General

When selecting new doors for your home, you will quickly realize there is a wide variety of options and it can get a little overwhelming. Let’s go over the basics of interior doors before you’re planning to remodel your home.

Basics of Interior Doors – Molded or Flush

First, let’s start with style. The style of the door can either be a molded or flush style. Molded doors are constructed by pressing or molding two panels together to form a particular style. Molded doors are available in both a smooth or textured surface and come pre-primed. These doors are ready for painting, but because they are primed, they cannot be stained. Opposite of molded doors are flush doors. Flush doors are wood based and created when both sides of the door are completely flat with no design. Flush doors are available in paint-grade, stain-grade, and primed hardboard options.

Smooth vs. textured finish

Now that you have selected your door style, you need to consider what purpose the door will be serving. Several door applications exist, including bi-fold, sliding bypass, pocket, mirror, standard, or custom sized doors. Bi-fold is a popular option for closets when space outside of the closet is tight. Sliding bypass doors are typically used in rooms in which you are short on floor space. Pocket doors are very similar to the bypass, but the entry is much smaller and only requires one door. Mirror doors showcase a full length mirror built into the door. A standard or custom sized door is what most people are most familiar.

Door Construction

Once a door style is selected, here’s a little info about the construction of it. Doors are offered in Solid Particle Core (SC), Hollow Core (HC), and Solid Mineral Core (MC). SC doors give the weight and feel of an all wood door. The advantages of SC doors are added security and reduced sound transmission due to its solid, heavy construction. Hollow Core doors offer a much lighter-weight, economic alternative to a SC door. The Solid Mineral Core doors offer up to a 60 minute fire-rated door. These are constructed from fire-rated mineral core material and protected by firestop stiles and rails.

Pre-hung vs. slab interior doors

And finally, you can purchase your door in a frame (pre-hung) or just the door only (slab). When picking out your doors, you want to think about where they are going and whether or not the existing frame is sufficient for your new door.

So, now you have some background about the basics of interior doors. For all of your interior door needs and more, be sure to stop by a Builders Surplus store near you. All of our products are Max T. Value approved! And remember, “When value’s a must, shop Builders Surplus!”