Internal Doors in London Homes: Specification, Costs and Best Brands 2025

STANDARD UK INTERNAL DOOR SIZES IN 2025 ARE 1981MM×762MM (6FT6×2FT6), 1981MM×838MM (6FT6×2FT9) AND 1981MM×686MM (6FT6×2FT3). LONDON VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN PROPERTIES FREQUENTLY HAVE NON-STANDARD OPENINGS: ROOMS WITH TALL CEILINGS MAY HAVE ORIGINAL 2032MM OR EVEN 2134MM HIGH DOOR OPENINGS, AND NARROW GALLEY HALLWAYS OFTEN HAVE 610MM (2FT) WIDE STRUCTURAL OPENINGS. STANDARD OFF-THE-SHELF DOORS FROM LPD, XL JOINERY OR JELD-WEN CAN BE CUT DOWN ON WIDTH BY UP TO 10MM EACH SIDE (20MM TOTAL) AND ON HEIGHT BY UP TO 10MM AT THE BOTTOM WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE DOOR STRUCTURE. GREATER REDUCTIONS REQUIRE BESPOKE DOORS OR SOLID-CORE BLANKS THAT CAN BE MACHINED TO SIZE. IN LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREA PROPERTIES, REPLACING PERIOD DOORS REQUIRES LOCAL AUTHORITY CONSENT AND LIKE-FOR-LIKE REPLACEMENT IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE REQUIRED OUTCOME; ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE YARDS IN LONDON (LASSCO AT THREE MILLS, RETROUVIUS IN LADBROKE GROVE) ARE THE PREFERRED SOURCE.

LPD DOORS (LEICESTER-BASED BUT DOMINANT UK-WIDE) IS THE MOST WIDELY STOCKED INTERNAL DOOR BRAND IN LONDON BUILDERS' MERCHANTS IN 2025. THEIR ANTIQUE PINE SHAKER FOUR-PANEL DOOR (1981MM×838MM, £85-£120 TRADE) AND PRIMED WHITE SHAKER FOUR-PANEL (£75-£110 TRADE) ARE THE MOST ORDERED PRODUCTS FOR LONDON REFURBISHMENTS. XL JOINERY IS THE PRIMARY COMPETITOR AND OFFERS SUPERIOR FIRE DOOR RANGES; THEIR CRAFTSMAN OAK VENEER 4-PANEL AT 1981MM×838MM (£110-£140 TRADE) AND COMPOSITE FIRE DOOR SOLUTIONS FD30S IN WHITE PRIMED (£145-£185 TRADE) ARE CONSISTENTLY SPECIFIED IN LONDON LOFT AND EXTENSION PROJECTS. JELD-WEN IS THE LARGEST DOOR MANUFACTURER GLOBALLY AND THEIR SHAKER RANGE IN WHITE PRIMED (FORMERLY CALLED STOKE) AND OAK VENEER CAMBRIDGE ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE THROUGH JEWSON AND TRAVIS PERKINS; JELD-WEN FD30S FIRE DOORS AT 1981MM×838MM COST £160-£220 TRADE. HOWDENS JOINERY CO (PRESENT IN MOST LONDON BOROUGHS) SUPPLIES THEIR OWN-BRAND SHAKER FIVE-PANEL AND FOUR-PANEL PRIMED MDF INTERNAL DOORS AT £65-£95 TRADE, POPULAR FOR MID-RANGE REFURBISHMENTS WHERE PRICE IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER. DEANTA DOORS (IRISH MANUFACTURER WITH STRONG UK DISTRIBUTION) OFFER OAK SOLID CORE AND WALNUT VENEER RANGES THAT APPEAL TO SPECIFICATION-CONSCIOUS LONDON HOMEOWNERS WANTING REAL-WOOD PERFORMANCE AT BELOW-BESPOKE COST.

FD30S FIRE DOORS ARE REQUIRED IN LONDON RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS IN THREE MAIN SCENARIOS. FIRST: LOFT CONVERSIONS CREATING A NEW STOREY IN A TWO-STOREY HOUSE — APPROVED DOCUMENT B REQUIRES SELF-CLOSING FD30S FIRE DOORS TO ALL HABITABLE ROOMS ON THE ESCAPE ROUTE FROM THE NEW LOFT DOWN TO THE FINAL EXIT LEVEL. SECOND: DOOR BETWEEN AN INTEGRAL GARAGE AND THE HOUSE — PART B REQUIRES AN FD30 FIRE DOOR AT THIS JUNCTION WITH A STEP DOWN OF AT LEAST 100MM. THIRD: HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION AND PROPERTIES BEING CONVERTED TO FLATS — ALL FLAT ENTRANCE DOORS MUST BE FD60 (MINIMUM 60-MINUTE FIRE RESISTANCE) AND INTERNAL DOORS ON ESCAPE ROUTES MUST BE FD30S. AN FD30S DESIGNATION MEANS THE DOOR LEAF PROVIDES 30 MINUTES FIRE RESISTANCE AND IS FITTED WITH A SELF-CLOSER (THE 'S' SUFFIX). THE DOOR MUST BE INSTALLED WITH APPROVED FRAME, CORRECT HINGES (MINIMUM THREE GRADE 7 HINGES), CERTIFIED INTUMESCENT STRIPS AND SMOKE SEALS (LORIENT LAS23 20MM×4MM IS THE MOST SPECIFIED) AND AN APPROVED SELF-CLOSER (PERKO PC100 SURFACE-MOUNTED CLOSER IS STANDARD FOR LONDON LOFT CONVERSIONS). ONLY A CERTIFIABLY COMPLETE SYSTEM — DOOR, FRAME, HARDWARE AND SEALS ALL FROM THE SAME TESTED CONFIGURATION — ACHIEVES THE FD30S RATING.

INTERNAL DOOR HARDWARE IN LONDON RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS FOLLOWS A FEW DOMINANT SPECIFICATION PATHS. FOR CONTEMPORARY INTERIORS, POLISHED CHROME OR BRUSHED SATIN STAINLESS LEVER HANDLES ON SQUARE ROSES (CARLISLE BRASS LIMA OR FORME ANCON) AT £18-£35/PAIR ARE THE VOLUME CHOICE. FOR PERIOD-INFLUENCED INTERIORS IN VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN HOMES, POLISHED BRASS OR ANTIQUE BRASS LEVER-ON-BACKPLATE HANDLES (CARLISLE BRASS LUDLOW OR PERIOD BRASS UNION LATCH) AT £25-£55/PAIR ARE MORE APPROPRIATE. HINGES ARE TYPICALLY 76MM BRASS-PLATED OR STAINLESS BALL-BEARING GRADE 7 HINGES (MINIMUM THREE PER DOOR ON FD30S, TWO ON STANDARD DOORS) — CARLISLE BRASS OR SMITH AND LOCKE GRADE 7 AT £3-£8/PAIR. LATCH SETS ARE USUALLY UNION 2200 SERIES TUBULAR MORTICE LATCH (£5-£10 TRADE) OR YALE TUBULAR LATCH ON BUDGET SCHEMES. DOOR STOPS (JOIST-MOUNTED FLOOR DOME STOPS OR WALL-MOUNTED RUBBER BUFFERS) SHOULD ALWAYS BE INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE — OVERLOOKED FREQUENTLY IN LONDON REFURBISHMENTS AND COSTLY TO ADD AFTER DECORATION.

LONDON CARPENTER RATES FOR INTERNAL DOOR INSTALLATION IN 2025 ARE: HANG A STANDARD PRE-HUNG DOOR SET IN AN EXISTING LINING — £80-£130 PER DOOR INCLUDING HARDWARE FIT; SUPPLY AND FIT COMPLETE NEW DOOR AND LINING FROM SCRATCH WITH ARCHITRAVE — £200-£350 PER DOOR DEPENDING ON SPECIFICATION; SUPPLY AND FIT FD30S FIRE DOOR COMPLETE SYSTEM WITH INTUMESCENT STRIPS, SMOKE SEALS, SELF-CLOSER AND HINGES — £350-£550 PER DOOR. BESPOKE JOINERY (OAK SOLID PANEL, PAINTED MDF RAISED PANEL, PERIOD REPLACEMENT FOUR-PANEL IN SOFTWOOD PRIMED) RANGES FROM £450 TO £1,800 PER DOOR DEPENDING ON DETAILING AND WOOD SPECIES. IN LONDON FLAT REFURBISHMENTS WITH TEN OR MORE DOORS, VOLUME DISCOUNTS TYPICALLY REDUCE PER-DOOR COSTS BY 15-25% AS THE SETUP AND MOVEMENT COSTS ARE AMORTISED ACROSS THE JOB.