5 Useful Tips to Have in Mind When Changing Interior Doors
We’ve said it before – when sprucing up the interior, often many homeowners tend to neglect one of the important elements, namely the interior doors. Interior doors, however, serve not only functionality, but are important visually as well. They give a room its complete look, so when remodeling, think about changing the interior doors as well.
In short, investing in new interior doors is worth the investment. So take a look at your interior doors and if you spot some defects or signs of wear, act now!
Broadly speaking, from here on out you’ve got two options. Either look for/order bespoke interior doors or try and change the exterior of the interior doors so that they are in unison with the decor of the interior space. The latter is not recommended though because results are often disappointing. To make the process of changing your interior door go smooth, here are the five tips we at SBS Design consider quite useful.
#1 Dimensions, materials, maintenance
First and foremost, you need to decide on the type of the interior door. In addition to that, you have to choose the right material and measure the interior door for replacement. In terms of types, interior doors could be classic – doors that open into a room or outwards; sliding – as the name suggests, these doors slide to reveal the entrance into a room; and doors that open both ways. The latter rarely find place in a modern home and are rather used as part of the interior in industrial premises, restaurants or office buildings, where functionality is key. As for the materials used, more often than not, veneered, laminated or painted MDF is used, each of the three coming with its own advantages and disadvantages. You can read more on how to decide on the type of material for your interior doors as well as manner of opening in this blog post.
#2 Left hand or right hand
Changing the interior doors is also the right time to determine whether classic interior doors should be right hand (RH) or left hand (LH), or in other words, where the door handle and the hinges should be. There are couple of things you need to consider here:
- On which side of the door is the light switch in a given room? It is recommended that the door handle is on the side of the light switch.
- It is important for as much of the room to be visible when opening the door – i.e., the wall should not be the first thing you see when you open your door.
- No furniture should be in the way of the door.
Visit our dedicated blog post for more on the subject.
#3 Removing old doors and additional repairs
Removing the old doors is relatively easy. You just need to take the doors off the hinges and remove the frames. NB: When changing interior doors you absolutely have to change the old frames. It’s a common mistake for homeowners to leave the old frames, especially metal ones in older buildings. That happens because metal frames are too difficult to be removed. Fixing MDF on the metal frame is not an option, or at least – not a good one, because the entry is getting narrower. In other words, the door would have to be narrower as well, which is not that practical. And so, if you cannot yourself remove the old frame, call the pros. After you have the frames out of the way, take a look at the floors. In case a major remodeling is in the works, first you’ve got to change the floors and then have the measures for the interior doors taken.
#4 Measurements and installation
As we mentioned in the beginning, taking the right measures is crucial. A difference of 1-2 millimeters alone could make your door not fully close/open at all or drag on the floor. This is why you better trust that part to the professionals. They are trained and able to take precise measurements for doors, frames and sills. As already said, taking measurements and changing interior doors should happen only after you’ve completed the floor remodelling. Installation itself, on the other hand, should best be done after the first coat of paint is dry on the walls.
#5 Think long term
Changing your interior doors is something you will need to do once every 20 years. With that in mind, invest in quality interior doors. Besides quality materials for the door, mechanisms (handles, hinges, locks) are also quite important. So it’s better to pick mechanisms that are more on the expensive side, but will serve their purpose over many years to come. After all, it is precisely these parts that get the most wear in a door!
Follow these five tips when changing your interior doors and you are guaranteed to be satisfied with the result!