Single door or double door: how to decide

A single door is one leaf. A double door has two leaves that meet in the middle. Both are common in Lucknow homes, and neither one is better by default. The right choice depends on your opening, the space around it and how the door will be used every day.

What changes between single and double

	Single door	Double door
Leaves	One	Two, meeting in the middle
NordWood widths	2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 ft	3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 and 5 ft
Heights	7 ft and 8 ft	7 ft and 8 ft
Room needed to open	Enough for the full width of the door	Less, because each leaf is narrower
Daily use	Open and close one leaf	Usually one leaf is used daily and the other stays bolted
Price shown	Per door	Per set (both leaves)

When a single door makes sense

• Bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and store rooms, where the opening is not very wide.
• When you want one simple lock and handle, and no meeting joint in the middle.
• When there is enough room behind the door for it to open fully without hitting a bed, an almirah or a switchboard.

When a double door makes sense

• A wide main entrance or drawing room opening, where one leaf would be very wide and heavy.
• When the space behind the door is tight. Two narrow leaves swing into less room than one wide leaf.
• When you sometimes want to open the full width, for moving furniture in and out or when many guests come for a function.

From 3 ft to 4 ft wide, you can have either a single or a double door. In this range, decide by use and space, not only by how the photo looks.

Check the doorway from both sides

A doorway can look roomy from the hall but be tight inside the room. Stand on both sides and check:

• Which way the door will open, inward or outward, and towards which wall.
• What will be behind the open door: furniture, a switchboard, a window or another door.
• For a double door, which leaf you will open every day, and how the other will be held shut, for example with bolts at the top and bottom.
• Where the lock and handle will go. On a double door they sit where the two leaves meet.

Settle these with your mistri before ordering. A photo of a door does not tell you how it was hung or which leaf opens.

If you also want a jali door

Many homes fit a jali (mesh) door in front of the main door, to let air in and keep mosquitoes out. If you want one, tell us at the start. The chaukhat then needs a double rebate, which is a step on both sides of the frame so that both shutters can be hung on it. Our note on planning the chaukhat explains this.

How the price compares

In our door rate list, single door prices are per door and double door prices are per set of two leaves. At the same height and width, a double door usually needs a little more wood, so it usually costs a little more than a single door. The wood matters too: forest teak costs more than imported teak, and imported teak costs more than plantation teak.

When comparing, keep the type fixed. Look at single door sizes for a single door and double door sizes for a double door. Do not assume a size or price shown for one is also available for the other.

Fitting is free for all NordWood doors, single or double.