Our guide to internal doors
Interior doors can make a striking style statement and, if chosen wisely, could even add value to your property
![living room with internal wooden door and couch](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/44TSj9zMu747BXhnWeZecJ-415-80.jpg)
Revamping your interior doors is a sure way to add appeal and value to your property. Here's a guide to what you should consider when replacing your internal doors.
- Pick a door that suits the period of your house and furniture style. If you live in a contemporary house, flush products offer a sleek minimal finish, whereas panelled doors give greater depth and a more traditional feel.
- Consider the material the door will be made in - oak continues to be extremely popular and can be matched with furnishing and flooring. Wood veneer doors have seen a resurgence in popularity recently, are more affordable and available in a range of finishes. Moulded or primed timber doors will give you a vast range of colours to choose from.
- Internal glazing is a great way to bring light into dark rooms without sacrificing warmth or sound insulation. With frosted glass you can maintain privacy in rooms such as the bathroom.
Fire doors
- When buying new doors you should fit a fire door anywhere a fire is likely to start, such as the kitchen or living room with a fireplace.
- Building regs state that fire doors should be fitted if you are undertaking an attic conversion to provide safe corridor from the loft to outside the building.
- Firedoors come in standard 44m or 45mm thicknesses.
- They are rated to determine how long they can withstand heat and flames. FD30 doors offer 30 minutes protection and FD60 doors offer 60 minutes protection.
- Only buy fire doors that are accredited by professional bodies such as the British Woodworking Federation's BW-CERTFIRE scheme.
An example of modern internal doors with glazing.
A period home with pannelled fold back internal doors.
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Thea Babington-Stitt is the Assistant Editor for Ideal Home. Thea has been working across some of the UK’s leading interiors titles for nearly 10 years.
She started working on these magazines and websites after graduating from City University London with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. Before moving to Ideal Home, Thea was News and Features Editor at Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc and Country Homes & Interiors.
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