At Murphy Larkin Doors we are asked a variety of questions related to buying and fitting new timber doors and one that comes up fairly often is which way a door should be hung. This is an interesting question and there is some debate, in some situations, over the most appropriate way of hanging a door. First of all it is worth pointing out that there are in fact four different options for the direction of swing.

Firstly there are two sides to the door. When fitting an External Door and you are standing outside your door facing it, you can have the hinge on the left or the right hand side and this determines whether you have a left handed door (hinges on the left) or a right handed door (hinges on the right). In addition, many external timber doors have raised panels and/or beading on one face, which is meant to be facing the exterior as this beading is there for practical reasons along with aesthetics. Generally an external door should push into the property away from you.
Note: hinges should be fitted on the inner side of the door (not seen from outside) for security.

For Internal doors the general rule is to open into the room, as you can imagine in a hallway with numerous doors it could be impractical if doors extended into the hall. Of course in certain situations it may be necessary to have the door pull towards you. If the door pushes inside away from you this is called a regular swing, if the door pulls towards you this is known as a reverse swing door.

There isn’t a definitive guide on what is right or wrong for domestic properties, though some building regulations and listed building advice may need to be adhered to, so it is really up to the homeowner on which side the hinges are positioned and which direction the door will swing. However there are a couple of things that you may wish to consider in choosing which side to hang your door. You may wish to think about, will the door cover the light switch? Will the position of the furniture get in the way? Similarly, you will want to avoid two doors being too close when both are opened. If you are short of opening space due to fitments or furniture, particularly in workrooms or under stairs cupboards then it is worth considering internal Bi-Fold Doors, some styles are available to match regular Internal Doors. Ideally you will aim to be consistent within your home with all doors swinging the same way to avoid confusion.