Door reuse in renovation
Construction waste, including your doors
On a 1,000 m² office floor, 600 to 1,100 kg of doors end up in the skip even though 60 to 80% are reusable. You pay twice: a new EI30 door at 380-550 EUR including installation, and the landfill disposal of the old one. Since 2006, Kytom has assessed 1,480 doors across 34 office projects between 2022 and 2024: in 7 cases out of 10, reuse comes out ahead on both budget and carbon. We handle the resource audit, careful removal, workshop restoration within 80 km of the site, laboratory requalification for EI30/EI60 and Rw 32-38 dB, then reinstallation with unit-level traceability that holds up before your structural damage insurer. The protocol covers the AGEC law and its PEMD diagnosis, mandatory since 2022, the acoustic standard applicable to office buildings, and NF EN 1935 for hinges. Three levers structure this approach: the economic threshold at 25 doors, the A-B-C rating that filters the stock, and the workshop requalification that secures your ten-year liability.
The framework
The construction sector generates a considerable volume of waste each year in France, a significant share of which comes from office fit-outs renewed every 7 to 10 years. Since 2022, the AGEC law has required a Products Equipment Materials Waste (PEMD) diagnosis on any operation exceeding 1,000 m² or involving demolition: reuse is no longer an editorial option, it is a documentary obligation.
Interior doors represent a non-negligible fraction of the mass of an office fit-out and concentrate a notable carbon impact at manufacture. According to the available FDES data, each reused door avoids between 25 and 60 kg CO2 eq, and diverts several hundred kilograms of waste from landfill on a typical operation of 800 to 1,200 m².
For you, as a real estate department or project owner: door reuse directly feeds the -40% milestone of the tertiary decree by 2030, your CSRD reporting, and the environmental standards that now reward the rate of reused material. Within ABF, ZPPAUP or AVAP perimeters, the material continuity of joinery becomes an argument for permit submission.
Our workshop
Restoration and requalification: Rw 32-38 dB and EI30 with enforceable test report
Our workshop, located less than 80 km from your site, takes 2 to 3 weeks for the technical overhaul: sanding, edge treatment, A+ certified paint, replacement of acoustic seals, hinge verification according to the technical standard applicable to building hardware.
Two critical tests seal the requalification:
- Acoustic insulation, target Rw 32 to 38 dB, measured in laboratory or by representative sampling
- Fire behaviour, EI30 or EI60 check validated by an accredited body, with an enforceable requalification test report
What you gain on the liability side: reinstallation is carried out in your new layout with a complete test report and a traceability file compliant with the applicable regulatory requirements (articles R4211 and following). Our complete chain is certified. Your architect retains their ten-year liability within the meaning of article 1792 of the Civil Code, provided that the requalification test report is appended to the DOE and that unit-level traceability (batch number, before/after photo, laboratory test) is established. This industrialisation of reuse takes the practice out of the artisanal register and makes it compatible with a 5,000 m² office operation.
A limitation to be aware of. A door whose original fire-rating test report is lost and which belongs to a unique typology (fewer than 5 identical units on the site) cannot bear the cost of laboratory requalification (800 to 1,500 EUR per typology): we downgrade it to a standard interior door without fire protection, or direct it towards material recycling.
Your gains
New door versus reused door: the quantified trade-off
On the projects we deliver, door reuse generates measurable benefits along four axes: direct savings on purchase and installation, reduced carbon footprint, shortened procurement lead times, and improved environmental credits in HQE or BREEAM standards.
| Indicator | New door | Reused door | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit cost including installation | 380 to 550 EUR | 180 to 320 EUR | 180 to 320 EUR |
| Procurement lead time | 8 to 10 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks | 5 to 8 weeks |
| Carbon footprint (kg CO2 eq) | 60 to 90 | 18 to 30 | 55 to 70% |
| Environmental credits | reference | + 2 to 4 credits | material bonus |
The economic gain becomes significant as soon as the volume of reused doors is sufficient to absorb the diagnosis and requalification costs. On a 1,000 m² floor with 80 doors, the trade-off is generally favourable to reuse when traceability conditions are met, with direct savings, several weeks gained on the critical procurement path, and a substantial volume of CO2 eq avoided. On the environmental certification side, the credits associated with the material component rise by 2 to 4 points, which genuinely weighs in achieving a high classification level.
Method
- On-site resource audit
Our craftsmen survey your doors in 2 to 4 days: dimensions, materials, fire and acoustic ratings, photographs, XRF detection of lead-based paints. Each door receives an A, B or C rating that determines its trajectory. You receive an enforceable inventory and the PEMD diagnosis required by the AGEC law. - Careful removal and packaging
We remove doors, frames and associated hardware while preserving the regulatory value of fire-rated assemblies. Palletised packaging on 15 to 25 m² of sheltered storage per batch, integrated into the site phasing over 4 to 8 weeks, without interference with the other trades. - Workshop restoration within 80 km
Our workshop takes 2 to 3 weeks: sanding, edge treatment, A+ paint, replacement of acoustic seals, hinge verification according to the standards in force. Geographic proximity reduces transport and the carbon footprint, and allows responsiveness on last-minute adjustments. - Laboratory requalification
For each typology reused with fire protection, an EI30 or EI60 test validated by an accredited inspection body, plus an acoustic insulation measurement of Rw 32 to 38 dB compliant with the acoustic regulatory requirements applicable to offices. Lead time 4 to 6 weeks, cost 800 to 1,500 EUR per typology. Enforceable test report appended to the DOE. - Reinstallation and unit-level traceability
Reinstallation in your new layout with a complete test report, batch number, before/after photo and laboratory test for each unit. File compliant with articles R4211 and following, enforceable before your structural damage insurer and your ten-year liability (article 1792 of the Civil Code).
Frequently asked questions
From how many doors does reuse become profitable?
The KYTOM break-even point sits at a minimum of 25 removable doors on a single site. Below this, the fixed costs of auditing (2–4 days), transport to the workshop and laboratory requalification (800–1,500 EUR per typology) exceed the price of a new EI30 door (380–550 EUR including installation). Beyond 25 units, the unit cost falls and the carbon saving, documented via the INIES database, becomes an argument for the building permit application.
