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 is the practical default: 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.
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 <a href="/internal-doors/glass/">glazed internal doors</a> page.
Doors carry a ten year warranty against defects.
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 within two working days. 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 at the design visit.
Do you take the old doors away?
Yes, removal and disposal is part of the job.
What areas do you cover?
Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The design visit is free and there is no obligation.