Contractor Tips: Choosing and Installing Doors

Resist the temptation to install hollow-core doors. Although they look the same as solid-core doors, you'll feel the difference every time you close the door. Even in the most open layout, there are still spaces where you'll want some privacy, and a hollow-core door is not going to do the trick.

Pocket doors with glazing to let the light through are a great way to close off the scents and sounds of a kitchen or dining room without preventing light from entering deep into the house.

I am often asked whether I can turn an awkward hinged door into a pocket door during a renovation. To gauge how difficult this would be at your house, think about the wall that the door would slide into. Are there any outlets or light switches on either side? These would need to be relocated. Is it a plaster wall? No matter what, the wall will need to be reframed, but matching plaster surfaces is more difficult than matching drywall.

An alternative to a pocket door is a barn door. Since the hardware is surface mounted and the door itself slides along the wall, the wall doesn't need to be rebuilt. You should still think about whether the open door will block light switches or outlets. Also keep in mind that a barn door often leaves an angled line of sight into the room when closed, and it doesn't provide the tight seal of a hinged or pocket door, so don't expect the same degree of privacy.

When planning the size and swing of doors, think about how each door will affect the space around it. Some doors stay open more than closed. Will it land against a wall where you want to place furniture? The closet pictured has double doors because a single door would have swung into a walkway.

Bath fans need make-up air to replace the air that is exhausted from the room. A door that is too close to the floor will not allow enough fresh air to enter the space. Undercut doors by ½ inch to ¾ inch to allow air to enter the bathroom when the door is closed.

Doors often need to be undercut when a rug is added to a room. To shorten a door, remove it by popping the hinge pins and set it on sawhorses to cut. Before marking your cut line, wrap the door in blue masking tape. When you cut the door with a circular saw, the blue tape will reduce the splintering caused by the saw.

Opaque glazing is a good way to lighten a dark hallway or landing without sacrificing privacy in a bedroom or bath. If you have an existing solid wood-paneled door, consider replacing one or more of the panels with frosted glass.

Architectural salvage stores are filled with doors that have more character than a stock door and often come with quality hardware — all for the price of a stock slab at your local supplier.

When buying a salvage piece, measure several points on the door. It may have been trimmed to fit an opening that wasn't square in the past. Make sure it isn't badly warped. And think about how this door was hung compared with your intended use. Hinge direction can often be changed, but the latch set might not be reversible.

One of my clients got a piece of 3form ecoresin from a reclaim program. This is a more affordable way to use 3form's beautiful products. We took a salvaged two-panel door and removed one of the panels. We cut the resin panel with a solid-surface blade on the circ saw and trimmed it with quarter-round molding to replace the trim we removed when we took out the wood panel.

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