Styles, Materials & Installation Tips
Interior doors do more than separate rooms — they define the character of your home. The right door adds style, controls sound, and completes a space. The wrong one looks out of place, squeaks, and sags within a few years. Masonite has been making interior doors for nearly a century, and their current lineup offers something for every home style and budget. Whether you’re renovating a midcentury ranch in East Memphis or finishing out a new build in Germantown, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
Hollow Core vs. Solid Core: Which Should You Choose?
This is the first question most homeowners face, and the answer depends on where the door is going.
Hollow core doors have a cardboard honeycomb interior surrounded by a thin wood or composite skin. They’re lightweight, affordable, and perfectly fine for closets, pantries, and low-traffic passages where sound control isn’t a priority. Most builder-grade homes come standard with hollow core doors throughout.
Solid core doors have a dense composite or wood interior that makes them significantly heavier and much better at blocking sound. If you work from home, have a home theater, or simply want more privacy between a bedroom and a hallway, solid core is worth the upgrade. They also feel more substantial when you close them — a subtle but noticeable quality cue that matters during a home sale.
Masonite offers both options across their lineup, and the price difference is less than most homeowners expect.
Masonite Interior Door Styles
Masonite’s interior portfolio covers every major architectural style:
Shaker doors remain the most popular style in Tennessee new construction right now. Clean, flat recessed panels pair equally well with modern farmhouse, transitional, and contemporary interiors. Masonite’s Heritage Series delivers a complete Shaker portfolio, including the newly launched Calden three-panel design introduced at the 2026 International Builders’ Show.
Traditional raised panel doors suit colonial, craftsman, and classic Southern homes. The familiar six-panel design has been a standard for decades and continues to sell well in established neighborhoods.
French doors with glass lites bring natural light from room to room — ideal for home offices, dining rooms, or any space that benefits from visual connection without sacrificing the separation a door provides.
Barn doors have become a staple of the modern farmhouse aesthetic, and Masonite’s barn door kits make installation accessible for DIYers and contractors alike. They work best as statement pieces in open-plan spaces where a traditional swinging door would be impractical.
Bi-fold doors remain the practical choice for closets, laundry rooms, and utility spaces where a full
swing door would block traffic.
How to Measure for a New Interior Door
Incorrect measurements are the most common reason door projects get delayed. Here’s how to get it right:
- Measure the door opening width and height — not the door slab itself. Measure in three places (top, middle, bottom for width; left, center, right for height) and use the smallest measurement.
- Standard interior door sizes are 80 inches tall and 28, 30, 32, or 36 inches wide. If your opening is non-standard, a pre-hung door in a new frame may be required.
- Check the swing direction. Stand with your back to the hinged side of the door frame — if the door opens to your right, it’s a right-hand swing.
- Note the wall thickness. Standard interior walls are 4-9/16 inches, but older homes and walls with added insulation may vary. Door frame jambs need to match your wall depth.
Installation Tips
Pre-hung vs. slab: A pre-hung door comes with the frame already assembled and hinges attached — it’s the right choice when you’re replacing a door and frame together, or installing a door in a new rough opening. A slab door is just the door panel — use this when the existing frame is in good condition and you’re doing a straight swap.
Shimming and plumb: No wall is perfectly plumb. Always use shims to level and plumb the frame before securing it. An out-of-plumb door will bind, gap, and frustrate every person who uses it for the life of the home.
Hardware prep: Most Masonite doors come pre-bored for standard 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset locksets. Confirm your hardware specs before ordering.
Shop Masonite Interior Doors at Central Woodwork
Central Woodwork carries Masonite’s full interior door line at both our Memphis-area Collierville location and our Nashville showroom. Our team can help you select the right style, core, and size for every opening in your home — and if you’re a contractor, our large inventory and reliable delivery make us the easiest call you’ll make on your next project. Stop in, or give us a call to talk through your needs.