Replace Interior Doors W/ 6 Panel Doors? Or Just Paint Them

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Hello all,

I need some advice on interior doors on a rehab I will be doing soon(home built in 1959). There are 5 interior doors that are in decent shape (some have stickers on them), but the hinges are not in such good shape & the door knobs are older. I was thinking of just replacing the hinges, door knobs & prep the doors & paint them white(the doors have a light color stain on them). This is a home that will be in the $125-135k range once it is fixed up. My partner & I plan on selling when done. I am wondering would it be worth it to replace them w/ a 6 panel prehung door?

Thanks for advice

Comments(10)

  • bgrossnickle15th January, 2006

    i do put all new door knobs on my doors. I would be inclinded to do whatever was cheapest. Remember, cheapest is the money + time spent. If the hinges are really bad (in FL we can have rust and roaches that leave the hinges awful) I would probably just paint over them. In my area - 135k is a very low priced home.

  • jimandlacy15th January, 2006

    2 cents.....
    In my area flat panel interior doors are pretty much the norm in the $125 - 130k market. Adding new hardware, even the cheapy stuff, really gives a "pop" to the appearance. Prime before paint and put it on the market.
    If you have the money in your budget to spend on doors spend it in the kitchen and/or bath.

    Jim

  • englishinn15th January, 2006

    Just dealt with this issue last week. We have hollowcore cheap doors with cheap hardware & painted over hinges. We opted to just replace all hardward & paint doors. We also considered the time involved preping new doors for hardware - that would add alot of time to the project.

    I found out hinges are pretty pricy. I orders nice hinges online on ebay for .99 each - compared to the $4-6 doors at Home Depot.

  • cwal15th January, 2006

    5 doors...replace them with the 6 panels...the $200. will really make a difference in update appearance. Flat doors denote old & cheap...i would paint the casings white & hang the 6 panels with new hinges...just my .02 ...CWal

  • swany117115th January, 2006

    Thank you all for the responses. Personally I like the look of the 6 panel doors, but after your responses I think it will be better to just replace the hardware & paint the doors. I went over to the property again and noticed that the casing is in good shape on all of the doors. Then I did a lot of calculating & thinking. If I was to replace the doors w/ 6 panel, I would have to remove all the existing casing & try not to damage it. Then I would have to install the new doors($50 a door) & replace the existing casing. Thanks for all the advice and input on this subject!! I have received so much helpful info on this site!
    Good luck to all & thanks again,
    Mike

  • mikejaquish15th January, 2006

    You might try getting some solvent behind the "brick."
    The adhesive is most likely a construction adhesive, and should react to acetone or paint thinner.
    Just use a little behind one brick to see if it softens the adhesive, and use very little as the fumes may lay you out.

    Or try taking a chisel to the face of the brick and breaking it, without going through the sheetrock underlayment. Pieces remove easier than entire bricks.

    Even if you do get the brick off, you will not have a surface suitable for painting,as it will be very rough, and probably some paper will be off the drywall, as the adhesive penetrates the paper surface.

    You have little to lose by trying a couple of approaches, as the fall back is to take it to the studs, like Jim says.
    [addsig]

  • Dmechem16th January, 2006

    Thanks for the advice I will try the solvent. I did manage to break a few pieces off but realized it would take me years to remove piece by piece. I was trying to avoid demo.

  • InActive_Account11th January, 2006

    3-6 days to paint a 700 square foot dwelling? WOW.

  • drdanger12th January, 2006

    Amen!!!! Rehabinator

    3-6 days to paint a 700 sq ft 2/1 is outrageous.

    This could be done easily in 1 1/2 -2 days with roller and brush (with quality results). With a two man crew, spray job could also be done this quick.

    Best of luck

  • saniche15th January, 2006

    I have used crackhead Harry & Barry to paint.

    Turned out to be a decent paint job but sent my anxiety through the roof dealing with these guys.

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