second fix
Door hanging and fitting
Hanging a door is the most common carpentry job in a British house and the one most often done badly. Expect £80 to £180 per internal door fitted, including hinges and a latch, with fire doors and external doors costing considerably more.
What it costs. Hanging an internal door costs £80 to £180 fitted, including hinges and a latch. Full cost breakdown for door fitting.
What the job covers
- Hanging internal doors
- Fitting external and composite doors
- Easing doors that stick
- Replacing door linings and frames
- Fire door installation and certification
What is involved
A door is hung to the frame, not to the numbers. The frame is checked for square first, then the door is planed to leave an even gap: roughly 2mm at the sides and top, and enough at the bottom to clear the floor covering that is going down, which is why flooring and doors should be discussed together. Hinges are recessed so the leaf sits flush, and the latch and strike are set so the door closes with one push rather than a shove.
Fire doors are a different job with a paper trail. An FD30 door has to be hung with the correct number of CE-marked hinges, an intumescent strip in the frame or the door edge, and a controlled gap, and cutting one down beyond the manufacturer's allowance voids its rating. In a flat, a house in multiple occupation, or anywhere with a shared escape route, that certification matters and the carpenter should be able to hand you the documentation.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what gap they leave at the bottom and confirm it suits your floor. For fire doors, ask for the manufacturer's fitting instructions and the hinge specification. If a door sticks in winter, ask whether easing it is the fix or whether the frame has moved.
Common questions
Why does my door stick in winter?
Timber takes up moisture in damp weather and swells. A small amount of easing at the binding edge usually fixes it, but a door that sticks along a whole edge more often means the frame or the floor has moved.
How much to hang one internal door?
Typically £80 to £180 fitted, depending on whether the frame and lining are already there and whether the door needs trimming.
Can I fit a fire door myself?
You can hang a door, but a fire door only performs as certified if the hinges, strips, gaps and frame all match the tested specification. Where the rating matters legally, use someone who can document the install.
What is the difference between a door lining and a frame?
A lining is the timber box that finishes a stud opening internally. A frame is heavier, usually rebated, and is what an external or fire door hangs on.