Pre-finished Fire Doors

What makes pre-finished fire doors ready to hang?

Pre-finished fire doors have every visible surface completed at the factory, whether that’s lacquer over a real wood veneer, a laminate face or a factory-finished moulded skin. Nothing needs sanding, staining or drying on site.

That’s the real difference from the doors either side of them. A primed door has a white base coat and still needs painting, and an unfinished door arrives as bare timber. Ready-to-hang fire doors skip both jobs, which is why they suit busy households, landlords turning a property round between tenants and anyone fitting a run of doors in one go.

The colour and sheen are set in the factory rather than by hand, too, so a hallway of fully finished fire doors matches far more closely than a set finished on site.

Pre-finished fire doors still don’t work on their own, though. Like any fire door, each one performs as a doorset, with a suitable frame, intumescent seals, fire-rated hinges and a closer wherever one is required. The certification label stays on the door as well.

Pre-finished fire doors by finish

Pre-finished fire doors come in five finishes, so start with the colour, then narrow things down by design and glazing. Every door carries a 10-year manufacturer’s guarantee, and the full specification is on each product page.

Oak is the largest part of the range. Most prefinished oak fire doors here are real oak veneer, from Deanta designs such as the Seville, Pamplona and Kensington to LPD’s Vancouver, Mexicano and London, alongside Premdor’s oak veneer doors. LPD also makes smoked and blonde oak shades if natural oak feels too warm. You’ll see every design, finished and unfinished, on our oak fire doors page.

Walnut gives you a darker, richer grain. Our prefinished walnut fire doors include the Deanta Seville, Pamplona, Coventry and Cadiz, LPD’s Tres and Vancouver, and a Premdor side-glazed office door.

Black works in contemporary interiors and period homes alike. The prefinished black fire doors range covers Deanta’s Clarendon, Sandringham and Windsor and LPD’s charcoal black Toledo, Murcia and Vancouver, with glazed designs to stop a dark hallway feeling closed in.

Grey runs from pale to almost charcoal. Deanta’s grey doors use ash veneer, so the grain still shows through the colour, while LPD adds light, medium, dark and chocolate grey shades. Glazed designs such as the Torino and Montreal make a prefinished grey fire door work even in a dim hallway.

White is the simplest way to keep a hallway bright. If you’re after fully finished white internal fire doors that need no painting at all, look at LPD’s Berlin, Sierra Blanco and Sydney or Premdor’s 5 Panel Rockport.

Laminate, veneer or moulded: what’s on the face?

Two doors in the same colour can be made quite differently, and the product name usually tells you which one you’re looking at.

• Veneer: a thin layer of real timber, such as oak, walnut or ash, over the core, sealed and lacquered at the factory. Each door has its own grain, which is at its most striking on our walnut fire doors. It’s what you’ll find on Deanta’s oak, walnut and grey prefinished fire doors, as well as LPD and Premdor veneer designs.
• Laminate: LPD’s laminate fire doors, including the Vancouver, Montreal, Sydney, Linear, Ladder and Cottage ranges, have a decorative face with a printed wood-grain effect. The colour stays consistent from door to door, and the product details describe them as low-maintenance. Unlike veneer, laminate can’t be sanded back and refinished.
• Moulded: pressed faces with a smooth or textured panel pattern, such as LPD’s Berlin White and Vertical 5P Grey and Premdor’s Rockport, giving a traditional panelled look in a factory finish.

Most of our pre-finished fire doors have a solid core, and a few are semi-solid; each product page lists which. Choose veneer if real timber matters to you. Laminate makes more sense when an identical colour on every door matters more, such as in a rental or along a landing with five or six doors.

FD30 and FD60 pre-finished fire doors

Most pre-finished internal fire doors in the range are FD30, with a 44mm leaf. Whichever finish you choose, from natural oak to our grey fire doors, a prefinished FD30 fire door covers the typical domestic job, such as the doors onto a protected hallway or landing, although your building control officer or fire risk assessor has the final say.

Among our pre-finished fire doors, FD60 is limited to oak. The Deanta Seville and Ely and the LPD Vancouver and Belize come as FD60 doors with a 54mm leaf, which needs a frame rebated for that thickness and fire-rated hinges suited to the extra weight. There’s no FD60 option in walnut, black, grey or white.

If you need light through a fire door, a prefinished glazed fire door gives you that without any site work, as the glass, beads and seals are fitted and tested as one. Depending on the design, you can choose clear, clear toughened, see-through or frosted-line glass. Never replace or recut the glass yourself.

Fitting pre-finished fire doors without spoiling the finish

A factory finish is only an advantage if it survives fitting. These habits keep finished fire doors looking the way they left the factory.

• Check before you book the fitter. Inspect each door for marks or damage when it arrives, before anyone starts work. A problem is much harder to sort out once a door has been trimmed or hung.
• Measure the frame, not the old door. Most designs come in the common 78-inch (1981mm) height, and widths vary by design, so check the sizes on each product.
• Cut cleanly and as little as possible. Each manufacturer sets its own trimming limits, and most don’t allow the top edge of a fire door to be trimmed at all. Veneer and laminate faces can chip at the cut, so score the line first and use a sharp, fine-toothed blade.
• Seal what you expose. Seal any trimmed edge, plus the recesses for hinges and locks, so moisture can’t get into the bare timber.
• Protect the face. Keep pre-finished fire doors wrapped until you’re ready to fit them, and lay it on a clean, padded surface while you work.
• Fit fire-rated hardware. Hinges, latches and locks should all be fire-rated, with an even gap around the leaf as set out in the fitting instructions.

For rooms that don’t need fire protection, our pre-finished internal doors carry the same factory finish through the rest of the house. Ordering for a development or several rentals? A trade account is worth setting up first.

Pre-finished fire doors: your questions answered (FAQ)

Pre-finished or unfinished: which works out cheaper overall?

An unfinished door usually costs less to buy, but that’s only part of the bill. Add the finish, sundries and the hours spent sanding, coating and waiting for each coat to dry, and pre-finished fire doors close the gap quickly, particularly if you’re paying a decorator or fitter by the day. Unfinished tends to win only when you’re doing the work yourself or need to match existing timber.

Can I paint a pre-finished fire door?

Pre-finished fire doors aren’t made for it. Painting over a factory lacquer means keying the surface first, and laminate needs specialist preparation before paint will hold. If you want a painted finish, start with one of the primed designs on our white fire doors instead, and keep paint off the seals and certification label either way.

Do pre-finished fire doors still need trimming?

Only if the opening calls for it. Trimming limits depend on the door and are set by the manufacturer, so check the fitting instructions before you cut and seal the edge afterwards. Ordering the right size in the first place is always the better option.

Which pre-finished fire doors are FD60?

Only oak designs: the Deanta Seville and Ely and the LPD Vancouver and Belize, all with a 54mm leaf. Our walnut, black, grey and white pre-finished doors are FD30.

How do I look after pre-finished fire doors?

A soft, damp cloth and a little mild soapy water are all most finishes need, and laminate gives you a genuinely wipe-clean surface. Avoid scouring pads, solvents and spray polish, which can dull a factory lacquer, and check the care notes on the product page for anything specific to your door.

Are laminate doors real wood?

No. Laminate is a decorative surface with a printed grain, bonded over the core. If you want real timber, choose a veneer door instead. The product name and page always tell you which face a door has.