A Complete Guide to Choosing Internal Doors - Part One

Why Are They So Important?

Timber remains the most popular material for doors, with softwood and solid or veneered hardwoods being the main options. Doors made from softwoods are cheaper than hardwood doors such as oak.

Pine is the most popular softwood. It is inexpensive, with the cheapest versions being best suited to doors that will be painted due to their knotty nature. Knot-free pine doors are also available.

Plywood or MDF doors, usually with a hollow core, are another inexpensive option and are widely available off the shelf from DIY superstores.

Certainly anyone aiming for a traditional feel in their home should opt for timber doors, with panelled designs featuring in homes throughout the Georgian era and well into the 1950s, albeit in varying designs.

Timber doors with glazed panels are a great way of ensuring that light is able to flow freely throughout your internal spaces and can prevent small rooms from feeling too enclosed.

For a more contemporary feel, sliding frameless glazed doors work well and act as the perfect flexible room divide in open plan areas.

A more traditional take on this style of door is hinged double doors, which can be flung open to make one large space when required or closed off to create a more intimate, private space.

How Are Doors Made?

The three main types of internal door are panel, flush and pressed hardboard (moulded):

Panel doors are the traditional choice, made from softor hardwood, with either mortise and tenon or dowelled joints. They are comprised of timber sections which will have been grooved or rebated and beaded to take any number of panels. They may also feature glazed panels.

Flush doors are made up of a softwood frame covered with plywood or hardboard and a hollow centre. The higher quality flush doors are often finished with hardwood edging strips and some are available with wood veneers. Flush doors are often labelled as inferior to solid paneled doors but can actually look really effective in contemporary homes. One thing to be aware of when fitting a flush door is that they come with a timber lock block fitted to one side, so take care to hang the door the correct way round.

Pressed doors (moulded) mimic the look of paneled doors, but are often of the same construction as flush doors. They are usually available in softwood or a manmade board. Rather than having a smooth surface, they are embossed to give them a panelled look.

Pick an Appropriate Style

The style of internal door you choose should very much reflect the style of the rest of your home. If your house is traditional or of a period style, then bear this in mind. Georgian internal doors usually had six panels, but from the 1840s the majority of Victorian and Edwardian doors had four, although doors into the more important rooms may still have had six.

1. Iconic’s Milano Door, POA (01621 890260); 2. B&Q’s Pantograph Dark Prefinished door, £129 (diy.com); 3. Saxton clear-glazed door from B&Q, £95.38;4. JB Kind’s Button Ledged Oak door, POA (0870 060 7567); 5. A model from the Limelight range at JB Kind, POA (as before); 6. B&Q’s Elveden Geo knotty pine door, £59.98 (as before); 7. JB Kind’s Royale Oak Flush Door, POA (as before); 8. Iconic’s Montreal Doorset (as before)

The most prominent doors would have been made from a hardwood such as oak or mahogany, although many were actually pine that were then stained to mimic the look of hardwood. Cottages and country-style homes are often well suited to ledge and brace doors (SEE 10).

9. The Paris Doorset from Iconic, POA (as before)

Owners of contemporary homes have a little more freedom when it comes to choosing a style. Whilst flush doors sit very well in sleek modern interior schemes, other options include fully glazed doors – sandblasted or clear – and designs in steel or copper. Another trend is for oversized
doors that become a statement in their own right.

10 & 11. Old Time Timber, POA (01787 277390)

Read Part Two of a Complete Guide to Internal Doors

FURTHER READING:

• A Complete Guide to Doors
• A Buyer's Guide to Sash Windows
• Creating Bay Windows