Hinged (swing) doors
The default door in almost every home. This is the comprehensive reference — history, mechanism, every standard width, the hand (left vs right) decoded, swing-direction conventions, materials, hardware, performance, code, cost, maintenance, and how Room Sketch 3D models all of it.
A hinged door — also called a swing door, a pivot-edge door, or just 'a door' when no qualifier is needed — is the dominant door type in residential construction worldwide. Eight in every ten doors in a typical home are hinged. The form is so familiar that the word 'door' usually implies it; every other type is named to distinguish itself.
The hinged door's prevalence reflects a long convergence of engineering, economics, and human ergonomics. Its mechanism is mechanically simple — one rotating axis, two or three bearings (hinges) — which makes it cheap to manufacture, easy to install, easy to repair, and reliable over decades. Its operation matches the way humans approach openings: walk forward, push or pull, walk through. And its sealing geometry — a flat panel meeting a rectangular jamb on three sides — produces excellent sound and light isolation, fire resistance when rated, and thermal performance when insulated.
This page is the deep-dive reference for hinged doors specifically. If you want the broader comparison with French, sliding, pocket, and barn doors, see doors overview. If you're choosing the swing direction for a specific door, see door swing and hinge side. If you need the width quick reference, see standard door widths.
In this guide
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History — 5,000 years of the same mechanism
Hinged doors predate writing. The earliest evidence of pivot hinges — the predecessor of modern butt hinges — comes from Mesopotamian temples around 3000 BCE. The pivot version used a vertical socket at the floor and a corresponding bracket at the lintel; the door panel rotated within these as the leaf swung. Bronze pivot-bearing doors weighing several tons were used in classical Greek and Roman public buildings, including the doors of the Pantheon in Rome (still in operation 1,900 years later). The butt hinge — the small interlocking knuckle-and-pin mechanism used in nearly every residential door today — appears in archaeological records by the medieval period in Europe, with refined examples from 12th-century cathedrals. The mechanism was standardized industrially in the 19th century: by 1850, mass-produced cast-iron butt hinges in standard sizes (3.5", 4", 4.5") were available to homebuilders across North America and Europe. Door panel construction has evolved more than the hinge. Early panels were solid plank or board-and-batten. By the 18th century, frame-and-panel construction (a rectangular frame with floating panels inset, allowing wood to expand and contract seasonally without splitting) was the residential standard. Hollow-core flush doors — two thin face panels glued to a structural frame with a honeycomb interior — were invented in the early 20th century and dominated residential construction by the 1960s as labor costs made traditional panel doors expensive. Solid-core doors (the same flush appearance but filled with composite or MDF) emerged as a sound-isolating alternative in the 1970s and have grown in market share as suburban houses prioritized acoustic privacy. The latest innovations are mostly in hardware: ball-bearing hinges (smoother operation, longer life), concealed European hinges (no visible knuckle, popular in contemporary design), magnetic latches (no mechanical strike plate), and smart locks (electronic deadbolts with keypads, biometrics, or smartphone integration). The hinged door panel itself is essentially unchanged from a 1950s house — same dimensions, similar materials, similar swing arc.
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Mechanism in detail
A hinged door is the simplest mechanical assembly in your house, but the components are precisely engineered. From the wall outward: Frame (jamb). A vertical rectangle (the rough opening) sized 2 inches wider and 2.5 inches taller than the door panel. The jamb is a three-piece assembly (two side jambs, one head jamb) made of finger-jointed pine, MDF, or solid wood. The jamb is shimmed plumb (vertical), level (horizontal), and square (90° corners), then secured to the rough opening with finish nails through trim. A door stop — a thin strip of wood — is fixed to the inside of the jamb, defining the closed position of the panel. Hinges. Two or three pieces of hardware along the hinge-side jamb. Standard residential: two 3.5" butt hinges for interior; three 4" butt hinges for exterior or solid-core doors (the extra hinge supports the heavier weight). Each hinge has two leaves: one screwed to the door, one screwed to the jamb. The leaves interlock around a vertical pin that allows rotation. Hinge offset (the distance the hinge axis sits from the door face) determines how the door clears the jamb and the swing geometry. Panel. A rectangular leaf, typically 1⅜" thick interior or 1¾" exterior, with hinge cuts (rabbets) on the hinge edge and a latch bore on the latch edge. Panel construction varies (see Materials section). Latch and strike. A spring-loaded bolt inset into the latch edge of the panel, sized to fit a standard 2⅛" face bore × 1" edge bore. The bolt extends into a strike plate fixed to the latch-side jamb. Turning the handle retracts the bolt; releasing extends it. Pull (knob, lever, or handle). Mounted on both faces of the door. Connected through a spindle that operates the latch. Knobs are common in older houses; levers are easier on hands (and required for ADA-compliant openings). Handles can be smart-lock integrated with a deadbolt that operates electronically. Weatherstripping (exterior only). Foam, rubber, or vinyl gasket inset into the jamb that compresses against the panel face when closed. Critical for thermal and air sealing. Threshold (exterior only). Sloped sill at the bottom of the opening, with a gasket that meets the bottom of the door. Sometimes adjustable to compensate for wear and settling. The motion: the panel rotates about the hinge axis through ~90° from closed to fully open. The leading edge traces a quarter-circle arc with radius equal to the panel width (less the hinge offset). The trailing edge stays roughly in place.
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Standard widths — by use and region
US residential standards (post-1950 construction): Interior — bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, dens, family rooms. - 28 inches: narrow option for tight walls. - 30 inches: standard older construction. - 32 inches: most common modern standard for interior bedrooms and bathrooms. - 34 inches: occasionally used for slightly wider rooms. - 36 inches: standard for main bedroom entries, accessible openings. Interior — closets and storage. - 24 inches: linen closets (single hinged), broom closets. - 28 inches: smaller pantries, narrow walk-ins. - 30–32 inches: standard walk-in closets, average pantries. - 36 inches: large walk-ins. Exterior — main entries. - 32 inches: smaller side entries. - 36 inches: most common front-door width. - 42 inches: oversized contemporary entries. - 48 inches: grand entries (rare; usually paired French or double doors instead). Exterior — secondary entries (back door, garage entry, service). - 32–36 inches typical. Accessibility (ADA-equivalent, US). - 36 inches minimum width. - Clear opening when door is at 90°: 32 inches minimum (the panel itself, jamb, and stop reduce 36 to a 32-inch clear). - Smooth threshold ½ inch maximum. - Lever handle (not knob) — usable by closed fist or partial grip. European and metric standards. - 730 mm (28.7"): interior bathroom. - 760 mm (29.9"): interior bedroom. - 825 mm (32.5"): interior wider. - 925 mm (36.4"): exterior or accessible. UK historical (pre-metric) sizes were close to US standards (24, 27, 30, 33, 36 inches) but European Union construction has largely standardized on the metric set above. Older homes. Pre-1950 US homes commonly have 78"-tall interior doors (not the modern 80") and slightly narrower widths — 26, 28, 30 instead of 28, 30, 32. Replacing doors in older homes often requires either custom sizes or modifying the rough opening.
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Standard heights
Interior, modern US residential: 80 inches (6 feet 8 inches). This has been the standard since roughly 1950 and dominates all post-war construction. Interior, higher-end modern: 84 inches (7') — increasingly common in luxury new construction; matches taller modern ceiling heights. Interior, contemporary luxury: 96 inches (8') — common in 10' and 12' ceiling rooms; reads dramatic. Interior, older homes (pre-1950): 78 inches common; some Victorian and Federal-era homes have non-standard heights, sometimes as tall as 86–96 inches in formal rooms. Exterior, modern US standard: 80 inches typical; 84 inches in higher-end; 96 in luxury contemporary. Older exterior: Often taller than interior (78–84 inches even when interior is 78). Top-of-door clearance. Most jurisdictions require at least 78 inches of clear headroom under exposed beams, archways, or sloped ceilings near a doorway. Below this, the doorway is structurally a closet or has impaired use.
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Door thickness
Interior: 1⅜ inches (35 mm). Standard for all interior residential doors regardless of width or material. Exterior: 1¾ inches (44 mm). Standard for all exterior residential doors. The extra ⅜ inch accommodates better insulation, more robust framing for security, and a deeper weatherstrip groove. Heavy or fire-rated: 2¼ inches and up for commercial or fire-rated assemblies. Rare in residential except for attached garages (often code-required as fire separation). Why this matters for the floor plan. A 1⅜-inch interior door uses a 1⅜-inch frame (jamb), so the rough opening dimensions reflect this. Specifying an exterior door for an interior opening (or vice versa) requires resizing the rough opening and adjusting trim.
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Hand of door — left vs right
Every hinged door has a 'hand' — left or right — that describes which side of the opening the hinges are on. Getting the hand right matters for: layout (where the door ends up open), light switch placement, handle reach, hardware ordering (some pre-finished doors are hand-specific), and floor-plan accuracy. The convention (US, standard). Stand on the side you push the door open from. (For an entry door, you stand outside facing inward; for an interior bedroom door, you stand in the hallway facing into the bedroom.) Look at the door. Note which side the hinges are on: - Hinges on your left → it's a left-hand door (sometimes 'left-handed'). - Hinges on your right → it's a right-hand door. The handle is always opposite the hinges — on the non-hinge side. Swing direction adds a modifier. - Door swings TOWARD you when you push from the standing side → it's the reverse of standard. This is called 'reverse hand' or 'opposite hand'. - Door swings AWAY from you when you push from the standing side → it's standard hand. So the four combinations: 1. Left-hand standard (LH): hinges on left, swings away from you when pushed. 2. Right-hand standard (RH): hinges on right, swings away. 3. Left-hand reverse (LHR): hinges on left, swings toward you. 4. Right-hand reverse (RHR): hinges on right, swings toward. For most interior residential doors, you'll use 1 or 2 (standard hand). Reverse hand applies mostly to entry doors that swing outward and to fire-rated openings where the door must swing in the direction of escape. Why hand matters in practice. - Wall the door lays against. When fully open, the door panel lies against the wall on the hinge side. If the hand is wrong, the open door sits in the middle of the room instead of out of the way. - Light switch placement. Switches are conventionally on the latch side of the door (not the hinge side), inside the room you're entering. Getting the hand wrong means the switch is on the wrong side of the doorway and you reach across in the dark every night. - Hardware ordering. Most lever sets and many specialty handles are hand-specific. Ordering the wrong hand means re-ordering or returning the hardware. - Hinge orientation. Self-closing hinges and butt hinges with security pins are hand-specific. In Room Sketch 3D. Inspector → Hinge side: Left or Right. Swing direction: Inward or Outward. The plan and 3D update live.
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Swing direction — in or out, and the rules
Swing direction is which way the door panel travels when opened: into the room you're entering (inward) or away from that room (outward, into the room you're leaving). Convention for interior doors. Almost universally, interior doors swing into the smaller, more private space: - Bedroom door → into the bedroom (away from hallway). - Bathroom door → into the bathroom. - Closet door → into the closet. - Powder room door → into the powder room. The reasoning: keep the public space (hallway, kitchen) clear of swing arcs; the private space, which is smaller and used less frequently, absorbs the arc. Exceptions to interior convention. - Tiny bathrooms (under 5×8 feet) sometimes swing outward to save interior floor area — important if the only place for a toilet or vanity would conflict with an inward arc. - Some closet doors swing outward when the closet is too shallow for an inward arc (or when bypass/bifold/pocket doors are used instead). - Walk-in closets and pantries that need both sides clear sometimes use sliding or pocket doors instead. Exterior doors. Convention is inward in US residential — front and side entries swing into the house. - Security. A hinged door that swings inward cannot be removed from outside by pulling the hinge pins. - Weather. Swinging inward means the door doesn't slam against the threshold in wind. - Egress. In most residential jurisdictions, residential entry doors are not required to swing outward (a different rule from commercial egress). Exterior exceptions. - Florida, Gulf Coast, hurricane-prone areas: often outward-swinging entry doors because wind from outside pushes against the door's perimeter weatherstrip (sealing better) instead of into the latch (which might be pushed open). - Storm doors and screen doors: outward swing. - Basement bulkhead doors: outward, by design (you walk out of the basement onto the bulkhead steps). Egress doors (US). Commercial buildings, and some residential conditions, require doors in the egress path to swing in the direction of escape (outward, away from the room being evacuated). This applies to: - Buildings with high occupancy (commercial). - Stairwells in multi-story residential. - Some basements and garages. Accessibility considerations. Some accessibility codes require certain doors to NOT swing into accessible maneuvering clearance, which can force a specific swing direction. In Room Sketch 3D. Inspector → Swing direction: Inward / Outward. Combined with hinge side (Left/Right), this fully specifies the door's swing geometry. Smart Flow Check uses the swing arc as a no-furniture zone.
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Materials and panel construction
Hollow-core flush. Two thin face panels (typically 1/8" Masonite, MDF, or molded HDF) glued to a perimeter frame and an interior honeycomb or cardboard grid. Cheapest interior option ($30–60 retail per door). Light weight (10–20 lbs). Poor sound isolation. Soft to impact — fist-sized holes are easy to punch through. Standard for budget construction, rental properties, and tract homes. Solid-core composite. Two face panels glued to a solid-core fill — typically engineered wood fiber or composite particleboard with a density additive. Same flush appearance as hollow-core but 30–50 lbs and substantially better sound isolation. $80–200 retail. Standard for mid-range new construction. Solid wood, frame-and-panel. Traditional construction: a rectangular wood frame (stiles and rails) with floating panels (raised or flat) inset between rails. Allows wood to expand and contract seasonally. Most expensive interior option ($150–600+ for paint-grade; $400–1,500+ for stain-grade hardwood). Heaviest (40–80 lbs depending on size and species). Best longevity — well-maintained frame-and-panel doors last 100+ years. Solid wood, plank or board-and-batten. Vertical solid boards held by horizontal battens or Z-bracing. Heritage / rustic / cottage style. $200–800. MDF (medium-density fiberboard). Common for paint-grade modern doors. Smooth surface takes paint cleanly. Less dimensional movement than wood. $80–250. Glass-paneled (interior). Frame-and-panel with glass insets. Light transfer; reduced privacy. $200–600+. Steel (exterior). Insulated steel skin with foam core. Best thermal performance for budget. Common modern entry. $300–1,200 installed. Fiberglass (exterior). Composite skin with foam core. Looks like wood, performs like steel. Higher-end modern entry. $800–2,500. Solid wood (exterior). Heritage entry; mahogany, oak, walnut, custom species. $1,500–10,000+. Aluminum or steel commercial. Industrial; fire-rated; not common residential except attached-garage door.
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Hardware in detail
Hinges. - Standard butt hinge: two interlocking leaves on a pin. Pin can be removable (typical interior) or non-removable (security exterior). Sizes 3", 3.5", 4", 4.5". - Ball-bearing hinge: butt hinge with sealed bearings between knuckles. Smoother, longer life. Exterior or heavy interior. - Spring hinge: butt hinge with internal spring that returns the door to closed position. Self-closing fire-rated openings, screen doors. - Concealed European hinge: hidden inside the jamb and door edge when closed. No visible knuckle. Standard for contemporary minimalist design. - Pivot hinge: door pivots on top and bottom rather than side hinges. Used for very large or heavy doors. See pivot doors in the doors overview. Latch sets and lockets. - Passage. No lock; latch only. Standard for closets, pantries, halls. - Privacy. Push-button or thumb-turn lock from inside; emergency release from outside (typically a small screwdriver slot or pin hole). Standard for bathrooms and bedrooms. - Keyed entry. Cylinder lock keyed from outside; thumb-turn from inside. Standard for primary entries (often combined with deadbolt). - Deadbolt. Separate lock above the handle; throws a solid bolt deep into the strike. Standard for primary entries; doubled with a keyed entry latch. - Smart lock. Electronic deadbolt with keypad, smartphone, or biometric entry. $150–500+. Pulls. - Knob. Round rotating pull. Standard for residential interior. - Lever. Horizontal lever pull. Required for accessibility; standard for commercial; increasingly common residential. - Door handle. Vertical pull with grip; often with thumb-turn lock. Common for entries. - Pull only. No latch; door swings free (used with magnetic catches or barn-door style mechanisms). Other hardware. - Door stop. Floor- or wall-mounted; prevents door from hitting wall when fully open. Often overlooked; without one, the door knob hits the wall and damages drywall. - Floor sweep. Rubber or brush gasket at the bottom of an exterior door; seals against threshold. - Astragal. Vertical molding sealing the gap between a pair of doors (French door pair). - Threshold. Sloped sill at bottom of exterior door. - Weatherstripping. Gasket along jamb perimeter for exterior doors.
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Performance — sound, light, thermal, fire
Sound transmission. Measured in STC (Sound Transmission Class). Higher = better isolation. - Hollow-core door: STC 18–22. Voices clearly audible through. - Solid-core door: STC 28–32. Voices muffled but understandable. - Solid wood frame-and-panel: STC 28–35. - Solid wood with full perimeter seals (gasket all around): STC 35–40. Conversation barely audible. - For comparison: standard interior 2x4 wall with single drywall: STC 30–35. Wall + double drywall: STC 40–45. Acoustic walls: STC 55+. The door is typically the weakest acoustic link. For real privacy (bedrooms, offices), use solid-core with perimeter gaskets and a threshold seal. Light isolation. Standard hinged door blocks light effectively along three sealed edges (top, hinge, latch) but leaks at the bottom unless a threshold or door sweep is installed. Solid panels block light fully; glass panels transmit it. Thermal performance (exterior). Measured in U-factor or R-value. - Solid wood door: R-2 to R-3. - Insulated steel: R-5 to R-7. - Insulated fiberglass: R-5 to R-8. - Insulated glass-paneled fiberglass: R-3 to R-4 (glass area). Fire ratings. Specified in minutes (20-min, 45-min, 60-min, 90-min) — the time the door holds back fire and smoke. Required between attached garage and house (typically 20-min, sometimes 45). Required on stairwells in multi-story residential. Identified by an aluminum or steel label on the hinge edge.
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Installation — rough opening and hanging
Rough opening (RO). The framed hole in the wall before the door frame goes in. Sized larger than the door panel to accommodate the frame, shims, and adjustment. - RO width: Door width + 2 inches. - RO height: Door height + 2.5 inches. - For a 32×80 door: RO = 34 × 82.5. - See door rough opening for the full chart. Hanging. 1. Frame is shimmed plumb (vertical, both faces) and level (horizontal head jamb). 2. Frame is squared (90° corners verified diagonally — top-left to bottom-right diagonal equals top-right to bottom-left). 3. Frame is fastened with finish nails through trim into the rough opening framing. 4. Door panel is fitted to frame, hinges marked, hinges mortised (recessed) into jamb and door. 5. Door is hung — hinges screwed in, pin inserted. 6. Latch and strike are aligned — typically pencil-marked through the latch hole onto the strike-jamb, then chiseled out. 7. Hardware (pulls, deadbolt) installed. 8. Trim casing installed. A poorly-installed door binds (hits jamb at one corner), doesn't latch (strike misaligned), sticks at the top (jamb out of square), or doesn't stay closed (jamb pushed out of plumb by trim).
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Common problems and fixes
Door sticks at top corner. Jamb out of square. Fix: shim the jamb on the latch side at the appropriate corner; re-screw. Or plane the panel edge to follow the jamb. Door sags — hinge edge drops toward latch. Loose top hinge screws. Top hinge bears most of the door's weight; over time, the screws pull out. Fix: replace the standard 1" screws in the top hinge with 3" wood screws that bite into the rough framing. Five-minute fix. Door rubs at bottom. Threshold raised due to floor refinishing or settling. Fix: plane the bottom of the door, or trim the threshold. Latch doesn't catch. Strike misaligned with latch bolt. Fix: file the strike plate hole slightly, or move the strike up/down by re-marking and re-cutting. Door won't stay closed. Worn latch spring, or door pushed open by air pressure (HVAC). Fix: replace latch set; or add a magnetic catch to hold the door against the stop. Squeaky hinges. Pin friction. Fix: lift the pin partway, apply oil (graphite is best), re-seat. Drafts at exterior door. Weatherstrip degraded. Fix: replace gasket — slides out of the jamb groove; new piece slides in. Door slams. Air pressure differential pulling door closed. Fix: install a door closer (hydraulic or pneumatic) tuned to slow the close, or add a sweep that reduces the air gap.
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Cost ranges — US 2024 installed
Interior doors (door + jamb + hardware + labor): - Hollow-core flush: $150–300. - Solid-core flush: $300–600. - Frame-and-panel paint-grade: $400–800. - Solid wood frame-and-panel stain-grade: $500–1,500. - Custom or specialty (Dutch, glass-paneled, oversized): $800–3,000+. Exterior doors (door + frame + hardware + weatherstrip + labor): - Steel insulated entry: $700–1,800. - Fiberglass entry: $1,500–4,000. - Wood entry: $1,500–8,000+. - Custom mahogany or sculpted: $4,000–20,000+. Replacement vs new construction. Replacing an existing door with the same size and frame is cheaper ($300–1,000 typically). Replacing with a different size (or no existing frame) requires opening the wall and reframing — adds $500–1,500 in framing labor.
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Maintenance and lifespan
Hinges. Lubricate (graphite or light oil) annually. Tighten loose screws. Replace at 25–50 years if needed. Latches and locks. Lubricate with graphite annually (not oil — oil collects dust and gums up). Replace at 15–25 years (mechanical wear). Weatherstripping (exterior). Inspect annually; replace every 8–15 years (UV and ozone degrade the gasket). Door panel. - Hollow-core: 15–25 years before face panels delaminate or core sags. - Solid-core: 25–50 years. - Frame-and-panel solid wood: 50–200+ years with periodic refinishing. Refinishing. Stained or sealed wood doors: clean and re-sealing every 3–7 years. Painted doors: repaint every 5–15 years. Hardware finish. Brass, bronze, nickel finishes oxidize and wear. Replace pulls and lock cylinders at 20–30 years for cosmetic refresh.
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In Room Sketch 3D — every option exposed in the Inspector
After clicking the Door tile in the Build Panel and clicking a wall, the Inspector exposes: - Width. Type the value (typically 30, 32, 36 inches; or any value). - Position on wall. Drag along wall, or type distance from one wall corner. - Hinge side. Left or Right (relative to the side you stand on to push the door open). - Swing direction. Inward (into the destination room) or Outward (back toward the origin). - Show swing arc. Toggle the visual arc on the 2D plan. - Color. For the door's frame and panel. - Height (advanced). Override the default door height per door; useful for taller entry doors. Smart Flow Check automatically: - Calculates the quarter-circle swing arc from the door width and the hinge/swing settings. - Flags any furniture overlapping the arc. - Maintains the flag dynamically as you move furniture. In 3D View, hinged doors render as 3D panels in the wall, partially open by default (showing the swing) and visible in walk mode.
Tips
32 inches is the safe default for interior
Unless the wall is too short or accessibility requires 36, default to 32 for bedroom and bathroom doors. It's the universal modern standard; matches the rest of the house; reads correctly proportionally.
Hinge side = closer to the perpendicular wall
Almost universally, the hinge is on the side closer to the nearest perpendicular wall. The door, when fully open, lays flat against that wall — out of the way. Reverse this and the open door sits in the middle of the room.
Replace the top hinge's short screws with long ones
Standard hinge installation uses 1-inch screws that bite only the jamb. Within a few years, the top hinge's screws pull out and the door sags. Use 3-inch wood screws in the top hinge that bite the rough framing behind the jamb — your door stays plumb forever.
Plan the swing arc before you lay out the furniture
Decide which way every door swings before you place a single piece of furniture against the surrounding walls. Move furniture later; doors are harder to move once the frame is installed.
Specify solid-core doors in bedrooms
The cost difference between hollow-core and solid-core is small ($150–200 per door). The privacy difference is large — solid-core is the difference between hearing a TV through the wall and not. Worth the upgrade for every bedroom and office.
Match interior door style across the house
If most interior doors are flush-paneled, all interior doors should be flush. Mixing styles (flush in some, frame-and-panel in others) reads accidental. Pick one style and stick with it across all interior doors in a house.
Levers, not knobs
Lever handles are easier on hands (especially for children, elderly, anyone carrying things), required for accessibility, and look more contemporary. Knobs are increasingly retro/heritage rather than default. New construction increasingly uses levers throughout.
Common confusions
Hand wrong because you imagined from inside the room
The convention is 'stand on the side you push the door open from' — which for a bedroom door means standing in the hallway. Imagining the door from inside the bedroom flips the answer. Always stand outside the destination room when determining hand.
Swing direction that puts the door in the toilet
A 32-inch swing into a 5×5 bathroom hits the toilet. Either widen the bathroom (8 feet long), swing the door outward (into the hallway), or use a pocket door (no arc). Hinged doors fail in very tight bathrooms.
Forgetting to specify the door's height when ceilings are tall
If your room has 9-foot ceilings, an 80-inch door looks small. Specify an 84-inch or 96-inch door to match the proportions. Conversely, if walls are short (78 inches in some basements), an 80-inch door doesn't fit.
Hinge side opposite the light switch wall
Light switches go on the latch side of the door, on the room-interior wall. If the hand is wrong, the switch is on the hinge side — and you reach across the doorway in the dark every night. Visualize the open door before committing.
Hollow-core doors in bedrooms
Most builders default to hollow-core throughout the house for cost. The result: every conversation, every snore, every TV is audible through the bedroom door. Upgrade to solid-core for any room where privacy matters.
Door too close to a corner
A hinged door 6 inches from a perpendicular wall can't open more than 70–80° before hitting that wall. The latch-side wall and the swing-side wall both need clearance. Pull the door at least the door's width plus 6 inches from any perpendicular wall.
Frequently asked questions
What's the standard interior door size?
30–32 inches wide × 80 inches tall × 1⅜ inches thick. 32 inches is the most common modern bedroom and bathroom width; 30 in tight walls or older construction. Heights step up to 84 or 96 inches in higher-end or taller-ceiling construction; widths step up to 36 for main bedrooms, master suites, and accessible openings.
How do I tell if a door is left-handed or right-handed?
Stand on the side you'd push the door open from. For an interior door, that's the public side (hallway, living room) — not the inside of the destination room. Look at the door. If the hinges are on your left, it's left-handed. Right → right-handed. The handle is always opposite. Pre-finished doors and specialty lever sets are typically hand-specific; ordering the wrong hand is the most common door-related ordering mistake.
Should a bedroom door swing inward or outward?
Inward — into the bedroom — is the convention for almost every interior door. The hallway stays clear of swing arcs; the destination room (bedroom, bathroom, closet) absorbs the arc. Exception: very small bathrooms (under 5×8 feet) sometimes swing outward to maximize interior floor space; very small bedrooms might use a pocket door instead.
How much clearance does a hinged door need?
A quarter-circle arc with radius equal to the door's width on the swing side, completely clear of furniture or obstacles. Plus 18 inches of latch-side clearance (next to the handle) on the side where the door is opened from, so you can stand to unlatch it. Plus 36 inches of walkway approach on both sides. Smart Flow Check enforces the swing arc automatically.
Why does my hinged door sag?
The top hinge bears most of the door's weight (because the door cantilevers from the hinges, and the longer the lever, the more force at the far end). Standard hinge screws are 1 inch — they bite only the jamb, not the rough framing behind. Over time, the screws pull out under the door's weight and the door sags toward the latch side. Fix: replace one or two of the top hinge's screws with 3-inch wood screws that bite into the framing. The door comes back to plumb immediately and stays.
Can I make a door taller than 80 inches?
Yes. Standard heights step to 84 (7 feet) and 96 (8 feet). Custom heights up to ~10 feet are available. Note that taller doors are heavier (more strain on hinges), require correspondingly taller rough openings (RO height = door height + 2.5 inches), and look proportionally correct only with matching ceiling heights (84-inch door looks tall in an 8-foot-ceiling room; 96-inch door looks right in a 10-foot ceiling).
How do I add a hinged door in Room Sketch 3D?
Build Panel → Doors → Door tile. Click the tile to enter door-placement mode; click on the wall where the door belongs. The door lands at a default position; drag along the wall to reposition, or use the Inspector to set an exact distance. Inspector also exposes: width, hinge side (Left/Right), swing direction (Inward/Outward), show-arc toggle, and color. Smart Flow Check enforces the swing arc automatically once you set hinge side and direction.
What hinge size do I need for a residential door?
3.5-inch butt hinges for interior (two per door); 4-inch butt hinges for exterior (three per door — the extra hinge supports the heavier weight and weather load). Solid-core interior doors often use three hinges instead of two. Heavy specialty doors (solid wood, oversized, fire-rated) may require 4.5-inch hinges.
How long does a hinged door last?
Mechanically, indefinitely — hinges and latches wear over decades but are replaceable. Hollow-core panel: 15–25 years before delamination. Solid-core panel: 25–50 years. Solid wood frame-and-panel: 50–200+ years with periodic refinishing. The hinge mechanism itself, with occasional lubrication and the occasional screw replacement, outlasts the building.
What's an STC rating and what does my door need?
STC = Sound Transmission Class — higher number, better sound isolation. Hollow-core interior door: STC 18–22 (voices clearly audible through). Solid-core: STC 28–32 (muffled). Solid-core with perimeter gaskets: STC 35–40 (barely audible). For bedrooms and offices, target STC 28+; for music rooms or home theaters with adjacent occupied spaces, target STC 40+ (which usually requires solid-core plus gasket plus mass-loaded door panel).
Can I install a door without removing the existing frame?
Sometimes — if the new door is the same size and the existing frame is plumb and square. Pre-hung doors come with their own frame and are easier to install in a new opening. Slab doors (panel only) fit existing frames but require matching the hinge mortises and the latch bore exactly. Replacing a damaged frame is more work but often necessary when the old frame is rotted, out of square, or the wrong size for the new door.
What's a pre-hung door vs a slab door?
Pre-hung: Door panel comes pre-mounted in its frame, with hinges already cut and attached. You install the whole unit in the rough opening. Easier; standard for new construction. Slab: Just the door panel — no frame. You install it in an existing frame (or you build a frame separately). Useful for replacing an existing door without reframing; requires matching hinge and latch positions to the existing frame.
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