Rates are UK national (non-London): central London and constrained urban sites typically run dearer — adjust the labour, plant and access lines in the build-up accordingly.
Internal door lining (supply & fix)
per m² · supply & lay
£127 – £218 / nr
What is it
The supply and fixing of an internal door lining / casing set — the timber set (two jambs and a head, with loose planted stops) that lines a structural door opening and onto which the door leaf is later hung — offered up to a prepared opening, both jambs plumbed true, packed and shimmed to line, fixed off, the loose stops pinned and made good — priced per opening (nr). A mainstream softwood or MDF lining set is the UK budget default. This rate prices the LINING only — the door leaf, the ironmongery, the architrave and the decoration are separate rates. The rate carries three operations:
Offer up & plumb — the lining set offered up to the prepared opening and both jambs plumbed true.
Pack & fix — the lining packed and shimmed to line and fixed off to the opening.
Pin & make good — the loose planted stops pinned and the lining made good, ready for the leaf and architrave.
Rate range by lining spec
Entry — narrow softwood lining£127 – £164 / nr
Softwood / MDF lining set£142 – £183 / nr
Wide MDF / FD30 fire casing£169 – £218 / nr
Budget rate per m².
3 key cost drivers
Opening complexity & access
A standard lining to a plumb, square, prepared opening fits fastest; an out-of-square or racked opening, an oversize or fire-rated casing, or restricted access add fitting time. It is a key driver of the labour per opening.
Lining spec & grade
A mainstream softwood/MDF lining set is the priced default. A narrow softwood lining is cheaper; a wide MDF-primed lining or an FD30 fire casing runs dearer, with a fully-finished veneered-oak lining the ceiling. It is the key driver of material cost — the calculator flexes the lining across its price band.
Location
London and the South East typically add around 20% to labour.
Estimator
Budget rate generator
£142 – £183 / nr
Covers the door lining/casing set, fixings & adhesive, the carpenter and O&P · excl. the door leaf, ironmongery, architrave, decoration & VAT
Exclusions
Lifting & material distribution — telehandler / forklift, hoist and site-distribution labour (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
The door leaf, the ironmongery (hinges, latch & furniture) and the architrave / mouldings
Decoration (a painter’s rate), forming / trimming the structural opening and access / scaffold
Scaffold supply (usually in preliminaries)
Preliminaries — main-contractor site set-up, management & welfare