When looking at renovating your home, the doors are an important detail that can be tricky to figure out. Here at Leader Doors, we have a huge range of different doors including unfinished, primed, and prefinished options but if you’re new to home interiors or DIY, it can be confusing to choose the best option for you.
Read on to learn more about the difference between fully finished internal doors, primed internal doors, and unfinished internal doors, and also why you might want to opt for each variety.
What is an unfinished door?
Unfinished doors are exactly what they sound like – doors that aren’t finished with any kind of paint or varnish. They are designed to be finished by, or on behalf of, the customer which adds an extra level of flexibility and customisation if you are looking for a specific colour that isn’t commercially available.
To finish your door, you will need to start by giving it a light sand with some sandpaper. Next, remove the sawdust with a cloth or vacuum and lay your door flat on a work surface to start applying your paint. For a durable finish, it’s best to apply a primer but for doors that don’t need the extra protection or won’t see regular use, you can go straight in with your paint. Depending on the colour, you’ll need multiple layers of paint as well as a top coat to finish. Once done, you can hang your door and enjoy your refreshed interiors!
What is a fully finished door?
On the opposite end of the door spectrum to unfinished doors, fully finished doors are doors that come ready to install and the customer doesn’t have to worry about doing anything. This means that paint, varnish, wax or whatever your desired finish is, has already been installed at a factory-level standard. All you need to do is choose and install the hardware.
Pre-finished doors are usually easier to deal with as they require less time commitment. If you don’t have any specific colours in mind for your doors, a fully finished door is a great idea.
What is a primed door?
If you can’t decide between pre-finished or unfinished doors, or can’t be bothered to prepare an unfinished door for painting, you may want to consider a pre-primed door. Pre-primed doors, also known as primed doors, are a great choice if you want to paint your door yourself but don’t want the hassle of sanding an unfinished door.
Pre-primed doors arrive with a base coat of primer, onto which you can apply a layer or two of your paint. Since primers don’t vary as much as top coats in colour, this eliminates some of the work without limiting your options. Keep in mind though that primer is only necessary if you’re painting your door – transparent wood treatments such as wax or varnish don’t need it.
Do you have to paint a primed door?
Your primed door may arrive looking pretty finished, but it will still need to be painted. The primer will offer a smooth, even surface and cover the porous surface of the wood. Paint is still necessary though to protect the wood against wear and tear, temperature changes, water splashes and other everyday damage.
How to choose which finish of door to buy
There are a number of different things to consider when buying your doors to help you choose which option to go for.
Cost
Cost is something we all try to keep in mind when renovating our homes and there are some cost differences between the different types of doors.
At first glance, fully-finished doors tend to have a higher price point because they come ready to hang in your home and require little to no maintenance. Many contractors prefer to work with unfinished doors as they keep their material costs low but then you’re paying for extra labour so you may want to take this into consideration.
Durability
Pre-finished doors tend to have the edge in terms of durability. Your fully-finished doors will be able to stand up to an enormous amount of punishment compared to your home-finished counterparts thanks to their factory-quality finish. When you finish a door at home, you’ll typically apply between two and three coats of your finish-of-choice. Compare this to a modern factory process, that involves applying more than seven different coats, which are baked with aluminium oxide, and you have a much more rugged finish.
That said, an unfinished door’s lifespan can be extended a little further with a little maintenance – by breaking out the fine sandpaper and re-finishing the door every few years.
Colour matching
If you want to match your doors to the colours of the other furniture you have in your home, or even to your walls, then you’ll have an easier time if you apply the colour yourself in which case, a primed or unfinished door might work best for you. Additionally, if you’re searching for something very specific, you might find it easier to achieve with an unfinished door.
That said, the variety of colour options available for pre-finished doors is on the increase, which means that homeowners have access to more options than ever before.
To find the perfect doors for your home, no matter what your needs are, check out our range of doors including fully finished internal doors in a range of different colours, primed internal doors ready to be painted any colour you like, and unfinished internal doors for you to customise to your exact specifications.