A Buyers’ Guide to Custom Interior Doors
Doors are highly-visible, hard-working parts within a home. This is why they deserve careful thought and research when wondering which type of custom interior doors you want. Not only do they have to stand up to daily use, they have to minimize sound transfer between rooms and add beauty and style to your overall décor. That’s a lot to ask of your new doors!
Interior doors are available in many different styles and configurations, constructed from a variety of materials. The type you choose will affect your privacy, noise control, and overall visual appeal. They also have to be functional. Doors that don’t latch or close properly can be a nuisance not to mention a safety risk.
Flush vs. Panel
Interior doors generally come in two basic types: flush and panel.
- Flush doorsfeature flat, smooth surfaces that are painted or stained. They’re pretty basic and nondescript, and can complement any décor or room.
- Hollow-core flush doors are lightweight, low-cost versions of the above type of flush door, featuring an inner softwood frame around cardboard honeycomb cores. On the face, they have thin wood veneers and thus can damage easily, with significant sound transfer.
- Panel doors, made from a framework of horizontal rails and vertical stiles, feature flat or raised wood panels or even glass panes in some cases. Used frequently with solid-wood doors, panel doors don’t tend to shrink, warp or swell with humidity levels. The higher quality ones feature precisely-fitted, interlocking sections, and they cost much more than flush doors. For a less expensive option, you could go with an MDF door, or medium-density fiberboard door, which is solid and won’t swell, plus it takes finishes very well. While they must be painted or stained after purchase, MDF doors come primed.
Door Sizes
Standard interior doors are about 1 3/8 inches thick and six feet, eight inches tall. If you want taller doors, you can custom order them but be prepared to spend more.
The width of a standard interior door runs between 24 inches wide (ideal for closets and powder rooms) all the way up to 36 inches, which is necessary for handicap accessibility. If you’re thinking about creating a doorway, remember that most furniture pieces are too big to make it past doorways under 30 inches wide.
Interior doors come pre-hung in frames or as doors only, referred to as blanks or slabs. For convenience sake, pre-hung doors are the preferred choice due to their easier installation and lower labor costs.
Interior Door Types
There are many types of interior doors out there, depending on how they operate. Across the board, most frames are built the same, excluding pocket doors. Frames comprise jambs, a sill, a casing, stops and a threshold.
Hinged Doors
Hinged doors are what you see in most residential homes, and they can be either right or left handed. They attach via two or three hinges to their frames. The hinges appear on the hinge stile, while the latch and lock appear on the lock stile.
Folding Doors
Folding doors are designed to conceal a wide space where a conventional door’s swing would cause restrictions. They are mounted in hinged-together pairs, acting as both sliders and hinged doors utilizing end pivots and overhead tracks.
Pivot Doors
Adding a modern touch to any doorway, pivot doors work well in extra wide openings and rotate on a pivot box instead of traditional side hinges.
Wall-Mount Barn Doors
Interior barn doors glide flat against a wall in rooms where space is at a premium. From rustic to contemporary, barn doors come as singles, by-parting doubles, or bypassing systems comprising two or more doors.
Contact Dallas Door Designs
To request a free estimate, contact us at 214-973-0373 or email us at sales@dallasdoordesigns.com. Our designers can help you design the perfect custom made interior door for your home.