Interior Doors: Left or Right? A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Fit

Getting new doors is exciting. Perhaps the old door is falling apart, or maybe your home is undergoing a full remodel to get it ready to sell. Whatever the reason, deciding to hang your door to the left or to the right is an important consideration. In cities like Las Vegas, interior doors typically swing inward due to building codes.

Before we choose if the door will open left or right, we must decide if a door will swing in or out. Almost all doors in a home will swing inward–this is for security, as the hinges cannot be accessed from outside the door. It is also a safety measure in case of emergency. Because the door swings in, it can’t be blocked by fallen objects in the event of a fire, earthquake, or other disaster. 

That being said, certain doors do swing out. You may find that doors to closets, cellars, and utility rooms open outwards. Why are these doors different? It really comes down to space saving measures. If the door opened into a closet, there would always need to be free space for the door to move. On the subject of safety, in the narrow stairway into most basements, you wouldn’t want a child to be able to accidentally open the door and fall inward and down the stairs. 

The last thing you want is damaged furniture or holes in your walls. Furthermore, you want to make sure a door isn’t in the way if you leave it open. 

Choosing left or right in these circumstances is an easy choice. In nearly all homes, doors open to the wall, rather than into the open room. This ensures that the door is out of the way and takes up as little space as possible if you want to leave it open. 

This also means that the wall will take a hit if the door is swung open quickly, rather than knocking over lamps or damaging your belongings. To prevent damage to your wall, it's recommended that you buy a wall-mounted door stop with a silicone cap. 

There will be times when you see a door open into a room. If the placement of a window or other objects, like wall shelving, prevents the door from opening to the wall, the door will often open into the room. 

In most cases, the hinge will be placed so that the door can be fully opened to sit against the wall. This helps the door take up less space, but it means you need a wide area kept clear for the door to open properly.

If you’re buying a new door without the frame, you should make sure to purchase a door with its handles and hinges aligned with your current hinges. If you wish to change how your door swings, you’ll have to install new hinges on the other side or remove and reuse the existing hinges. 

Choosing a pre-hung door eliminates all the worry surrounding making a new door fit into an old frame. Of course, this is a larger job than simply replacing a door. When in doubt, seek professional advice from a licensed general contractor that can help you decide whether to replace a door or fit it with a prehung and framed door. They can also help you with how much to charge to paint interior doors.

Whether you want your doors swinging left, right, in, or out, 27EStore has everything you need for your home remodel. We have every color you can think of and beautiful wood grains that look fantastic. Regardless of if you want all interior doors to match or a unique look for each room, check out our selection today and let us help build the home of your dreams!