The Manhattan Apartment Guide to Interior Doors (Prewar Frames and All)

We've been selling paint, hardware, and doors from the same corner of the Upper East Side since 1986, and if four decades of Manhattan apartments have taught us anything, it's this: no two doorways in this city are quite alike. Here's what we tell customers at the counter about choosing an interior door for an NYC apartment — prewar quirks and all.

Why prewar frames are never square

A prewar building has been settling for the better part of a century. Beams shift, plaster moves, floors find their own level — and the door frame that was square when it was built isn't square today. The opening might be a half-inch narrower at the bottom than the top; the head might run slightly downhill. Hang a perfectly rectangular factory door in a frame like that and it binds, rubs, or shows a crooked gap you'll stare at forever.

That's not a defect in the door. It's the building being the building. The fix is simple: measure the opening you actually have — not the one the blueprints promised — and have the door trimmed to match. We do that cutting in our shop before the door ever leaves for your apartment, and it's one of our most-used services.

Solid core or hollow core?

This is the big fork in the road, and it comes down to three things: sound, weight, and feel.

A solid-core door has a dense core under the skin. It's heavy, it damps sound noticeably, and it closes with a substantial, high-end thunk. If you sleep behind it, work behind it, or take calls behind it, solid core is worth the money — bedrooms and home offices especially, in a city where your roommate's TV is never far away.

A hollow-core door has a light honeycomb structure between the faces. It's economical, easy to handle, and looks identical to its solid sibling once painted. It won't stop much sound — but a closet doesn't talk. Closets, pantries, and rental turnovers are hollow-core territory.

Rule of thumb from the counter: if a person lives or works behind the door, go solid. If coats live behind it, go hollow.

The four doors we stock

Everything below is primed, in stock at the shop, and available same or next day — no special orders.

• 6-Panel Hollow-Core — from $79.99. The classic colonial profile that matches the trim in most NYC apartments. Light, budget-friendly, paint-ready.
• Hollow-Core Flush — from $82.99. A smooth, modern slab. The workhorse for closets and rental units.
• Solid-Core Flush — from $143.99. The same clean slab look with serious sound-dampening weight behind it. Our go-to bedroom door.
• Shaker 1-Panel Solid-Core — from $164.99. The designer favorite: a crisp single-panel profile over a quiet solid core.

Sizes — and what to do about a weird opening

We stock widths from 18" to 36", all 80" tall and 1-3/8" thick — the residential standard. Bedroom doors in Manhattan are usually 30" or 32"; closets run narrower.

To measure, put the tape on the door slab itself: width across the face, then height, then thickness. Note the hinge side (stand so the door swings toward you — hinges on the left means a left-hand door). If your opening doesn't match a stock size, or the frame has gone out of square, that's what trim-to-fit is for: bring us the numbers and we cut the door before delivery.

Why "primed" matters — and the painting shortcut

A primed door is factory-sealed and ready for finish paint — no sanding raw wood, no priming coats, better paint adhesion and a smoother final finish. But painting a door in an occupied apartment still means drop cloths in the hallway, fumes in the bedroom, two coats, and drying time.

So skip it. We're an authorized Benjamin Moore dealer with an in-house paint shop, and we'll paint your new door — both sides — in any Benjamin Moore color before delivery. Give us the color name or number and the door arrives finished, ready to hang the same day.

Delivery, the honest version

We deliver Monday through Friday across Manhattan. Order by 9 AM on a weekday and the door goes out the same day; order later and it arrives the next business day. Delivery is free over $100. No weekend runs — order Friday after 9 AM through Sunday and it goes out Monday.

Compare that with the big-box routine: interior doors are usually special orders, a one-to-two-week wait, a $79 truck fee, and nobody there is cutting anything to fit your 1926 frame. An apartment door replacement shouldn't be a two-week project.

Come argue about doors with us

Bring your measurements, a photo of the frame, a paint chip — whatever you've got. We'll help you pick the right door, cut it, paint it, and get it up your stairs. Start at our interior doors page, or stop by. New York Paint & Hardware, 1668 1st Ave (between 87th & 88th), New York, NY 10128 • 212-249-1614.