Door fitting in Fulham for older houses and flats
Hanging a new door in a Fulham terrace is rarely a case of lifting it off the old hinges and dropping it straight in. Houses that have stood for a hundred years or more have moved a little. Floors slope, frames lean and the opening is often a few millimetres out of square from top to bottom. A new door bought in a standard size usually needs trimming, and sometimes the frame needs packing or planing before it will close sweetly.
We take the time to measure the opening properly first. Then the door is cut to suit, the hinge positions are marked and chiselled out by hand, and the latch and handles go on last. The aim is a door that swings freely, closes with a gentle push and leaves an even gap all the way round.
Fixing doors that stick, drag or will not shut
Most door problems we see are small. A door that rubs at the top corner often has a loose top hinge, where the screws have worked free of the frame. Longer screws or a timber plug in the old holes can solve it in minutes. Doors that catch on the floor after new carpet or flooring has gone down need a few millimetres taken off the bottom.
Swelling is common in older homes too. Bathroom doors and doors near the back of a house can grow in damp weather and shrink again in summer, so we look at where the paint is worn before taking anything off. If the latch will not catch, the striker plate (the metal plate on the frame that the latch clicks into) usually just needs moving.
Jobs we cover
- Hanging new internal doors
- Trimming doors after new flooring
- Easing sticking or swollen doors
- Refixing loose hinges and frames
- Fitting handles, latches and striker plates
- Repairing panels and split stiles on period doors
- Fitting door stops and weatherboards
- Adjusting self closers on internal doors
Period doors, panels and original features
Plenty of Fulham houses still have their original four panel or six panel doors. These are worth keeping. A cracked panel, a split stile (the upright edge of the door) or a loose joint can usually be glued, clamped and filled, which costs far less than a good replica and keeps the look of the house.
Where a matching door is needed, we can hang a new panelled door and fit reclaimed or reproduction brass furniture to suit the rest of the hallway. Some older doors have thick layers of gloss built up over decades. The Health and Safety Executive says lead was widely used in household paint until the 1960s and can sit under newer coats, so we avoid stripping old paint unless it is flaking, and we never burn it off with a blowlamp.
Front doors, rules and conservation areas
Repairs to an existing front door, such as easing it, renewing a weatherboard or replacing a damaged panel, are the everyday side of the work. Replacing a whole external door is different. The Planning Portal says building regulations apply to replacement external doors that are half glazed or more, so that kind of job either goes through building control or is done by an installer registered with a competent person scheme such as FENSA or CERTASS, who can sign off their own work.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has 44 conservation areas, which cover around half the borough, including Central Fulham, Walham Grove and Fulham Park Gardens. The council also says it has removed some permitted development rights on many individual properties, especially in conservation areas, through Article 4 directions. If you want to change the look of a front door in one of these streets, check with the council planning team first. We are happy to repair what is there in the meantime.
Fire doors in blocks of flats
If you live in a purpose built block or a mansion block, your flat entrance door may be a fire door. Government guidance on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 says residents should only change a front door with the agreement of the person responsible for fire safety in the building, such as the freeholder or managing agent. A fire resisting door must not be swapped for one that is not fire resisting, and these doors need a self closing device that pulls the door fully shut.
In practice that means we will not cut down a fire door, remove its closer or drill new holes for a spy hole without the go ahead. We can adjust a closer that slams or does not latch and report anything we notice to you so you can raise it with the managing agent. Internal doors inside your own flat are a much simpler job.
Around Fulham and nearby
We work across SW6, from the streets around Parsons Green down to Sands End by the river, and over into Hammersmith and Putney. Many jobs are a mix of things, such as two doors to ease, a new handle set and a loose hinge on a kitchen unit. Put them all on one quote request and we will plan the visit around them.
Who this suits
- Owners of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with original doors
- People in converted flats where doors have dropped or swollen
- Landlords putting doors right between tenancies
- Anyone who has just laid new flooring and needs doors trimmed
- Leaseholders in mansion blocks who need internal doors fixed
Common questions
Can you fit a door I have already bought?
Yes. Let us know the size of the door and the opening when you ask for a quote. Standard doors often need trimming to fit an older frame, and we bring the hinges, screws and fixings needed unless you have chosen your own.
Why does my door stick only in winter?
Timber takes in moisture when the air is damp and swells slightly. Older doors with worn paint on the edges are the worst for it. We usually seal the bare edges after easing them, which helps the door stay steady through the year.
Do I need permission to replace my front door in Fulham?
It depends on the house. Some properties, especially in conservation areas, are covered by Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights. A replacement door that is half glazed or more also falls under building regulations. Check with Hammersmith and Fulham Council before changing the look of a front door.
Can you change the front door of my flat?
Not without the building's agreement if it is a fire door. Government guidance says residents should only change a flat entrance door with the agreement of the person responsible for fire safety, and any replacement must be fire resisting. We can repair internal doors and adjust closers in the meantime.
Is it worth repairing an old panelled door?
Usually it is. Most damage on old doors is a loose joint, a cracked panel or a hinge that has pulled away, and all of these can be fixed. A good repair keeps the original look, which matters in period hallways.
Can you trim doors after a new carpet goes down?
Yes, this is one of the most common jobs we do. Each door is taken off, cut cleanly with a guided saw so the face does not splinter, sealed on the cut edge and rehung.