Interior door replacement in Ottawa costs roughly $250 to $900 per door installed in 2026, depending on whether you swap the slab only or replace the full pre-hung unit. A hollow-core slab reusing the existing jamb and hinges typically runs $250–$400 installed, a solid-core slab $400–$650, and a new pre-hung door with jamb and casing $550–$900. Replacing every door in a typical three-bedroom Ottawa home — usually 8 to 12 doors — generally lands between $3,000 and $8,500, and closer to $10,000–$14,000 if you upgrade to solid-core doors with new casing and hardware throughout. It is one of the h...
The choice between a slab and a pre-hung unit drives most of the cost. A slab replacement reuses the existing jamb, casing, and hinge locations — the installer trims the new door to size, mortises the hinges, and bores for the handle. Materials run $70–$250 for a hollow-core and $180–$450 for a solid-core or MDF moulded panel door, with $120–$250 in labour per door. It is the right call when the existing jambs are square, undamaged, and painted to a standard you like. A pre-hung unit ships as a door already hung in a new jamb; installation means removing the old casing, pulling the old jamb, shimming the new unit plumb, and re-casing both sides. Materials run $200–$550 per unit with $200–$400 labour, plus paint. Pre-hung is the better choice in older Ottawa homes where jambs have shifted, in any doorway where the door has never closed properly, and whenever you are changing casing style anyway.
Homes in Centretown, Old Ottawa South, and Westboro built before 1950 often have openings that are neither 30 nor 32 inches, and jambs milled for plaster wall thickness. Expect custom-width doors or site-built jamb extensions, which add $150–$400 per opening.
Hollow-core moulded panel doors are the default in most Ottawa builder homes and remain the budget pick at $70–$150 per slab. They are light and inexpensive but transmit sound freely and dent easily. Solid-core doors — a composite or particleboard core with a moulded or flat skin — cost $180–$400 per slab and are the single best upgrade for bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices, and any door onto a hallway shared with a media room, because they cut noise transfer dramatically and feel substantially more solid. Solid wood stile-and-rail doors run $450–$1,200 per slab and suit character homes. Style-wise, two- and three-panel shaker doors and flat slab doors dominate current Ottawa renovations, largely replacing the six-panel colonial doors installed across Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orléans in the 1990s. Specialty units cost more: barn door kits $400–$1,200 installed, bifold closet doors $200–$450 per opening, and pocket doors $1,200–$2,500 because the wall must be opened and reframed.
Most doors arrive primed and need two coats of paint. Budget $60–$120 per door if a painter does it, or buy prefinished doors at a $60–$150 premium each to skip the step and get a smoother factory finish.
The door is only part of the invoice. Handles and latches run $25–$60 each for basic builder-grade lever sets, $70–$180 for quality brands in matte black, satin brass, or brushed nickel, and $150–$350 for privacy or smart locks. Hinges add $8–$25 per door if you are matching a new finish — and if you are switching from brass to black hardware, replacing hinges is what makes the change look intentional. New casing costs $4–$12 per linear foot in material, roughly $70–$180 per doorway installed, and is almost always worth doing if you are already going pre-hung. Baseboard transitions where casing profiles change add labour. Finally, factor in disposal of the old doors ($100–$250 for a full house) and any floor-clearance adjustment — if new flooring went in without doors being trimmed, each door may need 1/4 to 1/2 inch cut off the bottom, which is usually included in slab pricing but should be confirmed.
Most Ottawa homeowners replacing doors do the whole house at once, and there are genuine savings in doing so — a carpenter working through 10 doors in one visit is far more efficient per door than making three separate trips. A realistic 2026 example: a 10-door two-storey home in Barrhaven, replacing hollow-core slabs with new hollow-core slabs and new lever hardware, comes in around $3,200–$4,500 including paint. The same house upgraded to solid-core slabs with quality hardware runs about $6,000–$8,000. Going full pre-hung with new shaker doors, new casing on both sides, and new hardware throughout typically lands at $9,500–$14,000. Bifold closet doors and a barn door for the primary ensuite would add another $1,500–$3,000. Expect 2–4 working days for a slab-only package and 4–7 days for a pre-hung package with casing and painting. Interior doors never require a City of Ottawa permit unless you are altering a structural wall to change an opening size.
Put solid-core doors on bedrooms, bathrooms, and offices where sound matters, and keep hollow-core on closets and linen storage. Spending the savings on better hardware gives a bigger perceived upgrade than an expensive door with builder-grade levers.
Interior doors are finish carpentry, and the quality difference between a skilled trim carpenter and a general handyman is immediately visible in reveal consistency, mitre joints, and how the door closes. Ask each bidder to quote per door with a clear breakdown of slab or pre-hung, hardware supply, casing, painting, and disposal, and to state the total number of doors so nothing is missed on walkthrough day. Get three quotes, confirm liability insurance and WSIB clearance, and ask to see photos of recent casing work — mitres at the head casing tell you everything about their standard. Confirm who supplies the doors: contractor-supplied usually costs slightly more but shifts responsibility for damaged or wrong-size units onto them. Be aware that special-order door and casing profiles in the Ottawa market often carry 2–5 week lead times, so schedule material ordering well before your install week.
In 2026, expect $250–$400 per hollow-core slab installed, $400–$650 for a solid-core slab, and $550–$900 for a full pre-hung door with new jamb and casing. Hardware, paint, and disposal are usually additional unless the quote says otherwise.
For a typical 8–12 door home, budget $3,000–$8,500 for slab replacements and $9,500–$14,000 for a full pre-hung package with new casing and hardware throughout. Upgrading to solid-core doors on bedrooms and bathrooms is the main factor that moves you up the range.
Choose slab doors when your existing jambs are square, undamaged, and finished the way you want — it is significantly cheaper. Choose pre-hung when jambs have shifted, doors do not close cleanly, or you are changing casing style, which is common in Ottawa homes over 25 years old.
For bedrooms, bathrooms, and home offices, yes. Solid-core doors cut noise transfer substantially and feel far more substantial than hollow-core, for roughly $150–$250 more per door installed. Hollow-core remains fine for closets and pantries.
No. Swapping interior doors is finish work and does not require a City of Ottawa permit. A permit may be needed only if you change the size of an opening in a load-bearing wall, which requires structural framing.
A trim carpenter can typically hang 4–8 slab doors per day, so a 10-door house takes 2–4 days. A pre-hung package with new casing and painting usually takes 4–7 working days, plus 2–5 weeks lead time if doors or casing profiles are special order.