Carpenters in Crawley, West Sussex
Door hanging in Crawley: doors that close with one finger
New doors for the whole house, one door that catches, or a front door past its best. Say how many and what kind, and a local carpenter will call you back.
- Internal doors, fire doors, front doors and back doors
- Sticking, dropped and draughty doors put right
- Frames, linings, locks, latches and handles
- Free to ask, with typical UK prices on this page
When a door stops behaving
You use your doors dozens of times a day, so a bad one gets on your nerves fast. These are the complaints carpenters hear most.
- It scrapes the carpet or the new floor
- It swings open or shut by itself
- It has to be shoved to make the latch catch
- There is a gap at the top you can see daylight through
- The front door lets in a draught you can feel across the hall
- The old doors simply look tired next to a freshly painted room
Each of these has a known cause and a known fix. Most take a carpenter less time than you would think.
Three steps to a price
Say what needs doing
Put your name, number and area in the form, then describe the job in your own words. Rough sizes help, such as how many doors or how wide the alcove is.
Take a call from a local carpenter
A carpenter who works in your part of Crawley rings you at the time you picked. They ask a few questions and, for most jobs, arrange to come and measure up.
Decide in your own time
You get a price for the work. Ask for it in writing, compare it if you like, and only go ahead if you are happy. There is no charge for asking.
What hanging a door involves
A new door almost never fits straight out of the wrapper. The carpenter measures the opening in several places, because few frames are the same width top and bottom. The door is then planed or cut to leave a small, even gap all the way round.
Next come the hinges. Their recesses are cut into the door edge and the frame so each hinge sits flush. The door is hung, checked, and taken down again if it needs a shaving more off. Last come the latch, the handles and the keep on the frame.
On a house full of doors, a carpenter gets into a rhythm and the price for each door drops. That is why it pays to do them in one visit. If you have new carpet or flooring on order, say so. The carpenter needs to know the finished floor height to trim the bottom of each door.
Typical prices for doors and frames
| Job | UK guide price |
|---|---|
| Hanging eight internal doors (doors supplied by you)Source: Which? Trusted Traders carpenter cost guide | £300 to £600typical about £400 |
| Replacing a door frameSource: MyJobQuote door frame replacement cost guide | £115 to £550typical about £430 |
| New front door and frame, fully fittedSource: MyJobQuote new front door cost guide | £550 to £1,500typical about £1,000 |
Typical UK guide prices from the guides named, not quotes. The Which? figure was last checked in 2018 and leaves out VAT, so expect more now. Heavy doors, glazed doors and frames that are badly out of true all take longer.
Doors in Crawley's post-war houses
A large share of Crawley's homes date from the 1950s to the 1970s. Many still have their first set of internal doors: light, flat-faced and hollow inside. Changing them for panelled, glazed or oak doors is one of the quickest ways to lift a whole house.
The frames in houses of that age have had decades to settle. A new door bought to a standard size may need a fair bit taken off one edge, or the frame itself may need packing or replacing. A carpenter will check this at the first visit, before you buy anything.
If you live in a flat, or your house has a loft room or a garage joined to it, some of your doors may need to be fire doors. A fire door has to be hung with the right hinges, gaps and seals to do its job. Tell the carpenter if you think this applies, and check with building control if you are unsure.
Front and back doors
An outside door has more to cope with than an inside one. It has to keep out rain, wind and anyone who should not come in. Timber front doors are hung in the same way as internal ones, but with three hinges, a weather bar at the foot and locks that suit your insurer.
If the door is sound but the frame has gone soft at the bottom, the frame can often be repaired or replaced without a new door. Have a look at carpentry repairs in Crawley for that kind of job. Not sure if your door is worth saving? Our article on repairing or replacing a door will help you decide.
Carpentry services in Crawley
- Fitted wardrobes and storageWardrobes, alcove shelves and cupboards built to fit the room.
- Kitchen fittingUnits, worktops, doors and trims fitted level and true.
- Staircases and banistersNew balustrades, handrails, spindles, treads and whole flights.
- Decking and garden carpentryTimber and composite decks, steps, fence panels and gates.
- Skirting and architraveSkirting, architrave, window boards and second fix work.
- Flooring and loft boardingLaminate and wood floors laid, floorboards fixed, lofts boarded.
- Carpentry repairs and small jobsFrames, floorboards, loose rails, boxing in and other small jobs.
Where in and around Crawley
Carpentry help for every part of Crawley and these places close by.
- Town centre, Northgate, West Green and Southgate
- Three Bridges
- Pound Hill and Worth
- Maidenbower
- Furnace Green and Tilgate
- Broadfield and Bewbush
- Gossops Green and Ifield
- Langley Green and Forge Wood
- Horley
- Copthorne and Crawley Down
- Pease Pottage and Handcross
- Charlwood and Rusper
- Horsham
- East Grinstead
Good to know first
- No charge and no strings. Sending the form is free. Nobody can make you accept a price, and you can say no at any point.
- Four boxes to fill in. Name, phone number, area and the job. You are not asked for an email or the number of your house.
- Every price shows its source. The figures on this site are typical UK guide prices taken from published cost guides, each one named and linked. They give you a feel for the job. They do not replace a quote for your own home.
- Your details stay with the job. They are used to get your carpentry sorted and for nothing else. They are never sold on.
Common questions
Can I buy the doors myself?
Yes, and many people do. Measure the height, width and thickness of each existing door first, as they are not always the same through the house. It is safer still to let the carpenter measure before you order, because a door can only be trimmed by so much before it is weakened.
How long does it take to hang a door?
It varies with the door and the frame. A light door going into a sound, square frame is quick. A heavy oak door, a fire door, or a frame that needs work takes a good deal longer. The Which? guide allows one to two days for a set of eight doors.
Why does my door stick in winter and not in summer?
Timber takes in moisture from damp air and swells, then shrinks again when the air dries out. A door with bare, unpainted edges swells the most. A carpenter can take a little off the tight spot and seal the edge so it stops happening. Our guide on why doors stick covers the other causes.
Stop putting up with that door
A door that has to be forced puts strain on its hinges, its latch and its frame every time it is used. What a carpenter could cure with a plane this month can turn into a split frame and a new door by next year.
Say how many doors and which part of Crawley. It costs nothing to ask.