How much should it cost to have a door installed?

Quick Answer: Labor for a standard interior pre-hung door runs $150–$400, plus $50–$300 for the door itself. Lowe's and Home Depot charge $100–$300 in labor but require you to buy their door. Murphy Door® hidden doors start at $1,440 and ship pre-hung in 10 days, a contractor can finish the install in a morning if your rough opening is square.

By Jeremy Barker, Founder and CEO, Murphy Door®

Published 2026-09-30

Here's the thing: most people searching "doors and installation" are really asking one question, how much is this going to cost, and am I getting ripped off? I've been building and installing doors out of our Ogden, Utah facility since 2012, and the pricing hasn't shifted as much as people expect. What has changed is what you can actually put in that rough opening. A wall that disappears into a bookcase. A pantry hidden behind a wine rack. A passage that looks like nothing from the outside. That's what Murphy Door® builds. But this guide covers the full picture, standard door costs, big-box installation programs, and where a hidden door fits into that math.

We've served 200,000+ households since 2012. Here's what that experience taught us about installation costs, what questions to ask any contractor, and how to avoid the mistakes we keep seeing homeowners make.

How Much Should It Cost to Have a Door Installed?

What is the typical labor cost for installing a door?

Labor to install a pre-hung interior door typically runs $150–$400. That covers shimming the frame, securing the hinge side, setting the reveal, and installing the strike plate and latch hardware. A skilled carpenter can hang a standard pre-hung door in two to three hours. Cost creeps up when the opening isn't square, when you're dealing with concrete or masonry walls, or when the existing trim needs replacing.

Exterior doors cost more, usually $250–$600 in labor, because they require weatherstripping, threshold work, and sometimes blocking for structural support. If a contractor quotes you under $100, ask what's included. That price usually means they're skipping the shim work. A door that isn't shimmed square will bind every summer when humidity swells the frame.

What is a reasonable door price?

A standard hollow-core interior slab runs $30–$80 at any home center. Pre-hung hollow-core is $100–$250. Solid-core pre-hung interior doors, better sound deadening, more substantial feel, run $200–$500. Add labor and you're at $350–$900 total for a quality interior door, installed.

For a Murphy Door® hidden bookcase door, the starting price is $1,440. That's not a slab. It's a fully built Vaultwood Core door with real wood veneer, solid hardwood face frames, pre-hung hardware, and a 3/16-inch reveal built in. The right comparison isn't a hollow-core Home Depot slab, it's what a custom millwork shop would charge for the same result: typically $4,000–$6,000 plus six to eight weeks of lead time. We ship in 10 days.

How Much Will Lowe's Charge to Install a Door?

How much does it cost to get a door installed from Lowe's?

Lowe's installation program bundles the door purchase with installation service. Their published labor rates for interior door installation generally fall in the $100–$200 range per door, though this varies by market and by what the installer finds when they open the wall. One catch: the installation fee usually applies only to doors purchased through Lowe's, and their in-store selection skews toward hollow-core and fiberglass slabs.

What is the average labor cost to install a door?

Across the US, the average labor cost to install an interior door runs $150–$250. That holds whether you're hiring through a big-box installation program or booking a local finish carpenter directly. In high-cost markets like New York, San Francisco, or Seattle, carpenters often charge $75–$100 per hour, so a two-hour install hits $150–$200 in labor alone, before materials.

Those estimates assume a square rough opening. Most residential framing isn't. Budget an extra $50–$150 for shimming and adjustment if your home was built before 1990 or has had any settling. We ship door installation shims with every Murphy Door® hidden door specifically because the rough opening question comes up at every job site.

Is Lowe's or Home Depot better for door installation?

Honestly, the programs are nearly identical. Both use third-party installers, local contractors who've gone through their vetting programs, both tie installation to an in-store purchase, and both have the same limitation: their installer isn't going to show up knowing how to hang a pivot-point hidden door or a bookcase door with a concealed latch. For a standard pre-hung door, either program works fine. For anything more complex, hire a finish carpenter directly.

How Much Will Home Depot Charge to Install a Door?

How much does Home Depot usually charge to install a door?

Home Depot's door installation service is similar to Lowe's. Expect $100–$200 in labor for a standard interior pre-hung door, purchase required through their store. Exterior door installation runs higher, typically $200–$400, because of weatherproofing requirements. Both retailers will send an installer to measure first, which is worth doing if you're unsure about your rough opening dimensions.

How much should I pay someone to hang a door?

Here's where I'll be direct. The right question isn't just the labor rate, it's what you're getting for it. A $150 install from a big-box third-party contractor and a $250 install from a finish carpenter who's hung 200 doors aren't the same thing. The finish carpenter knows to check the floor for level before setting the frame. They know to back-prime the door bottom before hanging to prevent moisture wicking. They know that a hidden door with a Patented Ball Bearing Lower Pivot Point, part of a hinge and hardware system tested to 1,540 lbs, needs its torque spec followed on the hinge bolts.

For a standard door: $150–$250 is reasonable. For a Murphy Door® hidden door, budget $200–$400 in labor with a finish carpenter who has the written installation instructions in hand. We include shim stock pre-cut for the 3/16-inch reveal and a torque spec sheet with every order. A good carpenter can hang it in a morning.

What Is the Average Cost to Install New Interior Doors?

How much does it cost to remove and install a new interior door?

Add $50–$150 to any installation quote if there's an existing door to remove and dispose of. Removing a pre-hung frame takes 20–30 minutes for a carpenter; removing an old frame that's been painted over repeatedly can take longer. Disposal, hauling the old door away, is often quoted separately, typically $25–$75 depending on your area.

Full breakdown for a standard interior door replacement:

• Door (hollow-core pre-hung): $100–$250
• Labor (install): $150–$250
• Removal of existing door: $50–$150
• Hardware (knob, latch, hinges if not included): $30–$80
• Total: $330–$730

For a Murphy Door® hidden bookcase door replacing an existing interior door, the math is different but the installation process isn't dramatically more complex. The rough opening requirements are the same as a standard door. What changes is the reveal tolerance, tighter, at 3/16 inch, and the need for a level floor at the pivot point. See the full Murphy Door® build and installation process for what to walk your contractor through before they show up.

What does Lowe's charge to install an interior door?

Lowe's interior door installation runs $100–$200 in labor for a standard pre-hung door purchased in-store. That doesn't cover removal of an existing door (add $50–$100), casing or trim work (add $50–$200 depending on profile), or paint. If you need a full job including trim and paint, a local contractor who'll quote the whole scope is usually more economical than piecing it together through a big-box program.

How much does Home Depot charge to install interior doors?

Home Depot's interior door installation program mirrors Lowe's: $100–$200 in labor per door, in-store purchase required. Their installers are local contractors, and quality varies by market. If you go this route, ask specifically whether the installer will check the rough opening for square before hanging the door. Not all of them do on the first visit, and a door hung in an out-of-square frame will need adjustment within months.

What Affects Door Installation Cost the Most?

We've been at this long enough to know which corners to cut and which corners to weld. The variables that drive installation costs up are almost always structural, not cosmetic:

• Out-of-square rough openings. Common in homes over 30 years old. Adds 30–60 minutes of shimming and adjustment.
• Non-standard door sizes. Anything outside 24, 28, 30, 32, or 36 inches wide typically requires a custom slab or frame. Murphy Door® can build custom door widths for openings outside standard sizes.
• Wall thickness. Standard interior walls are 4-9/16 inches. Walls built over exterior framing, or walls with extra insulation, need jamb extensions. We sell a door jamb depth extension for exactly this.
• Finish work. Installing casing and door trim after the frame is set adds $50–$200 depending on profile complexity.
• Concealed latches and hardware. Hidden doors need a passage latch that's invisible from the hall side. We include the hardware, your contractor just needs to follow the torque spec.

Door Type	Door Cost	Est. Labor	Total Range
Hollow-core pre-hung (interior)	$100–$250	$150–$250	$250–$500
Solid-core pre-hung (interior)	$200–$500	$150–$300	$350–$800
Exterior pre-hung (fiberglass)	$300–$800	$250–$600	$550–$1,400
Murphy Door® Hidden Bookcase Door	From $1,440	$200–$400	See note*
Murphy Door® Hidden Wine Rack Door	From $2,200	$200–$400	See note*

When Does It Make Sense to Go Beyond a Standard Door?

If you're like most homeowners we hear from, you started this search looking for a straight cost answer. Somewhere along the way, you started wondering whether there's a better option for that particular opening, the one at the end of the hallway, or the one leading to the pantry, or the one everyone sees when they walk in the front door.

The math we keep doing for people: a standard door costs $350–$800 installed and does exactly one thing, it opens and closes. A Murphy Door® hidden bookcase door starts at $1,440, installs the same way, and also holds 400 lbs of shelf load on doors up to 36 inches wide. It recovers wall space. It conceals a room. It stays in the conversation every time someone comes over.

I'll tell you what surprised us when we started building these in 2012: people don't buy hidden doors because they want secret rooms. They buy them because they ran out of wall space and didn't want to put a boring door where a bookcase could go instead. The concealment is a bonus. The space recovery is the point.

Browse our full range of hidden bookcase doors or check out hidden wall doors if you want the flush-mount look with no visible shelving. Not sure which direction to go? The how to choose a hidden door guide walks through every variable.

What Should I Ask Any Contractor Before They Install My Door?

Look, here's what we've learned after serving 200,000+ households: the installation question doesn't end at the price. It starts there. Before any contractor shows up at your job site, get answers to these five questions in writing:

1. Will you check the rough opening for square before hanging? If the answer is "I'll adjust as I go," that's not the same thing.
2. Is removal and disposal of the existing door included? Always a separate line item if they don't volunteer it.
3. Does your quote include casing and trim installation? Usually not. Factor in $50–$200 more.
4. What's your policy if the door needs adjustment after installation? Seasonal wood movement is real. Get a callback policy in writing.
5. Have you installed this type of door before? For a Murphy Door® hidden door, you want yes, or you want them to have read the installation instructions before they arrive. We include them with every order, and our team picks up at 888-458-5911 for contractor questions.

We also offer a professional installation service for Murphy Door® products if you'd rather not source a contractor yourself. And for the hands-on crowd, our DIY door resources walk through every step.

Start Your Project

Ready to talk through options? Call us at 888-458-5911 or visit murphydoor.com. We build every door to order from our Utah and Kentucky factories and ship in 10 days. If you'd like a custom design drawn up before you commit, we offer a custom design drawing service to spec out your exact opening. You can also schedule a virtual consultation with our team at no charge.

About Murphy Door®

Murphy Door®, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Ogden, Utah, is the largest hidden door company in the world. We've served 200,000+ households from our Utah and Kentucky factories, building hidden bookcase doors, hidden wall doors, hidden French doors, Murphy beds, and hidden furniture solutions. Every door is built on Vaultwood Core, a proprietary MDF engineered stronger than standard MDF, with real wood veneer skins, solid hardwood face frames, and solid-wood components. Our hinge and hardware system is tested to 1,540 lbs. Doors carry 400 lbs of shelf load on doors up to 36 inches wide. We back every order with a Lifetime Warranty on Hardware, Wood, Finishes, and Workmanship, plus a 1-year warranty on electronics. Call 888-458-5911 or visit murphydoor.com/pages/why-murphy-door to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does it cost to remove and install a new interior door?

A: Plan on $330–$730 total for a standard interior door replacement, that's removal of the existing door ($50–$150), the new pre-hung door ($100–$250), and labor ($150–$250). Non-square openings, custom sizes, and casing work all add to the total. Murphy Door® hidden doors ship pre-hung with hardware and shims included, so your contractor's labor scope is the same as a standard door install.

Q: What is the typical labor cost for installing a door?

A: Labor to hang a standard pre-hung interior door runs $150–$250 nationally. Exterior doors run $250–$600 because of weatherstripping and threshold work. Complex openings, out-of-square frames, or specialty doors like pivot-point hidden doors may add $50–$150 in adjustment time. Murphy Door® provides a torque spec sheet and pre-cut shim stock with every order to keep contractor time on-site to a minimum.

Q: How much does it cost to get a door installed from Lowe's?

A: Lowe's bundles installation with an in-store door purchase. Labor for interior door installation typically runs $100–$200 per door, not counting removal of the existing door or casing work. The program uses local third-party contractors, quality and availability vary by market. The purchase-required rule means this program isn't available for doors bought elsewhere.

Q: How much does Home Depot charge to install interior doors?

A: Home Depot's program is structured similarly to Lowe's: $100–$200 in labor per door, in-store purchase required. For exterior doors, expect $200–$400 in labor. Always confirm whether your quote includes removal of the existing door and trim work, these are typically separate line items at both retailers.

Q: Is Lowe's or Home Depot better for door installation?

A: The programs are functionally identical. Both use vetted local contractors, both tie installation to an in-store purchase, and both quote similar labor rates. For a standard hollow-core or fiberglass pre-hung door, either works fine. For a specialty door, hidden bookcase door, pivot-point entry, or anything with concealed hardware, hire a finish carpenter directly and give them the manufacturer's installation instructions before they arrive.

Q: How much should I pay someone to hang a door?

A: $150–$250 is a reasonable labor rate for a standard interior pre-hung door in most US markets. High-cost metros like New York, San Francisco, or Seattle tend to run $200–$350. For a Murphy Door® hidden door, budget $200–$400 in labor with a finish carpenter who has our installation instructions. We include pre-cut shim stock and a hinge torque spec with every order to cut down on guesswork at the job site. Questions? Call us at 888-458-5911.