Interior door replacement in Warsaw: removal and new door fitting

How much does a door replacement cost and what affects the price

The price of replacing an interior door depends on the state of the existing opening: how much the reveals are damaged, whether the opening has to be widened or reduced, and whether there is any damp or mould present. The style of the new door also affects the cost: hinged, sliding or concealed frame. Fixings and expanding foam are included in the labour price. The door itself, the frame, architraves and hardware are bought by the client. Taking away the old door and construction waste, and carrying new materials upstairs, is charged separately. Up-to-date prices for all their door services are listed in the table below.

The request, step by stepInterior door replacement in the app, screen by screenFirst the service and a photo: just show the old internal doors. A price range appears right away. All that’s left is the address and the day. Handymen see the job and each decides whether to take it. Offers with prices land in the app. You pick the one that suits you.Service and a photoAddress and a day that suits youOffers from handymen, you chooseStep 1 of 5Windows and doorsInterior door replacement800–1300 zł · per jobEstimate≈ 800–1300 złPhotos: show what needs doingNext Step 2 of 5Where?Warsaw, WolaWhen suits you?WeekdayWeekendAny dayDescriptionOld doors are damaged and have new onesSend request 3 offersInterior door replacementWarsaw, WolaSentSNSerhiy N.830 złI’ll take it out carefully, no wall damage.ChooseDPDmytro P.950 złFrom the photo it’s a standard interior door.ChooseMKMarek K.1230 złI bring my own foam and wedges.ChooseDescribe the job

Send a photo of the old door and the opening: the technician will check the scope of work and give you a clear quote with no surprise add-ons.

Rather hand the job over? More here: apartment finishing in Warsaw.

Why replacing a door takes longer than installing one

In a new flat the opening is clean and square. In an older one the handyman works with whatever previous crews left behind.

• Frame in foam or masonry. It has to be cut out without the plaster falling off or cracks spreading next to it.
• The opening has moved. Over the years it gets out of square, too wide or too narrow, and needs work before fitting.
• The old frame stays. A new leaf on an old frame means fitting the hinges and lock, not just hanging it.
• New flooring. After new laminate goes down, doors often have to be trimmed because the floor level changed.
• Taking away the old door and frame is charged separately.

In a developer-finish flat with empty openings, interior door installation is enough.

How a door replacement works: from removal to finish

Replacing a door is not the same job as installing one in a new opening. The hardest part is removing the old set without doing extra damage to the wall, then getting the opening ready for the new frame. This is how the work goes:

1. Inspection and measurement. The technician comes out and checks the condition of the old door, the opening and the walls. Everything is measured: width, height, wall thickness, rebate depth. Based on that, you get a fixed price and a list of anything still to buy.
2. Removing the old leaf and frame. Tradespeople take the leaf off the hinges. The frame is either cut out or worked loose carefully if the fixings make that possible. The point is to avoid tearing chunks out of the wall, especially in older buildings where the plaster breaks easily.
3. Cleaning the opening. Tradespeople strip out old expanding foam, leftover fixings and broken plaster. If the foam has gone completely hard, they slice it with a knife and trim it back with a chisel. The opening needs to be clean and level.
4. Preparing the opening for the new frame. If the old door was a different size, they make the opening smaller with packing timber or open it up with a breaker. Tradespeople straighten any reveals damaged during removal and prime the surfaces.
5. Fitting the new frame and leaf. Tradespeople put the frame together, set it plumb and level, wedge it in place and foam it. The leaf is hung, hinge and latch recesses are routed, and the handles are installed. Tradespeople test the swing.
6. Architraves, extension strips, finishing. If the wall is thicker than the frame, they fit extension strips. Architraves are cut at 45 degrees and fixed with adhesive or pins. Where needed, they seal the gap between the frame and wall.
7. Clean-up and handover. Tradespeople check that the door opens and shuts smoothly and that the latch catches properly. The old door, offcuts and dust are removed. The client inspects the job and signs it off.

Common mistakes when replacing doors

A replacement job is not the same as a first-time installation. It has its own common problems, and these are the ones they run into most often:

• Buying the new door before removing the old one. People measure to the old frame, then after removal find that the real opening is wider or narrower. The right way is to measure the bare opening after demolition and only then order the door.
• Ripping the frame out roughly. Pulling with a crowbar tears off plaster and sometimes even brickwork. Then the wall needs repair, which pushes the cost up fast. The frame should be cut and taken out carefully.
• Not cleaning off old foam. A new frame gets fitted over hardened old foam. It is uneven and stiff, so there is no way to set the frame straight. The result is a twist that starts showing within months.
• Ignoring damaged reveals. After the old frame comes out, the reveals are often chipped and cracked. If they are not levelled before the new frame is fitted, the architraves sit unevenly and gaps show up.
• Not accounting for size differences. A new door may be 2-3 cm narrower or shorter than the old one. If the opening is not reworked, you end up seeing marks from the previous frame, steps in the plaster and old paint lines.
• Skimping on architraves and extension strips. Cheap architraves that do not match the door in colour or finish, or no extension strips even though the wall is thicker than the standard frame. It looks rough and spoils the final result.
• Fitting before filler has dried. If the reveals were repaired, the filler needs time to dry out. Otherwise the moisture goes into the frame and the MDF or timber starts swelling.

What to prepare before the technician arrives

Replacing a door creates more dust than fitting one into a clean opening. Here is what you should sort out beforehand:

• Decide what should happen with the old door: leave it by the entrance, take it to the skip, or get rid of it yourself. Waste removal by the technician is a separate service.
• Clear the space around the opening by at least a metre on both sides. Move furniture, rugs and anything from nearby shelves.
• Cover the floor and any furniture that cannot be moved, demolition makes a lot of dust and small debris.
• The new door leaf, frame, architraves and hardware should already be on site when the technician arrives.
• Check what is in the pack: hinges, handles, latch, strike plate, extension strips (if the wall is thick). Very often something is missing.
• If you are not sure about the size of the new door — do not buy it before the technician has seen the job. Better to remove the old one first and measure the bare opening.
• Make sure there is a power socket available within 5 metres of the opening for the tools.
• Provide the entry code, floor number and lift details, especially if the old door has to be carried out.
• If you have pets, keep them in another room while the work is being done.
• Decide which way the new door should open: it may be different from the old one if the furniture layout now allows it.

A real case from Warsaw: three doors replaced in Ursynow

A client in Ursynow posted a request to replace three interior doors in a flat from the early 2000s. The old doors were hollow-core on timber frames — common in panel-built blocks from that time. The frames had dried out, the leaves had twisted and the hinges were loose. When the first door came out, the tradesperson found the frame had been nailed and foamed directly onto the concrete, with no plugs or anchors. It had to be cut out piece by piece so as not to destroy the opening. The second door came out cleanly, but the third, in the bathroom: was 4 cm wider than standard. A new standard-size door would not cover the whole opening, so it was reduced with a plasterboard insert on a metal stud. After fitting all three doors, the tradesperson repaired the chipped plaster and touched up the reveals. The whole job took one full working day. Later the client wrote that the flat had become noticeably quieter — new doors with rubber seals block sound much better than the old ones. The lesson is simple: replacing doors in buildings 15-20 years old almost always means surprises inside the opening, so it pays to expect them.

Replacing several Classen doors at once

When doors are replaced across a whole flat, say five Classen leaves, the key thing is that they all sit at the same height with the same gaps. A crooked line of top architraves in a hallway is obvious from the front door. Openings in older blocks are rarely identical, so each one is measured separately.

Doors go in after the walls are painted and the floor is laid. Before ordering, list the openings: the room, the opening direction and the lock type (key lock, bathroom lock or a simple latch), and check that handles bought separately fit the locks. The bathroom and kitchen are best left for a day when the handyman can finish them in one go.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace just the leaf and keep the old frame?

Yes, as long as the old frame is in good shape, straight and suited to the new leaf. The technician will check this on site: in some cases it really is the cheaper and quicker option.

How long does it take to replace one door?

Including removal and preparing the opening, 3-4 hours in most cases. If the opening is badly damaged and needs levelling, allow up to 5 hours.

What about damaged walls after removal?

The technician will repair small chips and cracks. If the damage is more serious, he will suggest a plasterer or do basic levelling himself.

The new door is a different size to the old one: is that a problem?

No. The opening can be widened with a breaker or made smaller with packing timber and plasterboard. The price depends on how much work is involved.

Do tradespeople take the old doors away?

Yes, removing old doors and waste is a separate service. If you would rather dispose of them yourself, the technician will leave them in the flat.

What is included in the replacement price?

Removal of the old door and frame, cleaning the opening, fitting the new frame and leaf, routing for hardware, fixings and foam. The door, frame and hardware are the client’s responsibility.

Can I change the opening direction when replacing?

Yes, that is one of the benefits of a full replacement. If the layout allows it, the technician will set the frame for the new opening direction.

Who does the work

Door replacements are done by tradespeople with real experience in joinery and finishing — people who know what old openings look like in Polish buildings from different periods. Tradespeople work across all of Warsaw and the nearby suburbs. Tradespeople come with a full set of tools: breaker, mitre saw, hinge router, spirit level, chisels. The technician stays available after the job: if a month later the foam settles and a gap shows up, they will return and adjust it.