Hanging interior doors: frames, hinges, and hardware
A 100 m² house contains on average ten interior doors: this is the most repetitive joinery task in a self-build, and the one that pays back most quickly. A door hung by a joiner costs 200 to 400 € in labour; across ten doors, doing it yourself saves 2,000 to 4,000 € for one to two working days per door. The key is understanding the anatomy of a doorset (frame, leaf, hardware), choosing the right frame type for your wall (wraparound/casing, nail-on, metal), and respecting the functional clearances between the leaf and the casing. This guide covers the full chain, from choosing the doorset to fitting the lever handle, so your doors close to the millimetre and last thirty years.
Anatomy of an interior door
Before ordering anything, master the vocabulary: a doorset is not simply “the door”. It is an assembly of four component families that must all be compatible with each other.
1. The frame (casing / lining / door lining)
This is the fixed frame secured inside the wall opening, against which the leaf rests when closed. It consists of three pieces: two vertical jambs and a head (top rail). The hinge side is called the “hinge jamb” and the other side the “latch jamb”. The frame carries all the loads: leaf weight, slamming, and accidental impact.
2. The door leaf
The moving element that pivots or slides. Its standard thickness is 40 mm for an interior door (compared with 56-72 mm for a front door). It consists of a solid-timber perimeter frame (around 50 mm wide) and a core: hollow (honeycomb card), tubular (timber laths), or solid (particleboard or solid timber).
3. The hardware
All the metal components that articulate and latch the door: hinges (butt hinges), mortise lock, strike plate on the frame, lever handles, and their rosettes. The set is also called “door furniture”.
4. Linings and seals
Architraves (decorative surrounds fitted around the frame on each room face), acoustic sealing strips (EPDM foam or silicone), and a door stop fixed to the floor to absorb the impact at full open.
Tip - Buy your doors as pre-hung doorsets rather than as separate components. A pre-hung doorset arrives from the factory with the leaf pre-drilled for the lock, hinges pre-fitted, and the frame pre-assembled and pre-painted: you save 1 to 2 hours per door. The extra cost is minimal (10-15 € more than buying separately) and factory drilling quality beats anything you can do at home with a hand drill. Reliable brands in France: Menuiserie Renovation, Lapeyre, Brico Depot (Cooke & Lewis range), Castorama (Geom range).
Which door type to choose?
Four families exist, to be chosen based on the room’s use, available space, and wall type.
Hinged door (standard)
The classic solution: 80% of interior doors in a house are hinged. The leaf pivots on two or three hinges fixed to one jamb. It offers the best acoustic sealing thanks to perimeter gaskets. Drawback: its swing arc takes up around 0.8 m² of floor space on the opening side, which can obstruct furniture or a radiator.
Surface-mounted sliding door (barn door style)
The leaf slides in front of the wall, suspended from an aluminium or steel top-mounted track fixed above the opening. No swing arc, easy installation (no recess needed in the wall). Drawback: the side wall must be clear for the full door width, and acoustic sealing is poor (5-10 mm gaps all round).
Pocket door
The leaf disappears into a cavity built into the wall: the ultimate space-saving solution. No floor or wall footprint at all. However, it requires a dedicated wall frame (pre-built cassette) integrated at design or major renovation stage. See our dedicated guide installing a pocket door.
Bi-fold door (accordion)
One to six hinged panels that fold back on themselves. Economical, but acoustic sealing is very poor and the aesthetic is dated. Reserved for wardrobes, WCs, or utility rooms where you need to close a recess without a swing arc.
closet, WC] C -->|New build / heavy renov| E[Pocket door
leaf inside the wall] C -->|Existing wall| F[Surface sliding
top-mounted track] style A fill:#0F4C81,stroke:#0F4C81,color:#fff style C fill:#0F4C81,stroke:#0F4C81,color:#fff style B fill:#56C6A9,stroke:#56C6A9,color:#fff style E fill:#56C6A9,stroke:#56C6A9,color:#fff style F fill:#F58220,stroke:#F58220,color:#fff style D fill:#6B5876,stroke:#6B5876,color:#fff
The frame: nail-on, screw-fix, or wraparound casing
The choice of frame depends on the wall type and its thickness. Three models coexist.
Nail-on frame (solid timber)
A frame in pine or Scots pine, installed before the wall is built and embedded in masonry or plasterboard. This is the traditional method for brick or Siporex block walls. The frame is nailed onto timber grounds previously fixed into the wall. Solid and durable, but requires experience to stay perfectly plumb during setting.
Screw-fix frame (metal)
A frame in lacquered metal section (usually white), installed before or after the wall depending on the model. Very common in commercial buildings (offices, schools) and less common in residential. Advantage: no deformation over time, impeccable factory finish. Drawback: cold aesthetic, expensive (100-180 €), limited colour choice.
Wraparound casing (panel-wrap / casing frame)
This is the residential new-build standard since 2000, designed specifically for plasterboard walls (drywall on metal stud). The frame is an inverted U: it wraps around the wall on both faces via two pre-fabricated casing boards that form “wraps” on each side. Everything is fitted after the wall is built and decorated: fast, clean, and tolerant of finish variations.
| Frame type | Compatible wall | Installation | Frame price | Look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wraparound casing | Plasterboard (drywall / 72-100 mm) | After wall finish | 60-120 € | Standard residential |
| Nail-on (solid timber) | Brick, Siporex, blockwork | Before wall | 50-90 € | Traditional |
| Screw-fix (metal) | Versatile (plasterboard, brick) | Variable | 100-180 € | Commercial / industrial |
Wraparound casing depth
Wraparound casings come in several depths to suit your wall thickness. The critical dimension is the total depth between the two outer faces of the architrave.
| Casing depth | Compatible wall |
|---|---|
| 60 mm | Slim plasterboard wall on 48 mm stud (60 mm overall) |
| 72 mm | Standard drywall: board + 48 mm stud + board (70 mm overall) |
| 100 mm | Reinforced wall: board + 70 mm stud + board, or insulated lining |
| 110 mm | Double-skin acoustic wall |
| 120 mm | Maximum thickness wall |
Warning - The casing depth must match exactly the thickness of your wall as finished (board + insulation + board + any plaster skim). If you are off by 5 mm, the architrave will not sit flush and you will see an unsightly gap between the casing and the board. Measure your wall finished before ordering, and tell your supplier. For non-standard thicknesses, some brands (Sotel, Maugin, Lapeyre) offer made-to-measure manufacture (+50% on the frame price, 3-6 weeks lead time).
Choosing the door leaf
Four core types exist, which determine the weight, price, and acoustic performance of the door.
| Core type | Weight of 73x204 cm leaf | Acoustic reduction | Leaf price | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollow core (honeycomb card) | 8-12 kg | 18-22 dB | 30-80 € | Standard, bedrooms, hallways |
| Tubular core (timber laths) | 14-18 kg | 22-26 dB | 60-120 € | Living rooms, better quality |
| Solid core (particleboard) | 22-28 kg | 26-32 dB | 100-180 € | Home office, master bedroom |
| Solid timber (oak, beech) | 28-38 kg | 30-36 dB | 250-600 € | High-end, character renovation |
Leaf finishes
| Finish | Description | Price | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moulded pre-painted white | Moulded MDF + factory paint | 30-80 € | None, re-paintable |
| Veneered (oak, beech, ash) | 0.5-2 mm veneer | 80-200 € | Re-varnish every 5-10 years |
| Laminated (wood-effect melamine) | Decorative laminate | 50-130 € | None |
| Solid timber varnished | Oak, beech, pine | 200-600 € | Re-varnish every 5-10 years |
| Bare MDF (to paint) | Unfinished MDF | 25-60 € | Primer + 2 coats |
Best practice - For bedrooms and hallways, the white moulded hollow-core leaf offers the best value: 40-60 € per unit, impeccable factory finish, re-paintable later if you want to change colour. Keep the solid-core or tubular leaf only for rooms where acoustic performance matters (home office, master bedroom, bathroom). For a full house of ten doors, budgeting for 7 hollow-core + 3 solid-core doors is realistic at 600-1,000 € for complete pre-hung doorsets.
Standard sizes and clear opening width
French interior doors follow NF P 23-201 (French interior doorsets standard), which defines four widths and two heights. UK standard door sizes differ slightly: the common UK sizes are 686 x 1981 mm, 762 x 1981 mm, and 838 x 1981 mm.
Widths
| Leaf width (FR) | Approximate UK equivalent | Clear opening (leaf at 90 deg) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 cm | 686 mm | 600 mm | WC, wardrobes (minimum width) |
| 73 cm | 762 mm | 700 mm | Bedrooms, hallways (most common) |
| 83 cm | 838 mm | 800 mm | Living areas, partial wheelchair access |
| 93 cm | 914 mm | 900 mm | Full wheelchair access (Part M UK), adapted bathroom |
Heights
| Leaf height | Opening height | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 204 cm | 215 cm | Standard residential |
| 215 cm | 226 cm | Contemporary home, ceiling height above 2.50 m |
Wheelchair accessibility (Part M / PMR)
For a new build intended to accommodate a wheelchair user, or for rooms covered by accessibility requirements (entrance, bathroom, WC, living room, main bedroom), the minimum clear opening width is 830 mm. In practice, a 930 mm leaf is needed because the hinges and the frame reduce the theoretical opening by 80-100 mm.
Tip - Even without a formal accessibility obligation, plan at least an 830 mm clear opening on all main living-area doors (living room, kitchen, bathroom). This is the only way to move a corner sofa, a king-size bed, or a wheelchair if the need arises. The extra cost of a 83 cm leaf versus a 73 cm leaf is only 5-10 €. Reserve 63 cm leaves for WCs and wardrobes where you have no choice.
Hardware: where perceived quality is made or lost
It is the lever handle and the smoothness of closing that the user uses to judge door quality. Not the core material. Do not cut corners on hardware.
Hinges (butt hinges)
| Type | Description | Price per pair | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recessed butt hinge | Mortised into both frame and leaf | 15-30 € | Standard residential |
| Invisible 3D adjustable hinge | Adjustable on 3 axes, fully concealed | 60-120 € | Modern high-end |
| Electrified hinge | With internal cable routing | 40-80 € | Smart door, alarm contact |
A standard interior door requires 3 hinges (top, middle, bottom) for a leaf under 25 kg. Beyond that, fit 4 hinges or heavy-duty ball-bearing hinges.
Mortise lock
The interior lock does not need to be high security: it is simply a latching mechanism. Three main types.
| Type | Description | Price | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latch only (bec-de-cane) | Simple latch operated by the lever | 8-15 € | Bedroom, hallway |
| Latch + privacy bolt | Latch + internal thumb-turn | 15-30 € | Bathroom, WC |
| Keyed lock (cylinder) | Latch + key lock | 25-50 € | Home office, master bedroom |
| Magnetic latch (silent) | Magnetic catch, 0 dB on closing | 50-100 € | Master suite, design spec |
The backset (distance between the centre of the lever spindle hole and the edge of the door) is 50 mm as standard, occasionally 40 or 60 mm.
Lever handles and rosettes
The lever handle is the only component you touch ten times a day for thirty years. Invest accordingly:
- Brushed stainless steel: 25-60 € per pair, timeless, no fingerprints
- Lacquered aluminium: 15-30 € per pair, contemporary design
- Aged or polished brass: 40-100 € per pair, Haussmann style
- Bakelite or porcelain: 30-80 € per pair, cottage feel
Choose handles with a 7 mm square spindle (NF standard) and a matching round or rectangular rosette. Avoid long escutcheon plate handles (hospital style) unless that is a deliberate design choice.
Tools and materials for installation
| Tool / material | Use | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| 60 cm spirit level | Plumbing the frame | 20-40 € |
| Laser level | Accurate plumb on tall openings | 80-200 € |
| Impact driver | Fixing casing boards, hinges | 80-150 € |
| Timber shims (assortment) | Packing the frame | 5-10 € per pack |
| 1K expanding PU foam | Sealing around the frame | 8-12 € per cartridge |
| Tape + carpenter’s pencil | Marking and transferring | under 10 € |
| Wood chisels 12 + 18 mm | Hinge and lock mortises | 20-40 € per set |
| Clamps | Holding frame during setting | 30-60 € (x4) |
| Acrylic filler | Touching up finish gaps | 5-8 € per cartridge |
Step-by-step installation method
Step 1 - Check the rough opening
Measure the three critical dimensions of the rough opening in the wall:
- Width: must be the frame width + 10 mm (packing clearance)
- Height: the frame height + 5-10 mm
- Plumb: check with a spirit level on all 4 sides. More than 5 mm out of plumb over the height means the wall must be corrected before fitting the frame, otherwise the door will never close correctly.
Step 2 - Offer up and pack the frame
- Remove the leaf from the casing boards (the hinges are screwed on, unscrew them)
- Offer the empty frame into the opening and check it fits without forcing
- Pack the frame with 6-8 timber shims (3 per jamb + 2 on the head), starting with the hinge jamb
- Check plumb on both faces of the hinge jamb (vertical and out-of-plane), then the second jamb and head
- Check square: measure the frame diagonals - they must be equal to within 1 mm. If not, adjust the shims
Step 3 - Final fixing
Three techniques apply depending on the frame type.
For a wraparound casing (plasterboard wall): screw the casing boards through the plasterboard into the metal studs, or directly into the adjacent casing board body (4 x 50 mm screws every 300 mm). Fill the gap between frame and opening with 1K expanding PU foam.
For a nail-on frame (brick, Siporex): fix the frame to timber grounds pre-plugged into the wall (8 x 60 mm plugs) using coach screws 5 x 70 mm or masonry nails. Make good with plaster on the plasterboard side or cement render on the masonry side.
For a screw-fix metal frame: direct plug fixings into the wall without shims (the PU foam acts as both packing and filler) - use the proprietary fixings supplied with the frame.
Warning - Expanding PU foam expands to 2 to 3 times its initial volume within 30 minutes. Too much foam between frame and wall bows the jambs inward: the door will bind or fail to close at all. Apply in 3 thin beads per side (not a continuous sausage) and hold the frame with clamps across the opening for 1 hour while the foam cures. For first-time self-builders, prefer timber shim + screw fixing with a light topping-up of foam as a finish - it is more forgiving.
Step 4 - Architrave and finish
Once the frame is secure, trim flush the PU foam with a Stanley knife (24 hours after application), apply plasterboard tape between the casing board and the finished wall, then fill and sand. If the wraparound casing is correctly sized, the boards cover the wall-to-frame junction and there is almost nothing to make good.
Step 5 - Hanging the leaf
- Offer the leaf into the frame, hinge side to the hinge jamb
- Screw the hinges into the frame (positions are already mortised at factory on a pre-hung doorset)
- Check the clearance all round: 3 mm on the latch side, 3 mm at the head, 7 to 10 mm at the floor (for MVHR airflow and thermal movement)
- Open and close the leaf through its full travel - it should stop at 90 deg without banging and close by self-centring onto the strike plate
If the leaf binds or fails to close: adjust the hinge position (1 mm is usually enough). On a modern wraparound casing, the hinges are 3D-adjustable (lateral, vertical, pull) - turn the concealed screws under the plastic covers.
Step 6 - Fitting the hardware
On a pre-hung doorset, the lock mortise and spindle hole are already factory-machined. All you do is:
- Push the lock body into the mortise (22 mm body as standard)
- Screw the faceplate to the edge of the leaf
- Offer the lever handle + 7 mm square spindle + rosette + concealed fixing screws
- Mark the strike plate position on the frame, chisel the recess, and fix the strike plate with 2 screws
For a bathroom or WC door with a privacy bolt, add a thumb-turn on the inside and an emergency release on the outside (flat-blade screwdriver or coin release).
Step 7 - Door stop and seals
Fit a door stop to the floor (screwed into the tile or screed) or to the wall behind the open door: without a stop, the lever handle will crack the wall within months. Cost: 5-15 € each.
Check the sealing strips around the frame rebate (normally pre-fitted on a modern wraparound casing): these are what deliver the 18-22 dB acoustic reduction of a standard door.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Frame not plumb - door swings open by itself or fails to latch
- Wrong casing depth - ugly gap between casing board and plasterboard
- Too much PU foam - frame bowed inward, leaf binds
- Solid-core leaf on standard butt hinges - hinges pull out within 2-3 years (use heavy-duty ball-bearing hinges)
- Spindle hole misaligned - lever turns in mid-air without operating the latch
- Lock mortise too deep - lock body protrudes from the edge, leaf bows
- No door stop - lever handle damages the wall within 6 months
- Sealing strip forgotten - 10 dB loss compared with factory spec
- Reversible leaf hung the wrong way - opening direction is opposite to the plan
- Doorset height greater than rough opening - must trim the bottom of the leaf with a circular saw (minimum 7-10 mm floor clearance)
Cost of a fitted interior door (2026)
Self-build installation
| Item | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| White moulded hollow-core doorset 73x204 cm | 60-110 € |
| Veneered oak solid-core doorset 83x204 cm | 180-350 € |
| Hardware (hinges + lock + lever handles) | 30-80 € |
| PU foam + shims + filler | 15-25 € |
| Door stop + supplementary seals | 10-20 € |
| TOTAL materials (self-build) | 115-585 € per door |
Fitted by a joiner
Labour only (materials supplied by you): 150-250 € ex-VAT per door. Supply and fit:
| Type | Fitted price (20% VAT on new build) |
|---|---|
| White hollow-core door 73x204 cm | 280-450 € |
| Tubular veneered oak door 83x204 cm | 450-750 € |
| Solid-core isoplane oak door 93x204 cm | 700-1,100 € |
| Surface-mounted sliding door | 600-1,100 € |
Self-build saving: 150-300 € per door. Across 10 doors for a 100 m² house, the saving is 1,500 to 3,000 €. For that level of saving, two working days (5 doors per day with two people) are quickly justified.
Standards and references
- DTU 36.5 - French standard for the installation of interior joinery (main reference)
- NF P 23-201 - Interior timber doorsets (dimensions, performance)
- Lapeyre - interior doorset guide - Standard dimensions and finishes catalogue
- Maugin - French manufacturer - Made-to-measure wraparound casings
- CSTB - Technical assessments for acoustic doorsets
Pre-installation checklist
Checklist: preparing to hang a doorset
- Door type chosen (hinged, sliding, pocket, bi-fold)
- Clear opening width confirmed (63, 73, 83, or 93 cm) - minimum 83 cm for living areas
- Opening direction confirmed on plan (pushing into the room, hinges against the wall)
- Opening height consistent with doorset height (215 cm rough opening for 204 cm leaf)
- Finished wall thickness measured and casing ordered at the correct depth
- Rough opening plumb checked (less than 5 mm over full height)
- Pre-hung doorset ordered (leaf + frame + hinges pre-assembled)
- Hardware (lever handles, door stop, specific WC/bathroom lock) ordered separately if needed
- Tools ready: spirit level, impact driver, wood chisels, PU foam, shims, clamps
- Wall finished and decorated (for wraparound casing), or wall to be built after frame (for nail-on)
- Final floor laid, or floor clearance planned (minimum 7-10 mm under the leaf)
- MVHR direction checked: air must transfer through doors from dry rooms to wet rooms
- Door stop ordered (floor or wall-mounted)
- 2 people arranged for the largest doors (solid-core leaves over 25 kg)
Related guides
- Before hanging doors, fit your plasterboard partition walls with the correct rough openings for the frame
- For wet rooms: floor tiling after the doors, and bathroom waterproofing before
- Specific hardware guides: fitting a front door, installing a pocket door, and fitting an internal glazed partition
- If the house will accommodate a wheelchair user: wheelchair accessibility for new builds
- For finishes: fitting skirting boards and mouldings after the doors (skirting boards butt against the architraves)