Top 75+ Inspiring 1950s House Interior Doors Jambs All Beat Up For Every Budget

The 1950s was a decade that saw a surge of bold and modern designs for many types of interior door styles, especially mid-century modern interior doors. Many homes during this period featured interior doors with minimalist frames with panes of clear or frosted glass, often laminated glass, giving character to the space and allowing for natural light to pass through any room. Such doors remain popular today in mid-century modern homes, while more intricate designs made of hardwood can still be found in some older homes to provide the classic 1950s aesthetic.

These mid-century modern interior doors, which may feature distressed or smooth finishes, would typically be outfitted with chrome streamline handles or bentwood knockers, and could come with many panel configurations such as four-panel, six-panel, or an even larger number of panels for a more intricate design. The size of the panels would usually be equal width and height but could vary in some cases.

The six-panel interior door was a popular choice for homes built in the 1950s and continues to be seen in many homes today. This door style, also known as a ‘colonial door’ or ‘colonial six’, is composed of six rectangular panels arranged in two groups of three, with the outer group typically being slightly larger than the inner one. The panels may be plain, have raised profiles, or feature an arch design to further enhance the traditional look.

These vintage 1950s six-panel interior doors were usually made of hardwood such as oak, cherry, maple, and other hardwood species and could be painted or stained in almost any color or hue desired, including relatively daring color choices at the time. Additionally, chrome or brass hardware was often incorporated into the design to further enhance an interior space.

Since many 1950s homes had doorways with different sizes and depths, finding the perfect sized door for each one was difficult, meaning homeowners would regularly opt for doors with jams that were too deep for the door frame. Eventually, this could lead to the very common sight of beat-up jams on interior doors from this period, with evidence such as marks, scratches, and dents around the jam for years after installation.

Other common problems that can arise in these doors are the formation of gaps between the jam and door frame, deep dents in the door, and hinges that are not perfectly lined up. All these issues could lead to further damage to the door and require repair or replacement of the door, jams, and doorframe.

Repairing an interior door with beat-up jamb can be tricky, as there’s a chance it could cause the door to not fit in the frames anymore, leading to bigger problems. That said, if the only issue is scratches, dents, an uneven fit, or painting issues, it’s possible to repair an interior door relatively easy. Here are a few tips on how to DIY repair 1950s interior doors with beat-up jams:

Replacing an interior door is a bit more complicated than repairing it since it requires taking out the existing door and jam, and then installing the new one. This process requires certain know-how to ensure everything goes smoothly and that the door is level and fits perfectly into place. To get this job done, it's recommended to hire a professional to handle the replacement.

Since 1950s interior doors tend to have a unique look, most sellers market them as vintage or antique options, which can get slightly expensive when purchasing a pre-hung and completely assembled door. If you want a more cost-effective solution, then you can opt forreplacing just the door instead of the entire jam, although this task is a lot more challenging and requires special tools for installation.