Suppose you decide to make a steel door with your own hands or want to buy one, but the upholstery of metal doors in the store leaves much to be desired. Don’t be upset, sheathing a metal door yourself is not so difficult, and then we will tell you in detail how to sheathe the front door and slopes to it on both sides, with all the pros and cons of the options that exist today.
The upholstery of the metal entrance door speaks of the status of the owner of the house.
For those DIYers who want to surprise their loved ones with a high-quality steel door made at home with their own hands, there is a good step-by-step instruction with a detailed video, detailed photos and explanations, you can find it “here”.
What is door restoration
Metal entrance doors are very popular, this is explained by their high reliability, durability, beautiful appearance and long service life. If a high-quality structure is installed, it will serve reliably for several decades. During operation of the front door, it is exposed to the negative influence of external factors, so over time it loses its original appearance. Situations may arise when the design of the house has been changed inside or outside and the old door does not fit into it. In such cases, there is no need to rush to change the front door, it can be restored, it is not very difficult and you can handle this kind of work yourself.
Before deciding on the need to restore the front door, you first need to check its functionality and determine whether it has retained its heat and sound insulation characteristics. In most cases, the design remains fully functional, so to update it, you just need to change the appearance.
It is much cheaper to restore a metal entrance door than to install a new one
When dismantling an old door and installing a new one, you will have to refinish the doorway, and this not only requires additional funds, but there will also be a lot of dust and debris in the house. During the restoration of the door leaf, it is not necessary to dismantle it; such work is dust-free and everything can be done independently. Depending on the restoration method chosen, you will need a maximum of 40% of the cost of the new door. If you have high-quality doors installed, then you should not rush to replace them; you risk purchasing low-quality structures. By restoring your front door, you get a beautiful and reliable solution, improve its sound and heat insulation characteristics and at the same time save significant money.
Conclusion
Choosing upholstery for metal doors is a responsible matter, because it largely indicates the status of the owner. When making a decision, carefully weigh all the pros and especially cons of the materials described above and let your door be the most beautiful in the area.
Choosing the finish of metal doors is a responsible matter.
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Wood veneer
Wood veneer on the front door
“Veneer... there is so much mystery in this word” - I just want to say this phrase in relation to the text of this article. But really! Not many people know what veneer is. Veneer is the name given to dried wooden strips bonded together under pressure of several atmospheres.
Decorating the door with veneer is done by stacking wooden planks in such a way that a pattern is created on the surface of the door. To protect against dust and dirt, wooden components are varnished. To prevent the material from losing its original color, a colorless varnish is selected for application.
Currently, the exterior finishing of an iron door with veneer is in second place in popularity, after finishing with vinyl leather, which will be discussed below.
Colors
Slopes are a small detail that can either support the style in the interior or completely break out of it.
An inappropriate color of decoration will become an element that violates the integrity of the overall picture, so it is important to choose the right color in accordance with the design of the door and the decoration of the walls, floor and ceiling in indoors
The color of the slopes directly depends on the selected material:
Tree and its derivatives. This group includes all materials in the production of which wood was used in one way or another. These include classic solid wood panels, lining, and all slabs pressed from chips and adhesives, veneer, and laminate. Accordingly, the color palette is varied, but does not go beyond natural colors: pine, spruce, poplar, ash, bleached oak, stained oak, pink oak, light walnut, medium walnut, dark walnut, red maple, mahogany, antique pine, Douglas . Chic colors are collected in a dark palette of natural and synthetic origin: cherry, mahogany, wenge, chocolate, teak, Indiana, Macassar, Locarno apple.
Plasterboard slopes
It is impossible to simply make slopes using drywall. This material is the basis for subsequent installation. Before fixing it, the wall surface is primed and leveled.
When installing an iron structure, first the primer is dried. While it dries, the necessary measurements are taken and the sheet material is cut. Measurements must be taken carefully, as the opening may have a slope, and the part will need to be cut at some angle.
You can outsource such work to a specialist, but this will require financial costs. Therefore, in order to save money, many do this work themselves.
The platbands, together with the trim, are attached with dowels or special glue. Today glue has gained popularity. Before finishing begins, the side panels are installed first, followed by the top trim.
The technique of finishing with glue is simple. It is applied in the form of cakes with a step of 10-15 cm. It can also be applied in a continuous layer. To obtain even corners, use a special perforated corner.
Technique for finishing an opening with plasterboard
Preparatory work
Before you start using one or another finishing material, you need to prepare the slope so that it is smooth, neat and in the future to avoid correcting possible problems.
Preparatory work is carried out in the following steps:
- The surface of the slopes is cleared of the remnants of old plaster, and if it crumbles, then it must be knocked down completely;
- If the slopes are improved after installing a new entrance door, then excess foam will be visible, which should definitely be removed with a utility knife;
- All existing joints and cracks are carefully coated;
- All areas are carefully coated with plaster, but if the slopes are decorated with sheet or panel materials, then the surface may not be leveled to perfection;
- A primer must be applied to the plaster, which will prevent the appearance of mold and mildew, and also improve adhesion, especially if after this the slopes will be finished with decorative mixtures;
- When applying plaster, it is necessary to ensure that there are completely no small cracks, which can subsequently cause constant drafts;
- After all the activities have been completed, the slopes are equipped with decorative elements.
Some features
Decorating the front door with your own hands has some features, taking into account which will help you complete the work correctly. The basis of such processes is to obtain aesthetic appeal, although we should not forget about protective functions. It's no secret that the outer coating faces various mechanical influences, and therefore must successfully withstand them.
On a note! The cladding allows for additional thermal insulation. For such an event, a variety of insulation materials that are presented on the modern market are perfect. It is important to consider that the material must be laid from the inside. This option is considered more productive.
Any external door cladding cannot fully replace internal insulation; it acts only as an auxiliary link
to highlight the wall in the kitchen near the table
There are nuances that will help you correctly decide on the type of cladding:
Advice! This option requires caution, because the coating is located in the most accessible place. To avoid troubles, the underside of the mirror is covered with a special film that will prevent splinters from forming if the surface is damaged.
The method of fastening the material used for decoration is also of great importance, because the coating should be as durable as possible.
Beautifully decorated entrance doors with your own hands from the inside: photo
For inspiration, we offer options for cladding entrance doors.
Door trim
Updating the front door using reupholstery
Laminate cladding
Laminate front door trim
Entrance door cladding options
Laminate
Door finished with laminate
The use of laminate for finishing an iron door on the outside is currently not yet widespread. But this material has many positive qualities: it is resistant to impacts (only not from sharp objects), its palette has many available colors, plus its care is distinguished by its simplicity. Laminate flooring does not need to be cleaned - its smooth surface can be quickly and effectively removed with a damp cloth. However, it is not predisposed to operation in conditions of significant humidity.
So, in this article we examined the possibilities of modern door finishing materials presented on the Russian market. To finally decide on how to decorate an iron entrance door, it is enough to choose one of the above material options. Meanwhile, the option of using finishing, which includes the possibility of using several materials at once, also has the right to life.
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Briefly about the main thing
To improve the interior of your front door, you don’t have to spend a lot of money and turn to professionals. Every home craftsman, with basic experience in finishing work and a set of standard tools, can do all the work with his own hands. The most popular types of finishing are painting, upholstery, carriage binding, hard paneling and decoupage. For each type of decor, preparatory work should be carried out and all points of the technological map must be consistently completed.
Types of doorways
Before you start designing a doorway, you need to figure out what they are:
Standard rectangular shape. Most often found in residential areas. In this case, it is much more difficult to decide how to finish the slope, because there are a lot of options and the greatest difficulty is in determining the material that will be as practical as possible and will not cause big problems during the finishing work.
Arch. It looks very stylish and unusual, but during finishing it can cause technical difficulties and, on top of that, not all finishing materials may be suitable. In addition to branded overlays, in this case it is advisable to use drywall, plaster or elastic polyurethane materials.
Is it worth restoring an old door structure in an apartment or house?
If your old door functions normally, but its appearance leaves much to be desired or does not fit into the new interior, you can carry out independent restoration of the front or inside.
Principles for selecting basic materials for canvas restoration:
Below is a photo of the old front door before and after restoration:
The most commonly used materials for finishing the inside of the door
The methods listed above allow you to realize any designer’s idea, provided the following materials are available:
- Natural wood of valuable species - oak, walnut, beech, and ash.
Natural wood paneling
- Boards made of natural coniferous materials - pine, cedar.
Pine paneling
- Genuine leather for carriage screed.
Covering with genuine leather
- Leatherette for soft upholstery.
Leatherette upholstery
- Ready-made MDF panels.
MDF panel in assortment
- Chipboard or OSB sheets, moisture-resistant plywood.
OSB sheets for the door
- Laminated film.
Film sticker
- Nitro paints, alkyd, acrylic, hammer, oil or other paints and varnishes.
Dyed canvas
- Carpeting, laminate and other materials used as floor finishing.
Laminate as a finishing material
Large factories that supply doors of modular dimensions, or on individual orders from premises owners, usually use the technology of constructing MDF panels with high-quality lamination. Modern materials in this category are characterized by increased wear resistance, durability, and are resistant to mechanical damage and temperature changes.
Factory for the production of entrance doors
Powder coating
This is what powder coating looks like
Spraying of a special powder composition onto the outside of the door is carried out only in workshop conditions, using a high-thermal oven for this purpose. In order for the spraying to be carried out in compliance with all necessary standards, the door blank, the surface of which is previously coated with a special powder, is placed in an oven heated to four hundred degrees Celsius.
Under the influence of such an environment, the powder melts. After maintaining a certain time interval, the door blank is removed and forcedly cooled. At the end of this procedure, the applied powder coating acquires a characteristic strength, which in its properties is higher than the strength of other coating mixtures.
It is generally accepted that metal doors treated with powder using the technology described above are able to withstand the onslaught of great force, even with the use of mechanical force.
Methods of finishing from the inside
Interior finishing of the canvas is a more complex procedure. The fact is that the decorative look here must be harmonious; it must be correctly integrated into the existing or created interior. It is important to remember about the protective function - it seems that from the inside it would be unnecessary, but it is not. The threats are not decreasing: children love to lean against the door when going outside, and pets will not mind testing the new coating for strength.
entrance stairs for a private house photo
There are a number of requirements for finishing:
The aerobatics of arranging an entrance door is considered to be its harmonious combination with the surrounding interior
So, the interior decoration of door panels can be done using the following options.
Chipboard sheets up to 6 – 8 mm thick
This is the most budget-friendly solution that helps give the surface a completely different look. It is important to consider that this product is afraid of excess moisture, so all edges are treated with sealants. Many people mistakenly believe that laminated chipboard has a small decorative range. In fact, there are many varieties, varying in color and texture, that perfectly imitate even natural wood.
Visually, laminated chipboard is not much different from MDF, but it is not advisable to install these panels outside, since their stability leaves much to be desired
MDF overlays
This is a more interesting type of panel, the use of which has one important defect - joints. The overlays are made to fit standard blades, which allows you to carry out work very quickly, even after installing the structure in the opening. This option has a wide choice, which allows you to choose the necessary solution.
On a note! Custom canvases are a great design move, but a big challenge when getting the job done. For them you will have to order MDF overlays separately.
MDF overlays have unique stability and excellent aesthetic properties, which is why this material is widely used in the luxury sector
Leather or its substitutes
Using natural materials is a serious financial investment. It is much more effective to choose artificial substitutes that have an identical appearance.
There is an erroneous stereotype that leatherette and similar materials are bad. This situation is explained by the fact that for a long time the market was dominated by products that were of low quality. Currently, the situation has changed a lot, the choice of such materials is very wide, and the quality is excellent. Of course, if you do not choose frankly cheap varieties produced by unknown manufacturers.
On a note! Even a do-it-yourself metal door frame using vinyl leather can be done by anyone. Unlike external work, internal work allows you to create the same pattern that is available for wooden structures.
“Soviet-style” dermantine is no longer used on doors, genuine leather is very expensive, the best option is eco-leather - it looks great, stretches well and lasts a long time.
In principle, to veneer the panels from the inside with your own hands, you can use any panel products. Thus, there are surfaces that were even lined with plastic parts. This option is more suitable for office premises where there is no need for excessive attractiveness.
The order of cladding
Door cladding involves performing a number of procedures that allow you to obtain the best quality.
Preparation
It all starts with the canvas being removed from its hinges. This ensures convenience when performing all actions. Of course, this procedure is completely optional: if you have confidence in your own abilities, the work is done by weight.
It is important to clean the surface of all protruding parts - handles, locks, linings, eyes. Much attention is paid to the condition of the base coating - any defects need to be corrected. Finishing a metal door with your own hands requires the use of corrosion removal and complete degreasing. It’s more difficult with wooden products - the material often dries out, which forces you to putty.
On a note! Special work occurs when the door is trimmed from the inside. The most labor-intensive process is with metal sheets, which require creating an internal frame of beams and laying insulation. If this is not required, then preparations are made for laying the base coating.
The most suitable option for self-finishing is the use of MDF overlays
Installation
The selected material is laid according to existing methods. For example, the installation of MDF overlays is considered the simplest. They are fixed with a special glue, which is applied evenly around the entire perimeter. For additional fastening, self-tapping screws are used, the holes for which are drilled out so that the screw head is completely submerged.
Thus, finishing metal doors with your own hands and decorating wooden structures is not the most difficult process, which requires the correct selection of materials and extreme care. It is much better to spend more time, but get a beautiful and high-quality surface.
Vinyl leather
Finishing the outer part of an iron door with vinyl leather is still the most popular way to beautifully and inexpensively decorate the entrance to an apartment. The advantages that this material has make its use the best in terms of price/quality ratio. Here are its advantages:
However, with all its advantages, this material has one significant drawback - it breaks even when touched with not the sharpest objects. For example, it’s easy to damage it with a bunch of keys.
Additional decor
For additional decoration, you can attach a mirror sheet to the door on the inside. It's not just decor. A mirror at the entrance is very convenient, because you can look at yourself before going outside. A mirror in the hallway will help to visually enlarge the space.
For self-assembly, choose lightweight panels, because factory-made doors with a built-in mirror often use a mirror film instead of real glass. The canvas is attached only to a solid base using special fasteners or “liquid nails”. You need to choose a specialized glue, which is marked “for glass and mirrors.” The canvas can be full height or only in the upper part. Make sure that when opening the door, the mirror does not hit anything.
The door is like a business card of your home; people who come by it begin to form an impression of you. If it is in poor condition, this is not an argument in favor of the owner of the house. A door doesn’t have to be beautiful or creative, but many people want to make it neat and well-groomed.
Prices for modern doors are affordable, although they cannot be called low, so upholstering or reupholstering them with a new coating is much easier than purchasing a whole door. The advice and instructions received will allow you to step-by-step replace the door trim without resorting to hiring craftsmen.
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