Adding doors: hinged, sliding, and French
Place hinged, French, or sliding doors on any wall in a couple of clicks — set the width, position, and (for hinged) which way the door swings; Smart Flow Check keeps furniture clear of the swing or slide path automatically.
Here's a layout mistake almost everyone makes: the door opens into where the sofa goes — and by the time the sofa arrives, it's too late. Getting doors right is two clicks to place, plus two choices to think about: the right type for the opening, and (for hinged) the right swing direction.
RoomSketch3D has seven kinds of doors: a standard hinged Door, a French Door (two hinged doors side by side, for wider openings), two sliders — Sliding Glass Door (typically for a patio or balcony) and Sliding Wood Door (typically for closets) — plus a Pocket Door, a Barn Door and a Garage Door. This page covers the first four; pocket and barn doors have their own page, pocket and barn doors. Smart Flow Check accounts for the swing arc on hinged and French doors automatically, so as soon as a piece of furniture is in the way, you'll see it flagged.
What you'll need
- •A floor plan with at least one wall — see How to create a rectangular floor plan
Step by step
- 1
Pick the door type in the Build panel
On a computer the Build panel is on the left, on its Structural tab; on a phone, tap Structural & Interior under the plan. Scroll to the Doors & Windows section. The door tiles are Door (standard hinged), French Door (double hinged — wider opening, two leaves), Sliding Glass Door, Sliding Wood Door, Pocket Door, Barn Door and Garage Door. Tap the type you want, then tap the wall where it goes — inside or outside walls both work.
Every door type is in the Build panel's Doors & Windows section. - 2
Place it on a wall, then set position and width
After you click the wall, the door lands at a default position. Drag it along the wall to slide it where you want, near a corner or dead-centered. While you place, move or select a door, the plan hides its other measurements and shows just the door's distance to the nearest corner, or the nearest wall meeting this one, on each side. Pick the width in the inspector: standard hinged doors are typically 30–36 inches; sliding patio doors run wider; closet sliders are often narrower per leaf. For an exact spot, see the next step.
A selected door shows just its distance to the corner on each side: 14′ and 12′ 5.5″. - 3
Put it an exact distance from the corner
Select the door and tap one of its two distances on the plan. A box opens with the distance in it: type the one you want, for example 4 ft 0 in, or 20 cm on a metric plan, and press Enter (or tap the green check). The door moves so that side reads exactly what you typed. When you type a new number of feet (or metres), the inches (or centimetres) reset to 0, so 4 ft means exactly 4 ft. The same box has a Center button (Center between the two ends): it puts the door exactly halfway between the corners or walls on either side. A distance that would put the door on top of another door or window isn't applied.
Tap a distance, type it, press Enter. Center puts the door in the middle. - 4
Or type it in the door's settings: From left / From right
The door's settings bar at the bottom shows the same two numbers as From left and From right. On a wall that runs up and down the plan they're From top and From bottom. Tap either one to type a distance; the other one updates to match. Each one measures to the nearest corner, or to the nearest wall or opening on that side.
From left / From right in the door's settings. - 5
For hinged doors — set the hinge side and swing direction
A hinged door has two things to decide: which side the hinge is on (the door pivots from there) and which way it swings — into the room or out of it. Select the door: in its settings, L / R sets the hinge side and In / Out sets the swing (a French Door has only In / Out, since each leaf hinges on its own outer edge). The swing arc shows up live on the plan, and Smart Flow Check uses that arc to keep furniture clear of the door's path. Get this right once and you'll never put a sofa where the door can't open.
- 6
Pick the handle and its finish
Select the door and find Hardware in its settings. A standard swing door has Lever (the default) or Knob, shown at real handle height on both faces in 3D. Every door with hardware has the same six metal finishes as cabinet knobs and pulls: brushed nickel, matte black, brass, chrome, oil-rubbed bronze and white (hover a swatch to see its name). Swing doors start in chrome, pocket and barn doors in matte black, French and sliding glass doors in oil-rubbed bronze. French, sliding glass, pocket and barn doors take a finish only (no lever or knob choice); the sliding wood door has no hardware setting.
Hardware: Lever or Knob, and the finish. - 7
For sliding doors — no swing, but keep the slide path clear
Sliding Glass and Sliding Wood doors don't swing — they slide along the wall — so there's no arc to keep clear (the same goes for pocket and barn doors; see pocket and barn doors). They still need a clean slide path: don't put a tall piece of furniture against the wall the door slides into, and leave both sides of the opening clear of pieces that would block the door from opening fully.
Sliding doors have no swing arc — but the wall they slide into still has to be clear. - 8
Let Smart Flow Check do the rest
Once a door is placed, Smart Flow Check checks it on every change — block the swing of a hinged door with a sofa and you'll see it flagged instantly ("Move it away from the door swing"); the warning vanishes the moment you move the piece. For French doors, the check applies to both leaves. Nothing to invoke — it's always on.
Tips
Match real door widths
Standard interior hinged doors are typically 30–32 inches; main entry doors 36; patio sliding doors 60–96 inches (often six or eight feet); closet sliders vary. Approximating costs nothing here and saves "will this fit through the door" surprises later.
Set the swing the way it'll really swing
Doors mostly swing into the smaller space — into bedrooms, bathrooms, closets — and away from hallways. Set it that way and Flow Check's furniture-clearance check will be checking the right zone.
Use a French door for the wide openings
Any opening wider than ~42 inches that you'd otherwise model as a giant single door is almost always a French door (or an opening — see Fireplaces and openings). It looks right in 3D and behaves correctly in the swing check.
Sliding doors love a clean wall
Even though Flow Check doesn't enforce a swing arc, a sliding door that opens behind a bookcase still doesn't open. Keep the wall the door slides into free of tall pieces.
Common mistakes
Forgetting which way it swings
A door modeled as opening out when it actually opens in (or vice versa) makes Flow Check check the wrong zone — which means it might give you a green light on a layout that doesn't actually work. Set the swing direction to match reality.
Using a single door for an opening that wide
A 60-inch single hinged door has a footprint nothing in the real world has. If the opening is that wide, it's a French door, a sliding door, or a doorless opening. Pick the right one.
Assuming sliding doors need no clearance
They don't need a swing arc, but they do need a clear wall to slide into and clear floor on both sides of the opening. Smart Flow Check still flags pieces that block the slide.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of doors can I add?
Seven: a standard hinged Door, a French Door (two hinged doors side by side — for wider openings), a Sliding Glass Door (typically for patios and balconies), a Sliding Wood Door (typically for closets), a Pocket Door, a Barn Door and a Garage Door. All are in the Build panel's Doors & Windows section (on a phone, under Structural & Interior). Pocket and barn doors are covered in pocket and barn doors.
How do I set which way a door swings?
Select the door and use L / R (hinge side) and In / Out (swing direction) in its settings. The swing arc updates live on the plan, and Smart Flow Check uses that arc as the no-furniture zone — so getting the swing right is what makes the layout check meaningful.
Can I move a door to a different wall without deleting it?
Yes — drag the door (or window, or opening) onto another wall and drop it there, interior to interior or interior to exterior. It keeps its size and settings. While you drag, the wall you're hovering turns red if that spot won't take the drop (no room for the opening, or off the wall), so you always know before you let go.
Do sliding doors have a swing arc?
No — they slide along the wall, so there's no arc to keep clear. But Smart Flow Check still flags pieces that would block the slide or the entrance on either side, so the door's effectively useless if you ignore the warning.
How wide should I make the door?
Match real-world widths. Standard interior hinged: 30–32 inches. Main entry: 36. Patio sliding: 60–96 inches. Closet sliding: varies by opening. The inspector lets you type the exact width.
Can I move or resize a door after I add it?
Yes. Drag it along the wall to reposition it, or select it and tap one of its two distances on the plan to type an exact distance from the corner (or use From left / From right in its settings). Center puts it halfway along. Change the width in its settings. Smart Flow Check re-checks live as you do.
How do I center a door on a wall?
Select the door, tap one of the two distances shown beside it on the plan, and tap Center in the box that opens. The door moves exactly halfway between the corners (or walls) on either side.
Can I change the door handle to a knob, or make it black or brass?
Yes. Select the door and use Hardware in its settings: Lever or Knob on a standard swing door, and a finish swatch (brushed nickel, matte black, brass, chrome, oil-rubbed bronze or white) on swing, French, sliding glass, pocket and barn doors. You'll see it in 3D.
How do I remove a door without deleting the wall?
Select the door and press Delete (or tap the trash button in its inspector). The wall closes up where the door was; the wall itself stays. Undo restores the door in the same place if you change your mind.
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