Interior doors are not high-risk doors. You may settle for second choices, especially if your budget is limited. But you should never settle for poor-quality interior door installation. After all, interior doors are used frequently. They may slam – accidentally or not. And they need to look good since they play a great role in the home’s style, character, overall aesthetics.
Buying the right interior doors, the best possible doors is significant. It becomes a daunting task since there’s quite a lot to consider and the choices are quite a few. So, let’s start with that.
The main interior door choices
There are several interior door types, based on how they operate. Most of them – apart from pocket doors, have a similar construction. This means that they all have a casing on the three sides, a stop, and a frame with the jambs. The main types?
• Hinged doors – they are usually one leaf doors, hinged on the right- or left-hand side and open inwards or outwards. They usually have a knob or lever. Although, double-leaf hinged doors are not common, there are available.
• Barn doors – they run on a rail installed on the top and slide.
• Folding doors – they are not common for the separation of rooms. They are mostly used to conceal storage units, the laundry machine, a kitchenette, etc. they consist of multiple hinged panels.
• Sliding French doors – they run on rails, are commonly two-leaf doors, and usually made of glass.
• Pocket doors – they are also slider doors with the difference that when they close, the disappear behind (inside) the wall – hence, their name.
How to choose the ideal interior doors for your home
• Consider the door type
The interior door type shows you how the door operates, how it opens. It’s not strange that pocket doors are ideal for small apartments. They don’t occupy much space since they are not hinged and can hide into the wall. So, measure well your space having one thing in mind: the door must open fully without obstructions, without making your life difficult.
• Get the right size
If you are looking for a door replacement, you can simply measure to get the right size. If this is a new construction or you renovate and plan to bring down some walls or make any such significant changes, you need to consider your personal needs – when it comes to the door size. Most common doors come in standard sizes but you can also have them custom made. But you need to consider things, like:
Do you need enough space to move around bulky objects, items (like music equipment, desks, furniture, etc.)? You need a large door size.
b. Do you want a door but also to create the illusion of an open plan space when the door is open? You need to get the biggest door possible – perhaps, French doors/sliding glass doors.
c. Is this a low ceiling room? A very tall room? Want the door shorter but tall enough for you to pass through? Or taller than the common sizes?
d. And then you need to consider the thickness of the door – perhaps, even its sound isolation, if you want a door for the theater or music room.
• Think if there’s a privacy issue
Glass doors do not provide any privacy. So, you don’t want them for the bathroom or the bedroom unless this is an en suite bathroom or the bedroom is far away from the common rooms.
• Stick to your budget
The better the quality, the more expensive. If you cannot afford to get many interior doors of the highest quality, there’s no need to invest in thick, insulated doors. These are not entry doors, but low-risk doors.
• Consider health issues/disabilities
Consider if some members of your family have disabilities, are very old, or have any health problems. Or, if you have children. You need to choose doors big enough for a wheelchair (for example) to go through with ease, but also doors with knobs or levers that can be easily handled by older people or by people with some disabilities. And then, you will be all set.
