist of a moulded composite or plywood exterior on a frame that is filled with wood fibres. They achieve better fire ratings than hollow core doors, and also feel better in the hand because of their weight. They provide a similar look and level of heat and sound insulation to solid wood doors, but for a much lower cost.

If heat and humidity levels fluctuate in your home, solid wood or solid core doors are not a good idea. Continually expanding and contracting wood can lead to the door warping. This is where hollow core doors come to the fore. They cope with temperature and humidity fluctuations better, and are also the cheapest option. Not completely hollow, a cardboard honeycomb is sandwiched between the plywood exterior panels. They feel lightweight in the hand, provide less insulation, and can be damaged if hit with a heavy object.

Door Material

Classic timbers such as oak, pine and walnut are timeless and suit both modern and traditional style homes. White doors give a clean and minimalist look, ideal for contemporary living areas.

Doors can be purchased finished, pre-finished, primed or unfinished depending on your preference. Finished doors come are already coloured and protected, ready to use. Pre-finished doors are prepared with a layer of undercoat, ready for you to paint, stain or varnish in your chosen colour. Primed doors require sanding and undercoating before you can treat or paint them. Unfinished doors are cheapest and have not been primed or prepared for painting.

Door Style

Is your home décor contemporary or traditional? Flush doors are sleek and minimalist in style and more suited to modern interiors. Panelled or Regency doors add depth and dimension that complements a traditional décor. If your home is low on space and natural light, doors with glass panels can help create a brighter and more spacious environment. Another option is to mount a mirror to the door, and for this a Flush door is more suitable.

Frames, Skirting & Architraves

When you’re selecting your new interior doors, you should consider matching door frames, architraves and skirting. These come in the same materials, constructions and finishes as doors. The styles vary based on their bevelling.5