Whether you are renovating, updating or building your dream home from scratch, the question of which kind of door you should buy is going to come up….pre-hung or slab? Most people couldn’t even tell you the difference in the two, and truth be told, one is the raw form of the other. Simply put, a pre-hung door comes with all the bells and whistles, such as hinges, frame and of course, the slab door itself.
A slab door is just the wood, steel or whatever material the door is made of itself, no frame, hinges,etc.
To make it easy, we put together a list of scenarios where the two may come into play for both slab and pre-hung doors...
Reasons a pre-hung door may fit your needs:
- New construction: you may find it easier to install a pre-hung door in a new construction or remodel if the door frame is open and exposed.
- Think of a pre-hung door as a unit, it comes in its own frame
- For exterior; pre-hungs are highly suggested because they come tight fitting, which is crucial with an exterior door to protect the interior of your house from exterior elements. Make sure you do extensive research on climate ratings for all exterior doors.
- Things to consider as a DIYer
- Pre-hung doors are notoriously heavy and difficult to manage without the help of an experienced craftsman
- Shimming is usually necessary when it comes to dealing with pre-hung units.
Slab Doors: How to determine if they are right for you and your project:
- Tighter budget? here you can save a lot of money by taking the more “DIY” path
- Looking for a way get rid of hollow core doors? Community builders often cut corners by using lower quality doors that are hardly unique.. There are endless options to add character to your home by selecting from our many options such as this six panel shaker style door.
- Or this slightly more simple 2 panel shaker style door.
- More options when it comes to using unique doors, from antique doors, to the door from your old bedroom in the house you grew up in… all this will help create an aesthetic and unique feel to the interior of your home.
- Slab doors allow you to customize knobs, hinges, and latches. That opens up a whole new door of creativity!
- The installation of a slab door is like a science, you must be willing to work with exact measurements and pay attention to detail. However, Door to Door does offer custom cuts to our slab doors to give you a hand. Contact us if this is what you need.