The Best Interior Doors

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Interior Doors and hope the blog can help you.

From cores and swings to slabs and styles, there’s a lot to think about when choosing the right interior door. This list makes it a whole lot easier.

Whether it’s a new home build, a whole-house renovation, or simply matching a new door to the old door, choosing the best interior door is important. After all, these doors open and close multiple times a day for years and years, so they need to be durable and complement a home’s style.

But how does one find one of the best interior doors? This guide can help. It explains all of the need-to-know information about choosing these doors and highlights some of our favorite choices.

1. BEST OVERALL: Masonite 2-Panel Square Interior Molded Door
2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Jeld-Wen Colonist Textured All Panel Molded Door
3. BEST WOOD: EightDoors 6-Panel Solid Unfinished Pine Wood Door
4. BEST PREHUNG: Masonite 6-Panel Solid Core Interior Molded Door
5. BEST SLAB: Jeld-Wen Continental Smooth All Panel Molded Door
6. BEST HOLLOW-CORE: Masonite Riverside Interior Molded Door
7. BEST SOLID-CORE: Kimberly Bay Shaker 5-Panel Solid Core Interior Door
8. BEST FLUSH: Steves & Sons Unfinished Flush Interior Door Slab
9. BEST PANEL: Kimberly Bay White Shaker 2-Panel Solid Core Door

How We Chose the Best Interior Doors

Choosing the best interior doors wasn’t an open-and-shut case. Not only did we draw upon our experience installing interior doors on jobsites, but we also considered our everyday experiences in our own homes to develop a list of important features one might need from an interior door.

First, we performed extensive product research to compile a list of some of the top products. Then we compared prices, available sizes, and other factors to ensure that each product would provide enough value. Doors that didn’t make the cut were cast aside while those that did were given awards based on their strengths.

Our Top Picks

There is something on this list for just about any scenario, so be sure to compare each model carefully before making a final decision.

Best Overall

Masonite 2-Panel Square Interior Molded Door

Homeowners looking for a door that can deliver in several ways should check out Masonite’s 2-Panel Square Interior Molded Door. This door features a timeless design that will fit in with most homes’ styles, and it’s available in common 24-, 28-, 30-, 32-, and 36-inch-wide sizes. It comes primed and ready for paint, as well.

This is a prehung door, meaning it’s set in a frame with hinges and is predrilled for a doorknob. This makes installation simple and requires fewer tools. And, since it is a hollow-core door, it’s much more affordable than a solid-wood or solid-core door. The downside is that it won’t do a great job of trapping sounds within a room.

Product Specs 

• Type: Prehung
• Style: Panel
• Core: Hollow
• Material: Molded composite

Pros

• Prehung affordability and convenience
• Timeless, traditional design
• Comes in common sizes

Cons

• Won’t trap sounds effectively

Get the Masonite two-panel interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Bang for the Buck

Jeld-Wen Colonist Textured All Panel Molded Door

Tradition doesn’t need to break the bank, and the Jeld-Wen Colonist door proves it. Between the classic and timeless style and the low price point, this door will fit any budget and nearly any home’s style. It’s a hollow-core option with primed composite molded panels. It also comes in a wide range of sizes including 18, 24, 28, 30, 32, and 36 inches wide and both 78- and 80-inch heights.

This slab door comes as a blank slate, free of hinges, allowing DIYers to install it in any door jamb they’d like. It’s available with or without a knob hole, so users should think long and hard about which way to order it. A knob that doesn’t line up will require jamb modification. However, with this six-panel design, a knob that doesn’t fall dead center of the rail can also be off-putting.

Product Specs 

• Type: Slab
• Style: Panel
• Core: Hollow
• Material: Molded composite

Pros

• Extremely affordable price point
• Comes in a range of sizes
• Traditional and timeless look

Cons

• Knob placement can be an issue

Get the Jeld-Wen Colonist interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Wood

EightDoors 6-Panel Solid Unfinished Pine Wood Door

Solid wood doors are often out of the budget for most folks, but EightDoors offers an option worth considering. This solid-wood door features a traditional six-panel design with real clear pine rails and stiles, offering the weight and soundproofing that a hollow-core door cannot. It comes in common sizes, including 24, 28, 30, and 32 inches, all of which are 80 inches tall. However, as a solid-wood door, there’s more material to trim, if necessary, making it a great option for unique door frames.

This door comes as an unfinished clear pine slab. DIYers can choose to prime and paint the door or stain and seal it. Also, since it doesn’t have hinges or a knob hole, it’s ready for modification and can fit most door frames with a bit of work. Just keep in mind that as a real wood product, this door can expand and contract with the weather, and that can cause seasonal sticking or slamming.

Product Specs 

• Type: Slab
• Style: Panel
• Core: Solid
• Material: Clear pine

Pros

• Made from real clear pine
• Can be trimmed or shaped to an existing opening
• Available in a range of common sizes

Cons

• May shrink or expand with the weather

Get the EightDoors interior door at The Home Depotor Lowe’s.

Best Prehung

Masonite 6-Panel Solid Core Interior Molded Door

Those looking for tradition, substance, and convenience might consider the Masonite six-panel door. This door features a classic design and comes prehung on a frame, allowing users to give new builds or renovations a timeless design quickly and easily. It’s available in several sizes including 24, 28, 30, 32, and 36 inches wide.

This door features molded composite sheets with a solid core between them, giving the door the substance and soundproofing some folks might be looking for. It comes primed and ready for paint, allowing users to go from rough opening to finished in fewer steps. However, this all does come at a price—it’s a bit more expensive than a hollow-core model.

Product Specs 

• Type: Prehung
• Style: Panel
• Core: Solid
• Material: Molded composite

Pros

• Prehung for easy installation
• Comes primed and ready for paint
• Available in the most common sizes
• Better soundproofing and substance than hollow-core alternatives

Cons

• Not the cheapest option on the market

Get the Masonite six-panel interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Slab

Jeld-Wen Continental Smooth All Panel Molded Door

Those who want to replace all of their interior doors without breaking the bank or going with the same old, same old should check out this option from Jeld-Wen. The Continental is a two-panel design with an arched upper panel, giving this door a more dramatic look than a basic slab door. It’s available in 18-, 24-, 28-, 30-, 32-, and 36-inch-wide sizes, all of which are hollow core.

As a slab door, the Continental comes free of hinges or knob holes, allowing DIYers to install it in any size-matched door frame. It features a hollow-core design with an MDF (medium-density fiberboard) exterior, allowing for affordability but possibly sacrificing scratch resistance over a molded composite, which may be a factor for homes with pets or children. However, it does come primed and ready for paint.

Product Specs 

• Type: Slab
• Style: Panel
• Core: Hollow
• Material: MDF

Pros

• Arched panel for a dramatic look
• Available in sizes ranging from 18 to 36 inches
• Comes primed and ready for paint

Cons

• MDF exterior may not be as scratch-resistant as other materials

Get the Jeld-Wen Continental interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Hollow-Core

Masonite Riverside Interior Molded Door

Masonite makes it possible to go with a lightweight hollow-core door that’s not only easy to install but also stands out from the crowd. This door features a Shaker-inspired design with five horizontal panels from top to bottom, giving these doors a look that’s not as common as it once was. They’re available in sizes ranging from 24 to 36 inches.

Admittedly, the price is slightly high for a prehung hollow-core door, but there are some points that may make it worth the cost. First, the composite wood shell is durable, and it comes primed and ready for paint. Also, the five-panel design is somewhat unique and can be a great choice when authentic real wood doors are out of reach. This is especially true for older homes in the Northeast where the Shaker style often permeates the architectural design.

Product Specs 

• Type: Prehung
• Style: Panel
• Core: Hollow
• Material: Composite

Pros

• Composite wood shell
• Traditional design
• Width available to match most doorways and closets

Cons

• Expensive for a hollow-core door

Get the Masonite Riverside interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Solid-Core

Kimberly Bay Shaker 5-Panel Solid Core Interior Door

For a unique approach to solid-core doors, check out Kimberly Bay’s Shaker-style door. It features a solid pine core with an MDF face, allowing it to take the look of a traditional five-panel Shaker door while remaining durable. It’s available in 24-, 28-, 30-, 32- and 36-inch-wide sizes.

This door comes as a blank slab that will work as hinged doors or even sliding barn doors thanks to the solid pine core’s strength. Also, due to its design, DIYers can trim the top, bottom, and sides relatively freely. It also comes primed and ready for paint, helping installers skip a time-consuming step. Though it must be noted that shoppers pay more for this on-trend style and solid core.

Product Specs 

• Type: Slab
• Style: Panel
• Core: Solid
• Material: Pine core and MDF face

Pros

• Solid pine core for strength and affordability
• Comes as a blank slab allowing for customization
• Can be trimmed easily

Cons

• Expensive for a slab

Get the Kimberly Bay five-panel interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Flush

Steves & Sons Unfinished Flush Interior Door Slab

Those looking for the most from a flush door should check out Steves & Sons Unfinished Flush Interior Door Slab. This door slab features a sturdy wood surface (made from thin plywood) that’s entirely flat and clean, lending itself well to contemporary designs. It comes free from hinges or a knob hole.

Although Steves & Sons manufactures these doors in a variety of sizes, they are most readily available in the 36-inch by 80-inch size. Despite this limitation, they do feature a solid core that reduces sound transference, gives the door a more solid feel, and provides a bit more insulation. They also come unfinished and unprimed, giving DIYers a world of possibilities with stains and paints.

Product Specs 

• Type: Slab
• Style: Flush
• Core: Solid
• Material: Particleboard core and veneer face

Pros

• Plywood exterior with a solid-core interior
• Insulates and resists sound transfer
• Blank slate for contemporary or minimalist looks

Cons

• Limited size availability

Get the Steves & Sons interior door at The Home Depot.

Best Panel

Kimberly Bay White Shaker 2-Panel Solid Core Door

Folks looking for a clean, classic panel look that is truly as sturdy as it looks should give some consideration to Kimberly Bay’s two-panel door. This door features a solid pine core with an MDF face