Seven Howdens Dordogne White Smooth Moulded doors, one residential property, one working day — internal door fitting in Boxhill, Surrey, completed without a single frame replacement.
Seven Howdens Dordogne Doors in One Day — Internal Door Fitting in Boxhill, Surrey
Mark called me on a Monday morning. He had bought a semi-detached in Boxhill, Surrey the previous autumn, and the interior felt dated — not broken, just tired. The original doors were hollow-core flush panels from the 1980s: functional, characterless, and out of step with the renovation he was working through room by room. He wanted every internal door replaced. Seven in total. He had already chosen the style — the Howdens Dordogne White Smooth Moulded — and he wanted to know how quickly it could be done. "Can you do it in a day?" he asked. I told him to send me some photos first.
A Clean Sweep — Seven Doors, One Call
The photos Mark sent showed something immediately promising: the hallway was long, well-proportioned, and the existing frames looked plumb and undamaged. What struck me most was how much the space could change with the right doors in it. The old flush panels were closing the hallway down visually. The Dordogne's vertical groove pattern would open it up — and with white throughout, the light would carry further down the corridor. I told Mark I thought a single-day installation was very achievable, but I wanted to do a proper site visit before committing. We arranged to meet at the property on the Wednesday. I confirmed what the photos suggested: all seven frames were solid. We scheduled the installation for the Friday.
Assessing the Frames — The Decision That Saved a Day
For internal door fitting in Surrey, the frame assessment is the first question I ask before anything else. Fitting a new door leaf to an existing frame is faster, cleaner, and cheaper than a full frame replacement — no plasterwork, no redecoration, no mess that lingers for a week. When the frames are sound, you go straight to door and hinge. Mark's Boxhill property had clearly been looked after. The frames were plumb on every opening, with no rot and no significant movement. The original flush doors had been replaced once before — sometime in the 1990s, judging by the hinges — so the frames had already been re-used without issue at least once. All seven were keepers. That single assessment changed the shape of the whole project: instead of a two-day job with follow-up plastering, we had a clean one-day installation with nothing left behind for the decorator.
Why the Howdens Dordogne White Smooth Moulded?
Mark had done his research. The Howdens Dordogne White Smooth Moulded is one of the most consistent choices for Surrey refurbishments — and it earns that reputation. The door has a vertical groove pattern that reads as classic without being fussy. The smooth moulded surface means there is no relief or raised edge to collect dust; it wipes clean easily and takes paint well if you ever want to change the finish. "Smooth moulded" refers to the manufacturing process: the pattern is pressed into a flat MDF or HDF skin rather than routed from solid timber. The result is a crisp, consistent profile across all seven doors — which matters in a project like this, because you want every door in the house to look like it belongs together. The white factory finish required no further preparation on our end. We hung them straight from the packaging.
Seven Doors in One Working Day
We started at half past seven. I work with a second pair of hands on multi-door days — the sequencing matters if you want to finish before dark. We stripped the first door in ten minutes: remove the hardware, unscrew the hinges, lift the leaf out. Inspect the frame, check the hinge rebates, adjust where necessary. Set the new Dordogne door into the opening, mark the hinge positions, cut the rebates to fit. Three hinges per door — a good habit with heavier moulded doors, which need the support. Close the door. Check the gap on all four sides: 2 mm top, 2 mm latch side, 2 mm hinge side, 10 mm at the bottom for the carpet threshold. Fit the handle. Move on. By mid-morning we had three doors hung and were firmly in our rhythm. Two of the latch-side hinge rebates in the hallway needed adjustment for the Dordogne's slightly different stile width compared to the old doors — nothing that caused a delay, just careful work. By four o'clock, all seven were done, checked, and operating cleanly. Mark walked through the house and opened each one in turn. "Exactly what I wanted," he said. That's the job.
Existing Frames vs. Full Frame Replacement — What Affects the Decision
Internal door fitting covers two quite different scopes of work, and understanding the difference is important when you're planning a budget or a timeline.
Fitting to existing frames is the right approach when the frame is structurally sound — no rot, no warping, plumb and square. It also requires that the new door leaf is dimensionally compatible with the existing frame opening, and that the client wants minimal disruption. No plaster repair, no redecoration of the reveals, no follow-up trades. In Mark's case in Boxhill, all seven frames met those criteria, which is why the entire job was completed in a single day.
Full frame replacement becomes necessary when the frame has rotted, warped significantly, or is so far out of plumb that the door cannot operate correctly. It is also required when the new door specification demands a different frame profile — a thicker lining, a rebated frame rather than a planted stop, or specific requirements for fire door certification. Frame replacement adds time, cost, and the need for follow-up plastering; it is sometimes unavoidable, but it is never assumed without a proper site survey first.
If you are unsure which applies to your property, a free on-site assessment will give you a clear answer before any work is committed to.
Frequently Asked Questions — Internal Door Fitting in Surrey
How long does it take to replace internal doors?
A single internal door fitted to a sound existing frame typically takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours from stripping the old door to fitting the new handle. A full house of seven doors, with two experienced joiners working in sequence, takes one working day. Properties requiring frame replacement or significant frame adjustment will take longer — this is confirmed at the site survey stage before any commitment is made.
Can internal doors always be fitted to existing frames?
Not always. The frame needs to be structurally sound, plumb, and dimensionally compatible with the new door leaf. If the frame has rotted, is severely out of square, or if the new door specification requires a different lining profile, a full frame replacement is necessary. A site survey will confirm which applies. In most well-maintained Surrey properties, the frames are perfectly reusable — which is exactly what we found in Boxhill.
What is a smooth moulded door and what does it look like?
A smooth moulded door has a decorative panel pattern — such as the Dordogne's vertical grooves — pressed into a flat MDF or HDF skin. Unlike a traditional raised-panel door, the surface is completely flat to the touch: no relief, no edges, no shadow gaps. The result is a clean, contemporary profile that suits both modern and period interiors, is easy to wipe down, and takes paint well if you decide to change the colour later.
How much does internal door fitting cost in Surrey?
Cost depends on the number of doors, whether frames need replacing, and whether the service is fit-only or supply-and-fit. For fit-only — where you supply your own doors — a typical internal door replacement in the Surrey and South London area ranges from £80 to £150 per door. Multiple-door projects are quoted at a reduced per-door rate. All quotes include a written breakdown before any work begins, with no deposit required.
Find out more about our internal door fitting services across Surrey and South London, or explore our full range of joinery and carpentry work.
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