What Types of Interior Doors are Popular?

Interior doors types

Building a new house or renovating the interior is the perfect way to give thoughtful attention to the overall design of the living space. However, most homeowners usually neglect the types of interior doors. Even when they consider interior doors, they typically think about durability or functionality, such as how they will accommodate the level of privacy or noise control without feeling their beauty. Most occupants do not bother much to pick the suitable style of interior doors for their houses.

Interior doors are the evident elements of any home. Thus, they can add charm and character to any room. Additionally, they divide public areas and private spaces with aesthetics such as custom kitchens. Despite the project and the property’s design, interior doors can have various styles and types to complement the home’s appearance and functionality. The interior doors in any home can add beauty to the decor by choosing and installing the right stylish one.

Interior Doors Types

As told, there are a wide array of interior doors available in the market. They vary in functionality, style, materials, and finishes. Manufacturers utilize various methods and techniques, including a Custom CNC cutting system, to create different interior doors. However, each type can fulfill the home’s design needs if chosen precisely. Thus, knowing current door types that are practical for both kitchens and other areas of the house is essential.

Interior MDF Doors

The interior MDF door is utilized to connect two areas of a house. This type of door is exceptionally resistant to heat and moisture to be practical for kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms. Additionally, MDF panel doors accept various finishes and coating on their surfaces, making them durable materials for long-term usage. Moreover, the expansion and contraction caused by temperature change and humidity will not affect MDF interior doors. Thus, this type of interior door will not be deformed easily. The smooth surface of these materials helps experts to paint MDF panels in more straightforward methods.

MDF doors for interior areas come in different sizes depending on the demanding door frame dimensions. Thus, interior designers can create limitless styles for the room entries. Furthermore, the MDF door is resistant to insects and termites. Another advantage of interior MDF doors is that they are available at reasonable prices and stylish faces, making them one of the most popular Interior doors among current designers and homeowners.

Slab Doors

Interior Slab Doors are considerably lightweight products allowing occupants to open or close the door with a bit of force. These interior doors are produced with a heavy core layer or an empty internal section as is required. The primary reason that these interior doors became popular is that they feature a stretched-out and stylish appearance. Slab doors do not have dents and decorate the interiors with no details except those completed with additional design characteristics. Thus, these interior doors are functional and practical for contemporary and modern interior designs giving them a minimal aesthetic look.

Slab interior doors are produced with various materials. These doors have limitless facing and finishes, making them suitable for different areas, including homes, work offices, cafes, and more. The coating material used on their surfaces determines their glossy appearance, which most designers appreciate. As slab doors feature uniform and flat surfaces, cleaning and maintaining them is easier and quicker than traditional designs. However, depending on the material used for producing these interior doors, they will require regular care and maintenance. But, it is essential to note that slab doors are very durable and usually do not get damaged easily. Manufacturers often apply some substances on their surfaces to provide extra protection against sharp stuff and scratches. Additionally, most people appreciate buying slab doors due to their economical and low price.

Flat Panel Interior Doors

The Flat panel interior doors are produced with single or multiple flat boards with various materials. These interior doors feature a hard-core or hollow central section. These doors are considered economical for homes or buildings requiring the same door designs for different facility sections. As flat panel doors have a simple yet modern appearance, they are suitable for minimal indoor areas. Their design features smooth, ornate, and straight lines that will modernize the interiors. Flat panels are also usable for custom closet doors and can provide various functionalities.

Raised Panel Doors

When it comes to the trendy designs of the interior doors, raised panel doors are definitely in the picture. Their design and style are well-suited for classic and traditional interiors. When carpenters make raised panel doors, they create the doors to feature a raised section which is generally at the center of the board and is surrounded by a remarkable space. Actually, it is the negative space that creates the raised panel vision for the interior doors. The unique appearance of these interior doors plays a massive role in making them the luxurious options in the market. Additionally, the embossed areas that involve more complex shapes that are not developed with smooth sides enhance the stylish look of raised panel interior doors.

How to Turn a Flat Door into a Panel Door?

beautiful and trendy interior doors

Flat doors and panel doors are both suitable types of doors that are suitable for different applications. However, due to the simplicity of flat doors, many homeowners prefer to transform them into a better-looking product with more textures and beauty. These products are essential elements of any facility, and after the roof, they serve to provide safety and privacy to the occupants. They connect different portions of entries and exits. When they have a better appearance, they can enhance the aesthetics of a room, or even exterior products can beautify the overall look. However, the definition of doors is as a movable barrier, securing the opening, and known as a doorway through a building partition or wall.

Whether they are for providing an entry or exit to the inside or outside of a room or for kitchen cabinetry purposes, Flat and Panel doors consist of two primary parts: door frame and door shutter.

Door Frame: The main components of the frame are horn, jamb, transom, head and mullion, and it consists of an assembly of vertical and horizontal members.

Door Shutter: This is a movable barrier containing paneled assembly and fits into the door frame and is available in various styles of panels and rails.

Types of Flat Doors and Panel Doors

It is essential to note that doors have classifications depending on their functionality, working operation and materials. Some manufacturers create their products with MDF material with unique characteristics. Others prefer to make slab or raised panel doors providing different paint finishes for cabinets and interior doors. Additionally, manufacturers create their products with sizes to allow two persons to walk through them without feeling uncomfortable.

Interior Doors: These doors have more function than just separating rooms and providing privacy. They come in various styles and materials, but most of them have solid wood in their structure.

Kitchen Cabinet Doors: Kitchen cabinets door are products that give a whole new look to the area without changing the overall layout of the kitchen. They can provide beauty while being less expensive, consume less time, and not make a mess.

Exterior Doors: Flat doors and Panels are also practical for exterior applications to allow occupants to enter or exit from their houses. They are different approaches for these products materials. Some people prefer to make their exterior doors from MDF or solid wood; others prefer to utilize plywood.

Differences of Flat Doors and Panel Doors

As both flat and panel doors are practical products, they have differences in their appearance. Flat doors are simple products that do not contain additional designs and are perfect for offices and places that do not require complex procedures. They can provide classic looks while having different colour finishes or include natural wood grains. On the other hand, panel doors have become more popular. These doors offer additional details and an aesthetic look. Producing a panel door requires a professional process on the flat panels to become suitable for modern and elegant room products.

Panel doors are available in single, double, three, four, and six-panel styles. They are available in the outward and inward opening. Panel door made up of panels and have a shape of a pattern is often installed between the rails and stiles that form the doors outside frame. The single panel doors are made with top and bottom rails with two tiles. Double panels contain two wooden boards with an extra middle rail that divides the mainframe into two sections. The door with three panels is similar to a double one but with three wooden materials. The paneled door that consists of four rectangular panels is called a four-panel product in which boards with longer length are above a horizontal middle rail, and the smaller ones are below the rail. The six-paneled door consists of six square sections in which four of the panels have the same width and height, and two are longer than others.

Flat Door to Panel Door Transformation Process

For creating panel doors out of flat panels, professionals follow the steps below and make the product look more aesthetic and elegant.

  1. The first action is to remove the door from its hinges by using drills and then lay the product on a flat working surface. They make sure to remove all the hinges and knobs.
  2. The second step is about removing the existing finish, trim and paint. Experts utilize a sander to remove the shiny finish with an easy process. For increasing the work pace, it is possible to use a paint stripper.
  3. The measuring step is considered essential. If the dimensions are incorrect, the door won’t have an appropriate look. It is necessary to consider equal gaps between the panels and the door frame.
  4. The next step is to cut the trim from the existing product, which is possible by utilizing a miter saw. An electric saw can also be worthwhile for projects that require fast pace work. The angle of cutting needs to be at 45 degrees.
  5. After cutting the trims, it is time to attach them to the flat panel. Experts use a square pattern to ensure they make perfect corners and hold each piece in place. Then, they nail each trim to the door panel with a hammer or a nailer machine.
  6. Using a paintable caulk is perfect for sealing the edges of trims. However, this step often takes time, but the results will be very satisfying. Caulk is also practical to create smooth joints in the corners where the trims meet.
  7. This step is optional, and it features painting the product and letting it dry to ensure the finish is applied perfectly.
  8. The last stage of turning a flat door into panel doors is to put back the product in its place. It is recommended to replace the old knobs with new and metallic knobs to harmonize the door’s beauty. Using a significant drill bit in cases of having small holes for new knobs can be helpful.

Flat Panel and Raised Panel Comparison

Flat Panel and Raised Panel

Renovating kitchen is not all about changing colors, floorings or equipment. Using right wood for kitchen cabinets is the most effective factor in enhancing beauty and aesthetics of the portion. Two of the most popular wood-based kitchen cabinet doors for perfect elegant design are flat panel and raised panel doors. They are many factor need to be considered before choosing and buying any of the products. As designing standard, drawer fronts and cabinet doors are considered as the core of the kitchens visual characteristics. Thus, knowing the differences between flat and raised panels could be vital. Nowadays, they are so many people who want their kitchen to have classic or modern look. Both of the product can do the desired service with their unique characteristics and beauty.

Main Appearance and Specifications

The main difference between raised panels and flat panels is in the height of the center panel of the kitchen cabinet door or drawer. The raised panel cabinets are raised above the rest of the door and generally have flat border around them. On the other hand, flat panels have a flat center, which has a raised border around it. Both of the panels are manufactured with CNC cutting and other machinery or hand techniques for custom kitchen applications.

Flat Panels

Flat Panels are the simplest door type for kitchen cabinets. These products have variegated appearance. Variety of finishes and coating is used for the product and this is due to its perfect flatness. The name of the product is relevant to its center panel of the door, which is flat rather than contoured or raised. These panels are very sleek and have clean design and lines. The simplicity of the product is unique and it can bring an extreme modern look to the kitchen

However, they are also great choice for having traditional looking kitchen. These type of cabinets have the ability of blending perfectly into any type of kitchen designs. The material used in flat panels are budget-friendly laminate or wood which are decorative. These panels often have minimal design and are frameless. Thus, the kitchen will take minimal but beautiful characteristics to itself. Another important specification, which the product has, is its easy maintenance and cleaning procedure due to its coverings. These products are often made in light or controlled weights, thus they have easy installing process and obey every safety standard factors in the industry.

Raised Panels

The raised panel is made in a way to provide extra dimension and 3D visualization to the cabinet design. The middle section of the door, which is a raised piece of wood and floats in the center of the frame, creates groove and depth between the frame and the central panel. The center portion of these doors is a little bit higher than the surrounding wood frame and they usually have square edges or arches. These panels bring additional characteristics and extra depth to the cabinets which results in having more appealing interior design for the kitchen.

These are also used for traditional designing of the bathrooms. These panels are not all the same. This means that some may have simple framework appearance around the edges and another may exaggerate greater dimensions. They are some unique products available, which are combination of varied frame-type panels and raised center panels. In general, these products are detailed and intricate. All of the raised panel products can merge perfectly with the grain, texture and color of the wood creating an aesthetic delight and masterpiece of cabinets.

Popular Colors Used for Flat panels and Raised Panels

Mixed Wood Tones

This Type of color finish has been popular for many years. It is available for both raised and flat panels. However, it is recommended for flat doors. This unique color has every type of wood characteristics form high vibrancies to low and faded hues. This color is perfect for creating modern look of a kitchen. It is classy and due to its wood-grain, which shines in some of the portions, it brings texture and depth to the area.

Old World Inspired Hues

Old world colors often contain hues with higher warmth level and have more of yellow in their structure. These colors are also called as old world charm. They are different old world colors available for raised panel such as MONA LISA, PYRAMIDA. Flat panels also have old world inspired hues such as DAVINCI, PILLOW. This type of color is suitable for both modern and traditional looking kitchens.

Sea Green

Sea green is one of the most versatile colors available for raised panels. It can completely merge and blend into any taste of design and it has unique ability of creating a tranquil feeling in the kitchen.

Muted Shades

As the interior designing art improves day by day, designers try to use more modern and improved colors in order to harmonize the kitchen characteristics with cabinets. Designers appreciate muted colors such as navy, deep greens, ivories and even charcoal. These colors are useful for both raised and flat panels.