How to Choose Interior and Exterior Doors for Your Home Renovation Project

Renovating your home can be a fun and rewarding task, but by no means does that imply it's easy. There are a multitude of little details—in addition to the larger and more obvious ones—you must settle before you complete the process. One of those details is choosing the right interior doors for your renovation project. Many homeowners in the midst of buying interior doors are concerned with the doors' operation and functionality, their aesthetic appeal, and their maintenance requirements. If you've already been to the home improvement store and were overwhelmed by the vast selection, here is a guide to help you choose the perfect interior doors:

1) When looking for interior doors, it would be wise to pay close attention to the doors' operation. Some doors swing, some doors slide. A swinging door needs more room to open and close efficiently, but is easier to install and maintain. Sliding doors take up less room and work better in small areas. You'll usually find a larger selecting of swinging doors in comparison to sliding doors.

2) Another thing you should iron out while selecting your interior doors is how they will be installed. If you're going to get them professionally installed, it is wise to add that to your budget so you know how much you realistically have to spend on interior doors.

3) While at the store selecting doors, you should compare the material options. In addition to wood doors, there are steel, fiberglass, or solid glass. Wood is the perfect choice for interior doors because it looks great, it's durable and solid wood offers superior sound protection. Wood doors come in solid or hollow variety.

4) The next thing you should start ponder is the design. Most interior doors are available with smooth faces or carved panel designs. There are a huge variety of panel options to choose from and some manufacturers will even make custom designs to complement the rest of your home's décor.

5) After you've chosen the design, a finish should be selected. Wood and fiberglass doors can be stained or painted. If you want a maintenance free door that has some decorative appeal to it, you should look for a fiberglass door with integral pigments or dyes that doesn't require painting.

6) The swing of the door is also an important factor to consider. When facing the lock side of a door, a right-handed door will swing to the right and a left hand door will swing to the left. A right-handed door will need a right-handed frame and vice versa, so keep that in mind when purchasing a door. Doors should be able to swing in their full-range without interfering with furniture, travel or operation of cabinets, etc.

7) Measuring the door frame and coordinating that measurement to the perfect door can be a little tricky. Doors should be about 1/8" smaller than the frame for both length and width if you'd like it to operate properly.