A Buyer’s Guide: How To Choose The Best Interior Doors For Your Home

Choosing the right interior doors can enhance the style and feel of your home, making each room more inviting and cohesive.

Interior doors are functionally and aesthetically essential, enhancing a home’s appeal and value while reflecting personal taste and optimizing indoor space.

Choosing prefab or custom interior doors can be challenging because it involves understanding the pros and cons of materials, particularly regarding durability, sound insulation, and cost, while also navigating an array of styles.

Additionally, homeowners often struggle with door installation and maintenance, including sizing, frame compatibility, and hardware selection, which affect long-term satisfaction.

We’ll discuss eight interior door options, comparing solid wood doors with solid and hollow core alternatives. We’ll also look at door installation and accessories and answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

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8 Types of Interior Doors

Iron Doors

A durable and bold option, iron doors are ideal for wine cellars, home offices, or as statement partitions.

Their heavier weight requires proper structural support; however, when suitably installed, they can be both striking and practical indoors.

Barn Doors

Instead of swinging open like traditional doors, barn doors slide horizontally along a track for a stylish look. Inspired by rustic aesthetics, barn doors have become a popular choice in modern homes for their space-saving functionality and distinctive charm.

Typically made from wood, they can feature a natural, weathered look or sleek, painted surfaces. The often-exposed hardware adds an industrial touch that complements various interior styles, including rustic, farmhouse, modern, and even eclectic decor.

Barn doors are a stylish, space-saving interior option that slide horizontally along a track, featuring various wood finishes and industrial hardware to complement diverse decor styles

French Doors

French doors are an elegant and sophisticated interior option. Characterized by their multiple glass panes, they brighten interior spaces by letting in natural light.

Made of wood or metal frames, these doors can be double-hinged, opening in the center, or single-hinged, opening to one side — a great option for creating a sense of space and openness.

French doors provide elegance and sophistication by allowing natural light to flow and visually connecting spaces, making them ideal for creating a sense of openness

Pine Doors

An excellent choice for adding rustic charm to an indoor space, pine doors are versatile and offer natural beauty to any interior.

Pine doors’ distinctive patterns are particularly well-suited for homes that embrace southwestern, rustic, or country-inspired designs. They offer endless customization options and can be stained or painted in a variety of finishes and colors.

Pine doors offer versatile customization options with distinctive grain patterns and warm tones, ideal for southwestern, rustic, or country-inspired designs

Bi Fold Doors

Bi fold doors are a practical and stylish solution for areas where space is at a premium. These doors consist of two or more panels that fold and stack neatly against one another when opened, allowing for easy access to closets, laundry rooms, pantries, or any other small space.

Typically mounted on a track, bi fold doors are available in a variety of materials, including wood, glass, and composite, and can be customized with different finishes and hardware to suit your home’s decor.

Bi fold doors are a stylish and practical solution for small spaces like closets and pantries, available in various materials and customizable to match your home decor

Sliding Closet Doors

Sliding closet doors are an efficient solution for accessing storage spaces without taking up additional floor space.

They operate by sliding along a track, allowing them to open and close smoothly without swinging outwards. Sliding closet doors’ sleek, space-saving design and versatility make them a popular choice for various interior design scenarios.

Sliding closet doors offer a sleek, space-saving solution for storage access in modern and contemporary homes, available in various materials and styles to match any decor

Louver Doors

With their horizontal slats, Louver doors are a unique type of interior door.

These slats promote increased air circulation while maintaining privacy, making louver doors an excellent choice for spaces such as laundry rooms, closets, and utility areas.

Available in various materials like wood, MDF, and composite, louver doors can be painted or stained to match your home’s decor.

Louver doors provide ventilation and privacy, making them ideal for spaces needing airflow like laundry rooms and closets, while adding texture and style to your decor

Pantry Doors

Pantry doors are designed to provide easy access to your kitchen pantry while enhancing the overall aesthetic of your space. They come in a variety of styles, including solid wood, glass-paneled, frosted glass, barn-style, and even chalkboard finishes.

Functional and decorative pantry doors serve as a focal point in the kitchen while keeping your items organized and out of sight.

Pantry doors provide easy access to your kitchen pantry and enhance aesthetics with various styles like solid wood, glass-paneled, and barn-style, serving as both functional and decorative focal points

Don’t Forget Interior Doors Accessories

Handles and Knobs

Available in designs like knobs, lever handles, and pulls, door handles and knobs combine functionality with style.

They should complement your home’s aesthetic, whether modern, traditional, or rustic, with finishes such as brass, chrome, nickel, bronze, and matte black. Privacy knobs are ideal for bathrooms and bedrooms, while passage knobs suit closets and hallways.

Hinges

Hinges ensure smooth door operation and should match the material and finish of your door handles. Available types include standard, concealed, and pivot, with the right hinge depending on the door’s weight and style.

Choosing the appropriate size and type is essential for durability and functionality, especially for heavier doors.

Locks

Locks provide security and privacy. Exterior doors need high-security options like deadbolts, while interior doors may only require privacy locks or latches.

Modern smart locks offer added convenience and security features. The right lock for your space balances security needs with ease of use.

Glass Inserts

Glass inserts enhance prefabricated and custom interior doors’ aesthetics by allowing light to pass through.

Full-length inserts on interior double doors can create a dramatic effect, while smaller panes offer a traditional look. Tinted or frosted glass is ideal for privacy, while clear glass suits spaces needing natural light.

The Difference Between Solid Wood, Solid Core & Hollow Core

Solid Wood Doors

Solid wood doors are made entirely of natural wood, such as oak, maple, or pine, offering a premium and rich appearance with natural grain patterns and textures.

These doors are highly durable, capable of withstanding heavy use and impacts, and provide excellent sound insulation due to their heavier weight.

Solid wood doors can be customized with various stains, paints, or natural finishes, allowing for versatile design options. However, their quality and craftsmanship come at a higher cost, making them a more expensive choice compared to other door types.

Solid Core Doors

Solid core doors are constructed with a solid core of engineered wood or composite materials, covered with a veneer or laminate. They offer greater durability than hollow core doors, with better resistance to impact and wear, while still providing good sound insulation and a solid feel.

These doors can mimic the appearance of solid wood at a lower cost and are available in a variety of finishes and styles, suitable for painting or veneering. Striking a balance between quality and affordability, they’re a popular choice for many homeowners.

Hollow Core Doors

Hollow core doors are made with a lightweight frame covered by thin wood or fiberboard panels, featuring a hollow interior. They are the least durable and more susceptible to damage, but their lightweight nature makes them easy to install and handle.

Aesthetically, hollow core doors have a simpler appearance that can be painted or veneered, and they provide minimal sound insulation. They’re ideal for budget-conscious projects and areas where high durability is critical.

Pre-Hung Doors vs. Slab & Panel Doors

Pre-Hung Doors

Pre-hung doors come as a complete unit, including the door slab, hinges, and frame, making installation quick and straightforward. With hassle-free installation, they are perfect for new construction or replacing an entire door and frame.

The pre-hung setup ensures the door is properly aligned within the frame, reducing the chances of misalignment or gaps.

Slab/Panel Doors

Slab or panel doors are simply the door itself, without the frame, hinges, or hardware. They are more versatile, allowing you to use your existing door frame and customize the hardware and finishes to your preference.

Slab doors are an excellent choice for those looking to update their interior doors without replacing the entire frame. They offer design flexibility and can be tailored to fit specific aesthetic preferences or unique door frames.

At Builders Surplus, we offer a wide selection of interior doors available as both slabs and pre-hung units. Whether you’re looking for the convenience of a pre-hung door or the flexibility of a slab door, you’ll find high-quality options that meet your needs and enhance your home’s interior.

Find the perfect fit for your home improvement project. Visit one of our stores today.

How To Install Interior Doors

Whether you’re updating for style or performance, here are the basics:

1. Start by assessing your current doors, measuring the openings, and removing the old doors and frames if necessary.
2. Gather all necessary materials and tools, ensuring you have everything on hand.
3. During installation, place the new door into the opening, using shims to level and secure it.
4. Finally, make any necessary adjustments, secure the door with nails, and finish with spackles and paint or stain.

For a detailed guide, read our extensive blog titled 5 Steps to Replacing Interior Doors.

Installing prefabricated or custom interior doors requires a few simple steps

Get The Best Priced Quality Interior Doors at Builders Surplus

At Builders Surplus, we pride ourselves on offering the best prices on high-quality interior doors.

Unlike the well-known big box stores, we provide a personalized experience with a wide range of options in stock so you can find the perfect doors for your home.

When you shop with us, you’ll discover a vast inventory of materials, styles, and finishes to suit any design preference.

Our commitment to quality means you can trust that you’re getting durable and beautiful doors that will enhance your home’s look and function for years to come.

Don’t settle for less. Choose Builders Surplus for unbeatable prices and exceptional quality on custom interior doors.

At Builders Surplus, we offer the best prices on high-quality interior doors with personalized experience, vast inventory, and exceptional quality, ensuring you find the perfect doors

Explore our extensive selection and meet our knowledgeable staff. Visit our store today

Prefab and Custom Interior Doors FAQs

How long do custom interior doors take?

Typically, custom interior door builds take between 5-7 business days.

What are the best doors for interior spaces?

Solid wood, solid-core, and glass-paneled designs that balance durability and style.

Which doors are best for a home?

For exteriors, insulated steel or fiberglass doors; for interiors, solid wood, solid-core, or glass-paneled options.

What is the current trend in interior doors?

Minimalist, sleek designs with glass accents and space-saving options like sliding or pocket doors. If you’re looking to build pocket doors, visit Builders Surplus. Our door slabs offer the durability you need for quality pocket doors.

How much do interior doors cost?

Depending on the door, costs can vary based on the material, finish, customization, and installation requirements.

Find the door of your dreams. Visit our store today