What is a Pre-hung Interior Door? | What you Need to Know

We assume that if you searched for the term, “Pre-Hung Interior Door” you know what it is. But just to make sure we are all on the same page, let’s start off with a definition.

Here at TrimTek, when we use the term “Pre-hung Interior Door,” we refer to a door that comes already attached to a frame with hinges that can easily be installed inside a structure, usually between rooms. Of course, doors leading to the outside are also better pre-hung but we will discuss the special considerations for pre-hung exterior doors in another blog.

A door without a frame is called a slab because that’s all there is to it – a slab of material which still needs to be placed into a frame. There are many reasons why Pre-Hung is the way to go. Here’s why.

The Advantage of a Pre-Hung Door

One of the trickiest parts of installing a door is making sure the slab fits easily and swings smoothly in the frame. When the slab and the frame are not constructed together, the installations and positioning are a lot more difficult. When the fit isn’t easy, there is a lot more trial and error and that takes a lot more time. This may be fine when you are just installed one door but imagine installing 20 doors in small house or hundreds of doors in an apartment building, condos or a business park. Those extra minutes for each door add up and can mean significant added expense.

The other consideration is the experience level of the person hanging the door. If your door and frame need a lot of adjustment you need a more experienced carpenter. On the other hand, a pre-hung door is easier to work with and can be installed by a worker with less carpentry experience. Cost again can be impacted by the person doing the install.

What Type of Door? There are lots of variables when you are ordering a door. What materials are you using throughout the rest of the home or office? Are the doors painted or stained and if there are painted, what color do you want? Another big consideration is solid core versus hollow core. A hollow core door is lighter and less expensive where a solid core door is heavier with a higher quality “feel.” Again, cost is a factor. A solid core door has more material, more weight.

Interior Door Swings Should your door swing from the left or the right? This can be a pretty important consideration and require species attention to adjacent interior doors. The last thing you want is for your interior doors to be hitting each other when their open into a hallway.