Replace your internal doors.

While many homeowners view this as a simple swap, fitting a new door into an older, settled UK frame often requires precision carpentry. Professional installation ensures the door hangs "true" and operates smoothly without sticking or dragging on carpets.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Initial Inspection: Assessing the existing frame for squareness, rot, or warping to determine how much trimming is required.
• Removal: Taking down the old door and removing existing ironmongery for disposal or reuse.
• Trimming and Planing: Shaving the edges and bottom of the new door to ensure a perfect 2-3mm clearance gap on all sides.
• Chiselling: Creating precise recesses (mortises) in the door edge for hinges and the lock or latch mechanism.
• Hanging: Securing the door to the frame and adjusting the hinges to prevent "binding" or "springing."
• Ironmongery Fitting: Installing handles, latches, and strike plates, ensuring the "click" is smooth and secure.
• Disposal: Removing the old door and debris from the site, typically via a licensed waste carrier.

Typical Costs

Total costs are heavily influenced by the door material and the condition of your existing frames. Hardwood doors take longer to plane and chisel than softwood or moulded doors, increasing the labour cost.

Always confirm if your quote includes the cost of the door and handles, or if the carpenter is providing a "labour-only" price for fitting items you have already purchased.

How Long Does It Take?

• Standard Internal Door: 2–3 hours per door for a standard swap and fit.
• Fire Door Installation: 3–5 hours due to the weight and strict tolerance requirements for seals.
• New Frame & Door: 5–7 hours if the existing architrave and lining must be replaced.
• Full House (6-8 doors): Usually 2 to 3 days for a single carpenter to complete.

DIY or Professional?

Fitting a door is a classic "deceptively difficult" DIY task. While hanging a door is possible for a confident hobbyist, achieving a consistent 2mm gap in a wonky Victorian frame requires professional-grade planes and sharp chisels.

If you are installing fire doors (FD30 or FD60), professional installation is highly recommended to ensure compliance with UK Building Regulations. A poorly fitted fire door may fail to provide the required 30 minutes of protection in an emergency.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Qualifications: Look for Level 2 or 3 NVQ in Site Carpentry or City & Guilds equivalents.
• Specialism: Ask if they specialise in "second fix" carpentry, which covers doors, skirting, and architraves.
• Red Flags: Avoid tradespeople who don't ask about the floor finish (e.g., thick carpet vs. laminate) as this dictates the "undercut" height.

• Do you use a dust extraction system when planing doors indoors?
• Are you comfortable fitting fire-rated doors and intumescent strips?
• Is the disposal of the old doors included in your quote?
• Will you re-fit my existing handles, or do you prefer to work with new ironmongery?

UK Regulations

• Part B (Fire Safety): Fire doors are mandatory for rooms leading onto a protected stairway in houses with three or more storeys, and for doors between a house and an integral garage.
• FD30 Standards: These doors must be fitted with specific fire-rated hinges and, in many cases, intumescent strips that expand when heated.
• Waste Management: If the carpenter is disposing of your old doors, they must hold a valid Upper Tier Waste Carrier License issued by the Environment Agency.

Common Problems

• Hinge Binding: If the hinge is recessed too deeply, the door will "spring" open rather than staying shut.
• Carpet Drag: Failing to account for new, thick carpets often results in the door scuffing the floor or getting stuck.
• Veneer Splitting: Using blunt tools on modern veneered doors can cause the surface to splinter, ruining the finish.
• Latch Misalignment: If the frame has settled, the latch may not line up with the strike plate, preventing the door from clicking shut.

Frequently Asked Questions