Internal Doors Supplied and Fitted

Internal door fitters in Derby

A new internal door rarely fits straight out of the packaging. Doors come in standard sizes, while the openings in most houses have moved, been painted many times or were never quite square to begin with. Fitting one properly means trimming it to the opening, cutting in the hinges and latch, and adjusting it until it closes cleanly with an even gap all round. That is joiner’s work, and doing it well is what stops a door from sticking, swinging open on its own or rattling in the frame.

We fit single doors and whole houses of them: a run of new doors on a landing, every door downstairs after a renovation, or one new door into an extension. We can supply the doors, or hang ones you have already chosen and bought.

Door, architrave and skirting work we do

Most door jobs include more than one of these.

• Internal doors supplied & fitted
• Fitting doors you have bought
• Fire doors
• Architraves & door linings
• Skirting boards
• Front & kitchen doors

How we fit an internal door

1. Measure and check the frame. We measure each opening and check the frame or lining for damage, movement and how far it is out of square, so nothing is fixed into weak timber.
2. Trim the door to the opening. The door is cut and planed so the gaps are even at the top and sides, with enough clearance at the bottom for the flooring.
3. Cut in the hinges. Hinge recesses are chiselled so the hinges sit flush, and the door is hung and checked before anything else is fitted.
4. Fit the latch and handles. We agree the handle height with you, then drill for the handles and mortise for the latch or lock.
5. Adjust until it closes cleanly. The door is adjusted so it closes on the latch without catching and stays where you leave it.

Choosing your doors

We can advise on the right door for each room, or fit the doors you have chosen.

• Oak and oak veneer

  Solid oak or oak-veneered doors give a natural finish that suits both period and modern homes. They are oiled or lacquered rather than painted.

• White primed or pre-finished

  The most popular choice for a fresh, simple look. Primed doors are painted after fitting; pre-finished doors are ready to use.

• Cottage and panelled

  Grooved cottage-style doors and traditional panelled doors suit older houses and look good in oak or painted.

• Glazed

  Glass panels let light through to a dark hallway or landing. Glass in internal doors needs to be safety glass.

• Solid core or hollow core

  A solid-core door feels heavier, blocks more sound and gives handles and latches a firmer fixing. Hollow-core doors are cheaper but lighter and less robust.

• Fire doors

  Rated doors such as FD30 for the places where Building Regulations require them, fitted to suit the door’s rating.

Fire doors

Fire doors are needed in particular places in a house. The most common are the door between the house and an integral garage, which should be a self-closing FD30 door, and the doors opening onto the staircase in a loft conversion or a house of three storeys or more.

A fire door only performs if it is fitted correctly. It needs a suitable frame, consistent gaps of around 3 mm, intumescent strips (and smoke seals where they are specified), usually three hinges rated for fire doors, and ironmongery that does not undermine the rating. It must not be trimmed more than its manufacturer allows. We fit fire doors with all of this in mind.

Architraves and skirting boards

Architraves frame the door and cover the joint between the lining and the wall, and skirting boards protect the bottom of the wall from knocks and the hoover. Both are usually renewed when doors are replaced, so the woodwork in a room matches.

We cut architraves to sit square around the door even when the opening is not, and fit skirting with mitred external corners and scribed internal corners so the joints stay tight as the house moves. Where a new door goes into an extension, we can match the existing profiles as closely as possible, or use the new opening as a deliberate feature instead. MDF suits painted woodwork; timber suits stained or varnished finishes.

Front doors and replacement kitchen doors

• Front doors

  We also fit front doors. An external door has to keep out the weather and secure the house, so the frame, threshold and lock matter as much as the door itself.

• Replacement kitchen doors

  If your kitchen units are sound, new doors and drawer fronts can change the look of the room without a full refit. We measure the existing fronts and hinge positions so the new doors fit the old carcasses.

For a whole new kitchen rather than new doors, see our kitchen fitters in Derby. If the hallway is getting a new staircase too, we make and fit staircases and balustrades as well.

Derbyshire Joinery Specialists is part of Derbyshire Specialists Group, founded by Liam Taylor, who has more than ten years in property and joinery.

Door fitting questions