Interior door installation is the bread-and-butter residential carpentry job. Customers replace doors during renovations, after damage, or just to update their home. The work is rarely complicated, but the pricing varies more than most contractors realize because the door type, the existing frame condition, and the install scenario each move the number meaningfully.
This article walks through how a typical interior door install actually prices, in 2026, for a Philadelphia metro market. Adjust your inputs and the structure works.
The two install scenarios
Customers say "install a new door" without knowing there's a major fork in the pricing road.
Scenario 1: Pre-hung door install (frame, jamb, hinges, hardware all included). The door comes from the supplier as a complete unit, ready to set in the rough opening. This is the easier install but requires good shimming, leveling, and finish work. Most door replacements use pre-hung units.
Scenario 2: Slab door install (door panel only, into existing frame). The existing jamb stays. You're hanging a new door panel into the existing hinges and door stop. Faster install, lower price, but only works if the existing frame is in good condition and the door is the same size.
The base prices
For Philadelphia metro 2026 pricing, all-in flat rate including labor and materials:
Pre-hung interior doors:
- Hollow core: $450
- Solid core: $530
Specialty doors:
- Pocket door: $1,160
- Barn door with hardware: $720
- French doors (interior pair): $1,090
- Bi-fold closet doors (per opening): $440
- Sliding closet doors (per pair): $580
Slab installation (existing frame):
- Slab into existing frame: $300
Add-ons:
- Door casing/trim per door: $270
- Replace door jamb/frame: $550
- Replace door hinges (per door): $140
- Replace door knob/lever: $150
What's actually inside the price for a hollow-core pre-hung install
For a typical $450 hollow-core pre-hung door install:
Labor. About 1.5 hours from arrival to a working door. Remove old door and frame if applicable, square up the rough opening, set the new pre-hung unit, level and plumb, shim and fasten, install hinges and hardware (usually pre-installed on a pre-hung), test swing and latch, install or transfer trim.
Materials. The pre-hung unit itself is the biggest material cost. A hollow-core builder-grade pre-hung interior door runs $50-$120 wholesale. Add shims, finish nails, screws, and miscellaneous. Total around $65 in materials.
Disposal. Old door goes somewhere. Most carpenters take it for landfill disposal or recycling.
The hollow-core vs solid-core conversation
Customers don't usually understand the difference between hollow-core and solid-core doors, and the price gap ($450 vs $530) often makes them ask.
Hollow-core doors have a cardboard honeycomb interior with thin wood veneer skins. They're light, cheap, and adequate for most interior applications. The downside: they don't block sound well, they dent easily, and they can sound "hollow" when knocked.
Solid-core doors have a solid wood or composite core. They're heavier, more durable, and significantly better at sound dampening. They feel more substantial when closed. They also cost about $80-$150 more wholesale than hollow-core.
Recommend solid-core for: bedroom doors (sound), bathroom doors (privacy), home office doors (sound), and any door that gets heavy use. Hollow-core is fine for: closet doors, pantry doors, low-use spaces.
What pushes the price higher
Out-of-square rough opening. Older homes settle. The rough opening that was square in 1965 is no longer square. If the opening is significantly out of square, the carpenter has to either shim heavily, cut the rough framing back to square, or set the door slightly out of plumb to make it work. Add 30-60 minutes of labor.
Different door size than the existing opening. Customer wants a wider door (24-inch becomes 28-inch, or 30-inch becomes 36-inch for accessibility). Now you're framing the rough opening, possibly relocating studs, and dealing with drywall repair. Add $300-$800 depending on scope.
Pocket door installation. Pocket doors require a frame inside the wall. New pocket doors involve cutting open the wall, installing the pocket frame kit, and skinning the wall back over. The base $1,160 price assumes the wall is open or you're working on new construction. Retrofit pocket doors in finished walls run $1,500-$2,500 with drywall repair.
French doors. The interior pair at $1,090 is the base. The install requires precise leveling, careful shimming, and proper handling of the larger and heavier double doors. Customers often want fancy hardware, which adds line-item cost.
Trim mismatch. If the new door comes with different casing profile than the existing trim in the room, you're either replacing all the room's trim or notching to match. Match-trim work adds $100-$300 per door for the additional finish work.
Painting or staining. Pre-hung doors typically come unfinished. Painting or staining is usually a separate scope. Customers can paint themselves, hire a painter, or pay you to do it. If you're doing it, that's $150-$300 per door for paint and labor.
Hardware upgrades. Customer wants smart locks, keypad locks, or premium hardware. Add the hardware cost plus installation time.
What pulls the price lower
Multi-door job. If you're installing 4-8 doors in the same house on the same visit, setup time amortizes. Discount of $50-$75 per door is reasonable on volume work.
Customer supplies the door. Customer bought the doors from a big-box store on sale. Quote labor only at $200-$280 per door. Be careful: customers often buy the wrong size, the wrong swing, or doors that don't include the jamb.
Slab installation only. Existing frame is fine, customer just wants a new door panel. $300 vs $450 for the full pre-hung install.
New construction or major renovation. Door work during construction is much faster than retrofit. The opening is square, the trim isn't installed yet, no demolition required.
The "why doesn't my door close right" service call
Sometimes the customer doesn't need a new door, they need a service call to fix what they have. Common scenarios:
Door rubs at the top or bottom. House settling has caused the frame to twist. Solutions: plane the door, adjust hinges, or shim the frame. Service call runs $150-$300 depending on what's needed.
Door won't latch. Strike plate is misaligned. Easy fix, $100-$150.
Door swings open or closed by itself. Frame is out of plumb. Adjust hinge depths. $100-$200.
Door slams into the wall. Missing or broken doorstop. Replace doorstop. $50-$80.
Quote the diagnosis and repair separately from a full replacement. Don't sell a $450 new door when a $150 hinge adjustment fixes the problem. Customers remember.
The accessibility conversation
Aging-in-place renovations increasingly include door upgrades. Customers want wider doorways for walkers and wheelchairs (32-36 inches minimum), lever handles instead of knobs (for arthritic hands), and sometimes pocket doors instead of swinging doors (to free floor space).
Pricing on accessibility upgrades is typically the standard install price plus the rough-opening modification. A 24-inch door upgraded to a 36-inch door involves framing work, drywall repair, and trim replacement. Quote it as a multi-line scope.
Why a flat rate book matters here
Door installs are high-volume work for residential carpenters. You're doing 5-15 doors a week if you're an active operation. That's the line item where pricing inconsistency hurts you most. Quote $400 today, $500 next week, $350 the week after, and your customers' neighbors compare notes. They don't know which one was right.
A flat rate book locks the number. Pre-hung hollow-core install is $450 today, $450 next month, $450 next year (until you change the inputs in your settings sheet, at which point every quote moves at the same time). That's the consistency customers respect.
The Carpentry Flat Rate Price Book covers all the door scenarios above plus 240-plus other carpentry services, all priced from a single set of inputs you control.
The bottom line
Interior door installation in 2026 prices around $450 for a basic pre-hung hollow-core install in a Philadelphia metro market, $530 for solid-core, and $1,160 for pocket doors. Slab installs into existing frames are $300. Trim work, oversized openings, hardware upgrades, and finish work push the price higher.
The contractors profitable on door work are the ones who diagnose accurately, scope honestly, and price consistently. The ones losing money are quoting "$300, easy job" before they've checked whether the rough opening is square.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a typical interior door install take?
1.5 hours for a clean pre-hung install with a square rough opening. 2-3 hours if there are complications. Pocket doors and French doors can run 4 hours or more. Multi-door jobs amortize setup time.
Should I include the trim or quote it separately?
Either works, but be explicit. If the existing trim is staying, no add-on. If trim is being replaced or added, line-item it at $270 per door. Customers who don't see this distinction get a surprise on the invoice.
What about the door knob or lever?
Pre-hung doors don't include hardware. Quote the hardware separately, either as customer-supplied or as a contractor-supplied line item ($65-$150 depending on quality).
What's the right size door for a typical bedroom?
30-inch is the most common bedroom door size. 28-inch is found in older homes. 32-inch is increasingly popular for accessibility. The customer needs to specify what size they're replacing or what size they want for new openings.
Why are pocket doors so much more expensive?
Pocket doors require a track and frame system inside the wall, plus careful framing of the wall to accommodate the door pocket. The labor is roughly 3x a standard pre-hung install, and the hardware costs more. Plus, retrofits in finished walls require drywall demo and repair, which adds significant cost.