Interior Door Installation Cost by Type
The kind of door you choose, and whether it comes with its own frame, matters more than anything else. The table below shows installed prices per door, including removal of the old one, plus what five doors of the same type typically cost.
| Door type | Per door installed | Five doors | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slab only (existing frame) | $270–$630 | $1,350–$3,150 | Cheaper door, more labor to fit |
| Prehung, hollow-core | $320–$830 | $1,600–$4,150 | Most common bedroom and closet door |
| Prehung, solid-core | $470–$1,080 | $2,350–$5,400 | Quieter, heavier, feels more solid |
| Prehung, solid wood | $620–$1,580 | $3,100–$7,900 | Stain-grade or custom looks |
| Bifold closet door | $170–$480 | $850–$2,400 | Track-mounted, fast to install |
| French doors (pair) | $720–$2,580 | n/a | Wider opening, glass panels |
| Pocket door | $820–$2,580 | n/a | Requires opening the wall |
| Sliding barn door | $320–$1,580 | n/a | Surface-mounted track |
For a standard prehung hollow-core door, most homeowners pay $320 to $830 per door, with about $550 being typical. The major cost guides land in the same area but spread widely: HomeGuide reports a national average of about $344 per door, Homewyse estimates $440 to $669 for a basic slab installation, and Angi puts the average at roughly $802 with a range of $363 to $1,242, reflecting more solid-core and specialty doors in its data.
Slab vs. Prehung Interior Doors
This is the choice that confuses most people, and it affects both the door price and the labor bill.
A slab is just the door panel: no frame, no hinges, no holes for the knob. It’s cheaper to buy, typically $30 to $300, but the installer has to trim it to fit your existing opening, cut hinge mortises, and bore the lockset holes. Bob Vila notes a slab can take 3 to 6 hours to hang properly, which is why labor can end up higher than for a prehung door.
A prehung door arrives already mounted in its frame with hinges attached. The old frame comes out, the new unit is set, shimmed, and nailed in, and the trim goes back on. For an experienced carpenter, that often takes about an hour. Prehung units cost somewhat more to buy but are usually the better value when the old frame is damaged, out of square, or when you’re changing door sizes.
- Choose a slab when the existing jamb is straight and sound and you want to keep the original trim, which is common in older homes with period casing.
- Choose prehung for new openings, damaged frames, sticking doors caused by settling, or whole-house updates where you want consistent results.
Specialty Interior Doors
Not every opening gets a standard swinging door, and specialty types change the job more than the price of the panel suggests.
Bifold and bypass closet doors
These hang from a track in the head jamb rather than on hinges, so installation is quick and there’s no frame to replace. They’re the cheapest way to update closets, typically $170 to $480 per opening installed. Home Depot lists labor for bifold, bypass, and pocket doors at about $228 each.
French doors
Interior French doors are a pair of glass-panel doors, often used between a living room and a den or office. They need a wider opening and careful alignment so the two leaves meet evenly, so expect $720 to $2,580 installed. Enlarging an opening to fit them adds framing and drywall work.
Pocket doors
A pocket door slides into a cavity inside the wall, which saves floor space in small bathrooms and hallways. The catch is that the wall has to be opened to install the pocket frame, then patched and painted, so installed prices run about $820 to $2,580.
Barn doors
Barn doors slide along an exposed track mounted above the opening. There’s no frame work, but the track needs solid blocking in the wall. The door and hardware kit drive most of the price, which ranges from about $320 to $1,580 installed.
Cost Breakdown: Materials vs. Labor
For a standard interior door, labor is often close to half of the total. Angi estimates about $350 of labor for a typical removal and replacement.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Hollow-core door (slab or prehung) | $30–$300 |
| Solid-core door | $60–$500 |
| Solid wood door | $150–$850 |
| Installation labor per door | $100–$400 |
| Knob or lever set | $20–$200 |
| Hinges | $8–$50 per set |
| Old door removal and disposal | $20–$80 |
| Painting door and frame | $75–$150 |
Carpenters and handymen typically charge $30 to $90 per hour. Home Depot, for example, lists interior door installation labor at about $178 to $398 for one or two doors, with lower per-door pricing for larger orders.
Other Factors That Affect Interior Door Cost
Number of doors
Most installers have a minimum trip charge, so a single door costs more per unit than a batch. Replacing every door in a house at once usually brings the per-door labor down, and buying matching doors in bulk helps too.
Door material and style
Hollow-core molded doors are the cheapest and lightest. Solid-core doors cost more but block noise far better, which is worth it for bedrooms, home offices, and bathrooms. Solid wood, glass-panel, and custom sizes sit at the top of the range.
Frame and wall condition
An opening that has settled out of square, a cracked jamb, or damaged drywall around the frame adds time. If the wall needs patching after the old frame comes out, see our drywall repair cost guide.
Trim and casing
Reusing casing saves money, but it often splits when removed from older homes. New trim typically adds a modest per-foot material cost plus the time to cut, nail, fill, and caulk it.
Hardware and finishing
Many prehung doors come primed, not painted. Painting both sides of the door and the frame usually adds $75 to $150 per door, and privacy or passage hardware is sold separately.
Flooring changes
If you’re installing new floors, doors may need to be trimmed at the bottom to clear thicker flooring. Plan door work after the floors go in; our hardwood floor installation cost guide covers that project.
Before you hire: get at least three written, itemized quotes from licensed and insured local pros. Prices for the same job often differ by 30% or more, and comparing line items is the fastest way to spot padding or missing work.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Interior doors are one of the more DIY-friendly carpentry jobs, since there’s no weatherproofing and no permit in most cases. A prehung door in a sound opening is manageable for a handy homeowner with a level, shims, a nail gun, and patience. The common mistakes are a frame that isn’t plumb, which makes the door swing open or closed on its own, and gaps that are uneven along the top and latch side.
Hanging slab doors is harder than it looks. Cutting clean hinge mortises and boring the lockset in the right spot takes practice or a jig, and a mistake ruins the door. If you have several slabs to hang or older frames that aren’t square, a finish carpenter will usually do a cleaner job faster.
Pocket doors are best left to a pro, because the wall has to be opened, and any wiring or plumbing in that stud bay has to be rerouted, which may require a licensed electrician or plumber.
How to Save Money on Interior Door Installation
- Replace doors in batches. Five or ten doors in one visit cost far less per door than one at a time.
- Use hollow-core for closets and save solid-core doors for bedrooms and bathrooms where sound control matters.
- Buy standard sizes. 28, 30, 32, and 36-inch widths at 80 inches tall are stocked everywhere and cost less than custom sizes.
- Keep good frames. If the jamb is straight and solid, a slab may be cheaper overall than tearing out the old frame.
- Paint doors yourself. Primed doors are easy to finish on sawhorses before or after installation.
- Reuse hardware if your current knobs and hinges are in good shape and match the new door’s finish.
For exterior projects, see our patio door replacement cost and storm door installation cost guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to install a prehung interior door?
A prehung hollow-core door typically costs $320 to $830 installed, with about $550 being common. Solid-core prehung doors usually run $470 to $1,080, and solid wood can reach $1,500 or more.
Is it cheaper to install a slab or a prehung door?
A slab door is cheaper to buy, but it takes more labor to fit because hinges and lock holes must be cut on site. Installed, a slab in an existing frame typically costs $270 to $630, compared with $320 to $830 for a prehung hollow-core door.
How much does a handyman charge to hang a door?
Most handymen and carpenters charge $30 to $90 per hour. Labor for a single interior door typically runs $100 to $400, and many pros have a minimum charge that makes one-door jobs more expensive per door.
How long does it take to install an interior door?
A prehung door usually takes about one to two hours for a pro. Hanging a slab in an existing frame can take 3 to 6 hours because of the mortising and fitting work.
How much does it cost to replace all the interior doors in a house?
For ten prehung hollow-core doors, expect roughly $3,200 to $8,300 installed. Batch pricing often lowers the per-door labor, and using solid-core doors throughout roughly adds 30% to 40%.
Do I need a permit to replace an interior door?
Generally no, as long as you’re replacing a door in an existing opening. Creating a new opening in a load-bearing wall or adding a pocket door that affects wiring or plumbing may need a permit.
