White is what most Irish houses end up with, and it is rarely the wrong answer. A painted door disappears into the wall rather than competing with it, it suits period and modern rooms equally, and it is the easiest finish to match to existing skirting and architrave. The decisions worth making are the panel style and whether it arrives finished.
Which panel style suits your house?
Four panel and six panel suit older houses, two panel and flat suit newer ones, and the safest guide is what is already on your walls.
Look at your skirting and architrave first. A house with a moulded skirting and a period architrave carries a panelled door comfortably. A house with plain square edged trim usually looks better with a simpler door.
The other check is the doors you are keeping. If only some doors are being replaced, matching the panel count and proportion of the existing ones matters far more than picking the style you like best in a brochure.
Primed or prefinished?
Prefinished arrives painted and ready to hang. Primed needs painting after it is hung, usually two coats.
Prefinished suits most houses: consistent factory finish, no drying time, no paint smell through the house, and you are not working around wet doors.
Primed makes sense when you want a specific colour, particularly if you are matching an existing paint or going for something other than white. It also lets the doors be painted after any other decorating, which avoids knocks.
Does white always mean brilliant white?
No, and brilliant white is often the wrong choice next to older joinery.
Brilliant white is a very cool, very modern white. Beside an older skirting painted years ago in a softer white, it can look stark and make the existing joinery look yellow.
Off whites and soft greys are worth considering, and increasingly people paint doors the same colour as the walls so they recede entirely. That works particularly well in a hallway with a lot of doors.
Can I get black internal doors?
Yes: our painted doors can be supplied primed for your decorator to finish in black, and black framed glazed doors are available too.
Black internal doors have become one of the most asked for looks in Dublin renovations, and they work best where there is contrast: a black door against pale walls and a white skirting, or a run of black doors along a light hallway. Grey doors are the softer version of the same idea and suit a room that feels too small for black.
Because a primed door is painted after it is hung, you choose the exact black, and the finish matters. A satin or eggshell black is easier to live with than gloss, which shows every mark. Black handles and hinges keep the door reading as one piece, and brass works well if you want a warmer contrast. If you want the black framed look with glass rather than a solid door, see our glazed internal doors.
What about glazed panels?
A glazed door in a hall borrows light from the rooms either side, and it is the single most effective fix for a dark hallway.
Most Irish hallways have no window of their own. Putting one or two glazed doors on the rooms off it changes the whole feel without any structural work. The glass is toughened safety glass to CE standard.
Frosted or reeded glass gives the light without the sightline. There is more on the options on our glazed internal doors page.
Doors carry a ten year warranty against defects.
Who our doors are for
Everything we supply is premium and made to the highest spec, and it is priced to that standard: semi-solid and solid core doors, new hardware, frames checked and replaced where needed, and a 10-year warranty on doors and windows. Quality at this level is not a budget purchase, and we would rather say so here than after you have waited for a quote. If you are working to a tight budget, we are honestly not the right fit.
Doors are usually quoted as a whole-house order, and the minimum is 5 windows or doors in any mix.
How it works
We call out, measure the space and talk through what you want. Our designers draw it in 3D so you see the finished piece in your own room, and you get one complete itemised quote. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
One team for this and the rest of the job
The same team that makes this fits it, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes, internal doors and windows. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact rather than four. See the rest of our work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you match doors to my existing ones?
Usually yes, by matching panel count, proportion and finish. Bring us a photo or we will look at the measure.
Do you paint primed doors?
We can supply prefinished, or supply primed for your own decorator. Tell us which when you send your photos.
Do you take the old doors away?
Yes, removal and disposal is part of the job.
Is a pre-finished door better value than painting on site?
Pre-finished costs more to buy and less to fit, with no priming, sanding or drying time in the house. Most people come out about level.
Is there a minimum order for windows and doors?
Yes. The minimum order is 5 windows or doors, in any mix: 5 windows, 5 doors, or 3 doors and 2 windows. We do not quote for one or two on their own, because the freight alone would cost more than the door or window.