Interior Door buying guide. What to consider when choosing an Interior door

Contents

• Pick door configurations
• Choose the door framing
• Belldinni door sizes charts for slab, door frame (door unit) and rough opening
• For 1-3/4'' thick slabs
• For 1-9/16'' thick slabs
• Pick the door swing, or handing
• Core type
• Wood species options
• Decide About The Designs
• Door Finishing
• Sound ratings
• Conclusions

Are you planning on replacing a broken or worn door? You should be feeling excited because it’s your chance to add a refreshing change to your room. Instead of making an impulse buy, which you may regret in the upcoming months, you need to know about what to consider when buying a new interior door.

When it comes to buying a new internal door, one of the most popular queries is how to choose an interior door. So, here is an easy-to-understand internal door buying guide for you. Let’s get started:

Pick Door Configurations

Whether you're building a new home and need interior doors or replacing an existing door, the first step to buying a new interior door is to choose the right door configurations. You have many configuration options such as Single Swing, Double Swing, Magic, Single Pocket, Double Pocket, Bi-fold, Barn, and Bypass.

For interior doors, the minimum height is usually 80 inches and the standard widths are 24, 28, 30, 32, and 36 inches. 

Choose the Door Framing

As homeowners want to choose interior doors that suit their aesthetic and functional considerations, doors and door frames are often sold separately. That's why it is essential not to use cheap door frames as they often damage the door and cost a lot more in the long run.

When picking a door frame, it is best to choose the one that complements or matches the door that will be hung in it. You have options to buy doors as: Pre-hung, as slabs or frameless.

• Keep in mind that a pre-hung door is already mounted in a frame.
• A slab door, on the other hand, is not mounted in a frame and you'll need to choose a door frame for it.
• A door with concealed frame: a frameless door provides a modern look by creating seamless, clean lines and there is absolutely no need to trim around the door frame.

The good news is that Belldinni can supply pre-hung doors, door slabs, and concealed (frameless) doors.

Belldinni Door Sizes Charts for Slab, Door Frame (Door Unit) and Rough Opening

For 1-3/4'' thick slabs

For 1-9/16'' thick slabs

Pick The Door Swing, or Handing

You need to pick the door swing or handing before buying a door as it is essential for the placement and door hardware. You will have to decide whether you want the door to swing into the room or out of it. 

The way you choose the door to swing will also determine where the door hinges will be. You can either customize a door or pick between a right-hand or left-hand door swing. Make your decision on what makes you feel comfortable.

Core Type

You can choose between hollow core and solid core doors, depending on your budget. Here is what you need to know about them:

• Hollow core doors: These doors are inexpensive, lightweight, and super easy to install. They are quite popular among homeowners due to their versatility. However, they are not really good when it comes to soundproofing or fire resistance. There are no such doors in the Belldinni assortment.
• Solid doors: These doors are heavier, sturdier, and more durable than hollow core doors. They are much better insulated and offer good fire resistance. Given that they offer more quality, they are more expensive than hollow core doors.
• Honeycomb core doors: This core is light, and the slabs are lightweight. Regardless of the weight, honeycomb filling is known for making the doors robust and resistant to environmental changes.
• (!) There is a much superior option such as doors with Beldinni's solid core. Many homeowners trust Belldinni’s interior doors. It is because the doors have a special solid core, a technologically advanced core that has high-density wood fiber mixed with polyurethane, conifers, paraffin emulsion, and harmless resin. The core empowers the door to provide a high level of thermal and sound insulation.

  If you have a budget for a hollow-core door, the good news is that Door Design Lab also offers doors with solid core, which makes the slab more lightweight and enhances their thermal and sound insulation.

  

All Belldinni doors are built on pine solid frame.

Decide About The Designs

While looking for an interior door, homeowners often can't choose the right door as a variety of designs are available and it can get a bit confusing. So, let’s take a look at three commonly used interior door designs:

• Flush Door: This door is known for its sleek and contemporary look. A flush door is flat and even on both sides and is usually made of MDF or plywood.

  All Belldinni flush doors have solid pine frame and the solid core inside, which improves their thermal and sound insulation

• Stile and Rail Panel Door: It is designed with a classic pattern of panels is built from vertical and horizontal pieces that are combined with wooden panels or glass lites. The number of panels can vary from one up to twenty and even more. It is one of the most common door designs used in the USA houses today.
• French Door: This door has a frame around one glass panel (the panels can be more than one).

Door Finishing

The door finish you will select is going to depend on your budget.

• Primed: This type of door finishing seals the wood with a coating, which promotes adhesion to the final finish. A majority of doors come primed from the factory.

  Belldinni offers the primed door slabs with the concealed door frames.

• Pre-Finished: It is a factory-finished door that is ready for installation. A pre-finished door already has already been varnished, painted, veneered or waxed.

  Belldinni doors, both interior and front exterior ones, are pre-finished.

• Unfinished: As the name implies, the door is not stained or painted. However, it is pre-sanded. When it arrives at your location, you will have to varnish or paint it yourself.
• Stained: This type of door finishing helps create an even color tone and improve the natural wood pattern.

Door Design Lab doesn't sell stained and unfinished doors. We recommend you to go with our factory finish option as it can be way more practical and you get a beautiful and protective finish.

Door Sound Ratings

The STC (sound transmission class) rating of interior doors is an important factor to consider before buying an interior door. If the STC number is lower, it means that more sound passes through the door.

Keep in mind that 25 is the lower STC number, which means that the door has a hollow core and there's very poor soundproofing. Any interior door with the STC number higher than 60 provides excellent soundproofing.

Belldinni's interior doors have the solid core, which provides exceptional soundproofing.

Conculsions

Now that you know how to choose an interior door, pick the door color that fits well with the décor of your room. You can go with neutral shades or bold colors, depending on your choice. Make sure you buy an interior door from a reliable company.

Door Design Lab constantly keeps has over 3000+ doors in stock and we deliver across the US. You can buy your new interior door at a discounted rate from Door Design Lab. Contact us if you have any queries related to how to choose an interior door or what to consider when buying a new interior door.