Interior Door Question

10 years ago

My house was built in 1986. It has brown stained baseboards and trim around all of the doors. The house has hollow core interior doors (flat with no panels) with brown veneer, but over the years, the veneer has started to peel off in strips (and the children helped the matter when they were young). Also, a few of the doors have holes in them, caused by the door stops (mounted at the top).

I am in the process of doing repairs before I retire. I would like to replace all of the interior doors, but I am wondering what I should use.

Should I just try to get the same type of door (to help match the trim), or get paneled doors. If I get paneled doors (they are wood, right?), they will not come with a veneer, and I assume I will have to paint them. Will it look strange to paint them the wall color with the brown trim around them?

All advice is appreciated, but I will not paint the baseboard and trim a different color as that is just more work than I am willing to do.

Comments (12)

snoonyb
10 years ago
The typical generic, big box paneled door is not wood and comes primed and is a common enough upgrade.
User
10 years ago
Upgrade to the paneled doors.

No more holes, no veneer to come loose.

Painting is best, but stain can be used(gel stain---which is actually a modified paint)---but if you stain, you have to use varnish/etc. as the finish.

One other thing, if you go to the paneled doors, replace at least two screws in the jamb side hinges with 3" long screws.
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snoonyb
10 years ago
"One other thing, if you go to the paneled doors, replace at least two screws in the jamb side hinges with 3" long screws."

Golf "T"s, hide glue and a VICS bit.
sah54
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you for the responses.

Do I paint the paneled doors the color of my wall or should I paint them close the the brown trim?

Should I do the painting before I have someone install them or wait until they are hung?
snoonyb
10 years ago
Decorating is your province.

Because there is an opportunity for bruising and scuffing when the doors are handled it would be prudent to apply the finish after.
snoonyb
10 years ago
20/20 hind-site;

If you are buying the doors, buy "book" doors, those W/O
pre-cut hinge slots or drilled for a lock set.
User
10 years ago
The 3" screws will contact the rough opening studs and provide better holding power for the hinges, which will be holding a heavier door.

No need to fill and redrill the holes.
snoonyb
10 years ago
"The 3" screws will contact the rough opening studs and provide better holding power for the hinges, which will be holding a heavier door."

You need to use an other than drywall screw.
The existing framing lumber will be dry and hard. Drywall screws are brittle and can snap off. Apply a little bar soap to the threads of the screw, pre-drill the jamb so the soap isn't wiped off before it reaches the framing lumber and do not over tighten which can deform or crack the jamb.
kirkhall
10 years ago
regarding painting...

I think it depends on your wall color.
But, just painting them "white" is fine too--any shade of white--even with wood trim.

IMO.
User
10 years ago
Good point about not using sheetrock screws!

Deck screws that are 3" long often have heads too big. I get screws from McFeely's.com---square head, but seldom break.
dkenny
10 years ago
don't use soap on screws..use wax..
soap will cause the screws to rust..
3" screws on interior doors are an over kill. unless you go from a hollow core door to a solid core door..then use mcfeelys screws..there are stronger than big box screws.

-dkenny
snoonyb
10 years ago
"don't use soap on screws..use wax..
soap will cause the screws to rust.. "

Interesting, however, I've not found it to be true.
We used small leftover pieces of soap, dry, on screws and wood windows as a lubricant, because of the lanolin content.

I carried this practice into the Navy where I pick up small pieces and formed them into a bar called "rainbows"....because beer was more important than spending money for soap.

We didn't use wax because "gas and wax" was often used by the unscrupulous and you could get thrown off the job.

We used bees wax on our hammer handles.