Fully Finished Internal Doors

A fully finished door arrives lacquered, painted or pre-oiled from the factory, so it can be hung and used straight away. That removes the two or three days of sanding, sealing and drying an unfinished leaf needs, and the factory coating is more even and more durable than a brush finish applied on site.

Fully finished or unfinished?

Choose fully finished when you want the job done in a day and are happy with a standard colour; choose unfinished internal doors when you need to match an existing stain or a bespoke paint colour. Popular finished options include oak, walnut, white primed, grey and black.

Both glazed and unglazed leaves are available fully finished, and certified versions are listed in FD30 fire doors. Order hinges and a handle at the same time from door hardware.

What "fully finished" actually means

This page is about the finish on the leaf, not about the timber or the style. A fully finished door has already been lacquered, painted or oiled in the factory under controlled conditions, so it is hung and then left alone. That factory finish is more even than a site finish and it seals the leaf on all six faces, which is the part most often missed when a door is finished at home. If you want to choose the colour or the stain yourself, you want unfinished internal doors instead.

Choose the material and style separately

Because this page groups by finish, the same door can appear here and in a material page. Shop by material in internal oak doors, internal white primed doors, internal walnut doors, internal grey doors, internal black doors, internal laminated doors and internal pine doors. Shop by whether the leaf has glass in glazed doors and unglazed doors.

Why most homeowners choose prefinished

Three reasons come up again and again. The finish is consistent across every door in the house, so a landing of six doors matches. There is no drying time on site, so the doors can be hung and used the same day. And the sealed edges resist the moisture swings that cause doors to stick in winter, which is the most common complaint we get about doors that were finished on site; how to stop doors swelling and sticking explains that mechanism.

Looking after a factory finish

Wipe with a damp cloth rather than a solvent, and avoid furniture polish on lacquered oak. Painted and primed finishes can be touched up with a matching paint; lacquered oak should not be over-painted. See cleaning and maintaining oak doors, maintaining painted doors and our guide to door finishes.

Can a prefinished door be trimmed?

Yes, within the trim allowance for that leaf, but any freshly cut edge must be resealed to keep the door stable. Fire doors have a much smaller allowance than standard doors.

Is a prefinished door more expensive?

The leaf usually costs more than the unfinished equivalent, but there is no paint, no brushes and no labour on site, so the finished cost is often lower. Internal door fitting costs covers the labour side.

Do prefinished fire doors exist?

Yes. Fire rated leaves are listed in fire doors and many are supplied fully finished, which is preferable because the factory finish does not interfere with the tested build-up.

Are any of the finished doors bi-folds?

Yes. Mexicano and Vancouver are both offered as fully finished oak folding leaves, so a folding opening can match the hinged doors in the same room. See bi-fold doors.