Door Installation Cost Guide 2026
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A door project can be a $150 afternoon or a $4,000 transformation — the spread is almost entirely door type, material, and frame condition. This guide prices every common door job, settles prehung vs. slab, compares french and sliding patio doors, explains why entry doors pay for themselves, and flags what to watch in quotes.
Door installation cost by type (2026)
| Door type | Installed cost | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Interior slab (rehang) | $150–$350 | Door $50–$150 + 1–2 hrs skilled labor; needs a perfect frame |
| Interior prehung | $250–$500 | Door $150–$250 + under 1 hr labor; brings its own frame |
| Interior prehung, solid-core | $350–$800 | Heavier door + ball-bearing hinges; the quiet upgrade |
| Exterior entry, steel | $500–$1,200 | Door $200–$600; best security per dollar |
| Exterior entry, fiberglass | $800–$2,500 | Door $300–$1,500; the rational default |
| Exterior entry, wood | $1,000–$4,000+ | Door $500–$3,000+; beauty with maintenance |
| French / patio pair | $1,000–$4,000 | Two slabs + astragal + fussy wide-opening install |
| Sliding patio door | $1,000–$3,000 | One moving panel; fastest patio install |
All figures are October 2026 US installed prices (±25%), standard hardware, unfinished unless noted. Interior numbers assume good frames; add $150–$600 per opening for frame repair or reframing.
Entry doors: the ROI story
No other single-day project returns like an entry door. Year after year, remodeling cost-vs-value surveys rank a steel entry door replacement at or near the top of all projects — recouping roughly its full cost at resale — because the front door is the handshake of the house. Buyers decide how they feel about a home in the first ten seconds, standing at the entry.
- Steel ($500–$1,200 installed): the ROI king. Strong, cheap, secure — and modern stamped panels look far better than the flat steel doors of the 1990s. The only knock: dents show and bare-metal scratches rust.
- Fiberglass ($800–$2,500 installed): the best all-rounder. Molded grain fools most eyes, it never rots or rusts, and foam cores insulate well. If you want wood looks without wood maintenance, stop here.
- Wood ($1,000–$4,000+ installed): unmatched beauty and the only door you can truly refinish forever — but it demands finishing on all six edges and recoating every few years. Neglect halves its life.
Security note that matters more than the door: a $40 deadbolt with 3-inch screws into the stud (through a reinforced strike plate) resists kicks far better than a $250 lockset on 3/4-inch screws. Spend $2 on screws before you spend $200 on a lock.
French vs. sliding patio doors
| French doors | Sliding patio door | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | $1,000–$4,000 | $1,000–$3,000 |
| Opening | Both slabs swing — full 5–6 ft clear | One panel slides — half the width open |
| Floor space | Needs swing clearance inside and out | Zero swing — best for tight patios |
| Ventilation | Excellent (full opening) | Moderate (half opening) |
| Screens | Awkward — retractable screens add $300–$600 | Built-in sliding screen, standard |
| Security | Weaker — astragal is the attack point | Better — single lock point, lift-proof rails on good units |
| Energy | Two meeting stiles = more air-leak potential | One seal line — slightly tighter |
The honest summary: french doors are the prettier, pricier, draftier choice; sliders are the practical one. If the doors open to a small patio where furniture sits near the swing, sliders aren't just cheaper — they're the only sane choice. If the opening frames a view and you want the drama, pay for french and budget the retractable screens.
Replace vs. rehang: the decision
Rehanging — a new slab in the existing frame ($150–$350) — is the right call when the door is damaged, dated, or hollow and the frame is square, solid, and the right size. It's the cheapest way to upgrade a house full of flat hollow-core doors to solid-core: the frames are usually fine; the doors are the problem.
Full replacement — a prehung unit ($250–$800 interior, $500–$2,500 entry) — wins when:
- The frame is rotted, split, or out of square (a slab in a racked frame never closes right)
- You want a different size (wider entry, taller interior — reframing runs $300–$600 per opening)
- It's an exterior door with failed weatherstripping — the frame, sill, and seals are half the performance, and you can't buy those separately for a 25-year-old unit
- The door sticks seasonally — that's the frame moving with humidity, not the door, and a new slab inherits the problem
The 30-second test: close the door and look at the reveal (the gap around it). Even all around means rehang. Wedge-shaped means the frame is racked — replace the unit.
Frame rot: costs and causes
Exterior door frames rot from the bottom up, and it's always water: failed caulk at the brickmould, missing sill-pan flashing, or a sprinkler hitting the door daily. Costs:
- Jamb splice ($150–$400): cut out the rotted bottom 6–12 inches, splice in new jamb stock, re-caulk. Fine when rot is caught early.
- Full jamb replacement ($250–$600): the whole side jamb comes out; sometimes the door must come off. Standard when rot runs the full height.
- Beyond the jamb ($800–$2,000+): rot in the subfloor, rim joist, or wall framing — now it's carpentry, and the door installer should hand off to a contractor.
Every rot repair must include fixing the water source — new flashing, re-caulked brickmould, redirected sprinkler — or you're buying the same repair again in three years. Ask any quote to itemize rot repair as an allowance; "we'll see when we open it" with no number attached is how $400 jobs become $1,400 surprises.
Energy efficiency: doors that pay
Doors are holes in your insulation, and old ones leak. The DOE's door guidance is blunt: air leakage around doors is a major slice of home energy waste, and weatherstripping is the cheapest fix in the house.
- Weatherstripping refresh ($15–$40 DIY): kerf-in Q-lon or silicone bulb seals replace crushed foam in minutes and restore most of a door's draft performance. Do this before you even price a new door.
- Adjustable threshold ($30–$80): a few turns of the screws close the gap under the door. If daylight shows under a closed exterior door, the threshold — not the door — is the fix.
- Storm door ($150–$500 installed): adds an air-lock vestibule in front of the entry door. Worth it on north-facing doors in cold climates; skip it on fiberglass doors in mild climates (heat buildup between the doors can warp finishes — most manufacturers warn about this).
- ENERGY STAR doors: certified units meet U-factor and air-leakage limits. But note the diminishing returns: a $900 fiberglass door with great weatherstripping beats a $3,000 wood door with gaps, every winter.
Sliding patio doors deserve special attention — the rollers and track wear, and a door that doesn't close squarely leaks like an open window. A $15–$40 roller assembly and ten minutes with a screwdriver often "fixes" a $2,000 replacement quote.
Full budget: 10 interior doors, whole-house refresh
| Line item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| 10 solid-core prehung slabs | $2,200 |
| Labor (2-person crew, 1.5 days) | $1,100 |
| Privacy sets (4) + passage sets (6) | $280 |
| Paint (DIY, 2 gallons + supplies) | $90 |
| Total | $3,670 |
Planning range (±25%): $2,750–$4,590. The same 10 doors as hollow-core slabs rehung by a pro: ~$2,500. As a full DIY with prehung units: ~$2,400 in materials. The pro premium on interior doors is mostly speed and perfect reveals — worth it if your time is worth more than $40/hour, since a first-timer burns a weekend on what a crew does in a day and a half.
Quote red flags
- No door model numbers. "Fiberglass entry door, installed, $1,800" tells you nothing — a $400 builder slab and a $1,400 Therma-Tru are both "fiberglass entry doors." Demand brand and model.
- No frame/rot allowance. Exterior quotes that assume perfect framing are quotes that grow. An honest bid itemizes rot repair as an allowance with a per-opening rate.
- Skipped flashing. Any exterior door quote without sill-pan flashing is a future rot repair wearing a door quote costume. Ask specifically.
- Backset blindness. "We'll reuse your lockset" without checking 2-3/8" vs 2-3/4" backset compatibility means a return trip — or a bored-out mess.
- Today-only pressure. Doors aren't emergency surgery. Any "sign today" discount is theater; the price exists tomorrow too.
- 30%+ below the pack. The low bid skips the permit, the flashing, the commissioning — or the warranty registration. On exterior doors, the cheap bid is the expensive door.
Door installation FAQs
How much does door installation cost in 2026?
Interior doors cost $150–$500 installed in 2026, exterior entry doors $500–$2,500, french doors $1,000–$4,000, and sliding patio doors $1,000–$3,000. The door itself is roughly half the total on exterior jobs and a third on interior jobs — the rest is labor, hardware, finishing, and frame work. Frame rot repair adds $250–$600 per opening.
Do new doors increase home value?
Entry doors do — a steel entry door replacement consistently ranks among the highest-ROI remodels, recouping roughly 100% of its cost at resale because buyers judge the whole house by the front door. Interior doors add livability (sound, feel) more than appraised value. Patio doors help when they fix a dark or closed-off layout. No door project loses money the way an over-personalized remodel can.
French doors vs sliding patio doors: which costs more?
French doors cost more — $1,000–$4,000 installed vs. $1,000–$3,000 for sliding patio doors. French pairs need two operating slabs, an astragal, and fussy alignment across a wide opening; sliders have one moving panel on a track and install faster. French doors win on looks and full-open ventilation; sliders win on cost, space (no swing), and screen practicality.
When should I replace a door vs just rehanging it?
Rehanging — a new slab in the old frame, $150–$350 — is the right call when the door is damaged, dated, or hollow and the frame is square, solid, and the right size. It's the cheapest way to upgrade a house full of flat hollow-core doors to solid-core: the frames are usually fine; the doors are the problem.
How much does door frame rot repair cost?
Jamb splice repairs run $150–$400 per opening, full jamb replacement $250–$600. Exterior bottom jambs rot from failed caulk or missing flashing — always fix the water source or the repair rots again. If rot reaches the subfloor, rim joist, or wall framing, costs climb to $800–$2,000+ and it's carpentry work, not a door job.
Are expensive entry doors worth it for energy savings?
Up to a point. Moving from a leaky old door to any modern insulated door with proper weatherstripping cuts that opening's air leakage dramatically — the DOE estimates doors and windows drive a large share of home air leaks. But the jump from a $900 fiberglass door to a $3,000 wood door buys looks, not efficiency; the weatherstripping quality matters more than the slab price. Seal the gaps before you upgrade the door.
What should I watch for in a door installation quote?
Red flags: a lump-sum price with no door model numbers; no mention of frame condition or rot repair allowance; exterior quotes that skip sill-pan flashing; 'we'll reuse your old lockset' without checking backset compatibility; and pressure to decide today. A good quote lists the exact door (brand, model, size), hardware, finish scope, frame work, and disposal — and itemizes rot repair as an allowance, not a surprise.
How long do doors last?
Fiberglass and steel exterior doors last 20–30+ years; wood entry doors 20–30 years only with diligent finishing (neglect cuts that in half). Interior doors last the life of the house — they fail from fashion, not wear. Weatherstripping lasts 5–10 years and is a $20 DIY refresh that restores most of a door's draft performance. Sliding patio rollers wear in 10–15 years; replacement roller assemblies are $15–$40.