Carrying out repairs in a house or apartment, many seek to save. The same goal is pursued when changing the interior. Therefore, the question of how to update old wooden doors is one of the urgent. Judging by the reviews, many masters practice various design methods using self-adhesive canvases, vinyl panels and various paints and varnishes. Information on how to update old wooden doors can be found in this article.
Where to begin?
Due to the fact that many wooden products in order to extend their operational life, the manufacturer covers with varnish, the home master will have to remove it. Therefore, many beginners are interested in how to update a wooden door coated with varnish? Further, already after restoration, the door is opened by the owner himself with paints and varnishes. Before updating a wooden door, you need to worry in advance about the convenience of the workplace. Since you will have to work with toxic substances, you should get personal protective equipment, namely, special gloves and a respirator. Experienced craftsmen recommend varnishing and painting outdoors. An ideal option would be a place on the street, covered with a canopy. How to update a varnished wooden door? What will be needed for this? Such questions are asked by newcomers unfamiliar with technology.
What do you need for work?
Experts recommend that before you upgrade your old wooden doors with your own hands, get the following:
- Industrial hairdryer. With the help of this powerful building tool, rough work will be completed faster, preparing the door leaf for restoration.
- Spatula. Using this tool, remove the old paintwork. Experts recommend giving preference to spatulas with a shovel-shaped and metal work surfaces. In addition, a rubber or silicone spatula is required. With this tool, the risk of damaging the door leaf is minimized.
- Belt sander. An abrasive skin is also suitable.
- Putty on wood. Her color does not play a special role, because from above it will be covered with paint. If you plan to use varnish, it is better to give preference to putty, which in color does not differ much from wood.
- Paint or varnish on wood. For those who are interested in how to update old wooden interior doors that are to be processed with a lot of putty, experts recommend using varnish.
In addition, for the work you need to prepare a hammer, a crowbar, a screwdriver, a chisel, screws, nails, brushes and rollers for paints and varnishes. For those who do not know how to update wooden interior doors covered with varnish, a step-by-step instruction is presented below.
First step
Before updating, wooden interior doors must be removed from the hinges. Next, the door leaf should be given an even horizontal position. To do this, put the door on stools. Since you will have to work with paints and varnishes, it is advisable to carefully cover the floor with newspapers.
Grinding
At this stage, the old coating is removed from the door leaf. Paint is removed with a building hairdryer or putty knife. Due to the fact that, when warmed up, the paint emits a very strong odor, it is advisable to work outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. To remove the old coating was easier, the hairdryer should be sent directly to the treated area. When the paint begins to bubble, it can be peeled off with a spatula. It is desirable that it has a metal surface. Some masters use solvents to remove old varnish. However, according to experts, the use of solvents, in comparison with heating, is less effective.
Elimination of defects
In the event that the surface with cracks and chips, they should be covered with putty. Before proceeding with varnishing, you need to wait until it finally dries. If the surface is rough, it is first smoothed with coarse sandpaper, and then fine-grained. Many are interested in how to make a wooden door with their own hands, which has minor damage to the lacquer coating. In this case, the home master does not need to completely sand the door leaf. It is enough to prepare only damaged areas for restoration. Work will have to solvent. They need to moisten a napkin, which at first the door is cleaned of dust and dirt. Then, using large emery, wash the varnish in damaged places.
After removal of the upper layer, they will acquire a whitish hue. According to experts, this should not be scared, because everything can be corrected with the help of special pencils for retouching. Unlike ordinary felt-tip pens, they contain stain. The color of such pencils is practically no different from wood. To choose the right shade, draw a line on a white sheet of paper. It should be compared with the color of the door leaf. After all scratches on the surface are retouched, you can begin to repair damage larger. At this point, stock up on furniture wax. He heats up with a conventional soldering iron. Also on the shelves of stores there are special devices for this purpose. The amount of wax used will depend on the depth of the pothole. According to experts, you can start puttying with wax of any color, as it will fill the depth of the notch and it will not be visible. Already at the very surface it is desirable that the shades of wax and door leaf do not differ. After work, minor strokes are retouched with a set of pencils. Judging by numerous reviews, with the help of pencils and furniture wax, damage is well masked, which practically does not strike the eye in daylight.
Also, some beginners are interested in how to update an old wooden entrance door, which has a more extensive defective area than a scratch. In this case, it will be necessary to restore with two pencils with dark and light shades. According to experts, in this way an imitation of a wood drawing looks more natural. At the very end, the door leaf is also varnished. Judging by the reviews of home craftsmen, it is very convenient and fast to work using an aerosol can.
Varnishing
For those who are interested in how to update a wooden door, experienced craftsmen recommend that the varnish is not contained in large cans, but in plastic containers in which it is convenient to squeeze the rollers. To do this, dip it in a jar of varnish and hold along the edge. On the door leaf, varnish should be applied evenly, to prevent sagging.
After the first varnishing, the door will be rough. According to experts, the master should not be scared because of this, because it should be so. Next, the door leaf is carefully sanded with fine-grained sandpaper. Those who wish can get a special holder. Judging by the numerous reviews, working with him is much more convenient and faster. You can also make such a device yourself from a wooden bar. It is enough to attach sandpaper to it. After polishing, wood dust is erased from the door leaf. At this stage, the homemaster will need a damp cloth. Then a new coat of varnish is applied to the door. According to experts, in general, the canvas will have to be varnished at least three times.
What are the benefits of using varnishes?
Very often, those who are going to change the interior and do not know how to update a wooden door ask themselves the question: what should be preferred? Experienced craftsmen advise to opt for varnishes. In addition to the spectacular appearance that he will give the door, this substance also has protective functions. Judging by the reviews, a varnished door from an ordinary pine tree will look like precious wood. Details will be with deep and rich color. There are impregnations on the shelves of specialized stores for wooden surfaces. There are two types of them: some prevent rotting of wood and the formation of mold in it. The latter perform exclusively protective functions. Having treated the door leaf with such an impregnation, the owner can not worry about the fact that the door will be adversely affected by water, sun and sharp temperature drops. Varnish is considered an affordable material and quite convenient to use: even a beginner can open the door. This substance is universal because it can reveal a wide variety of surfaces.
Which varnish is better?
A wide range of varnishes having a wide variety of compositions is provided to consumers. There are oil based substances. These varnishes, getting on a wooden surface, are quickly absorbed, and the processed product acquires a different color. They can be used as a solvent. However, for their drying takes a lot of time. In addition, oil varnishes have a very pungent and unpleasant odor. Judging by consumer reviews, water-based varnishes are more popular. They are colorless and have no pungent odor. You can buy both matte and glossy waterborne varnishes. In addition, they dry very quickly. Before applying the wood surface, it is not necessary to treat the stain.
How to restore the door leaf "antique"?
Some beginners are interested in how you can update interior wooden doors so that the wood looks aged. Several methods have been developed for this purpose. The most common is brushing. Due to its simplicity, this method is resorted to in many workshops. Brushing technology is as follows. Using an iron brush, the upper layers are removed from the wood. As a result, annual rings should appear. Old wooden houses acquire a similar look. A similar effect can be achieved with a brush with metal fibers. After processing, the wooden surface becomes very rough. It must be carefully sanded and painted. You can also use varnish. Previously, the door leaf should be treated with a stain.
"Aging" wood can also be done by patination. Among professionals, patina is a special paint that is applied to rough wooden surfaces. For those who do not know how to update a wooden door in this way, experts recommend performing restoration in stages. In accordance with the technology, a base coat should first be applied to the canvas. On top of it will be a paint with a lighter shade. After waiting for it to dry, the master begins to process the door leaf with sandpaper. It is advisable to use a skin with fine grain. After the lower layer has dried, the patina begins to appear, as a result of which it seems as if the door was painted repeatedly. Judging by the reviews, the scratches remaining on the canvas look very natural. You can also restore wood qualitatively with wax. For those who do not know how to update the entrance wooden door with wax, experienced craftsmen recommend that you do the following:
- Melt the wax and apply a small amount with a spatula to a wooden surface.
- Next, the door is painted. It is advisable to use light colors at this stage.
- After drying the paint with a spatula, paraffin is removed.
- Then the door leaf is carefully sanded.
- Next, a stain is applied to the surface, and then varnish.
For many newcomers, the above methods of aging seem too laborious and difficult to perform. However, judging by the reviews, the door leaf processed in this way still looks very impressive for a long time.
About decoupage
Masters resort to this method in those cases when they want to decorate a door leaf. An applique is used as a decoration. The material for its manufacture can be fabric, wallpaper or other durable roll materials. In addition, you can get special typesetting cards for decoupage. Thus, the home master has the opportunity to choose the right consumables. Mostly decorated with a screen pattern. Making it at home is not difficult. According to the stencil purchased in a specialized store, the necessary decoration is cut out of paper. There are times when the door leaf does not need a major repair. To perform a light restoration, it is not necessary to remove it from the hinges. It is enough for the master to remove dust from the surface and degrease. Then, a special soil composition should be applied to the wood, which with its hue will not differ too much from the future application.
What do experts recommend?
According to experienced craftsmen, it is undesirable to apply a thick layer of paint on a door made of beech, walnut, alder or ash. These trees are valuable species, and by nature have beautiful patterns that are best emphasized, rather than hide. The best option for such door leaves will be patination technology. A surface with a paneled design will look especially impressive. After grinding, birch or pine doors are carefully ground after grinding, namely, they are pasted over with veneer imitating valuable wood species. Judging by the reviews, this method is considered the most expensive.
There are many different ways to restore old door leafs. To update the door does not have to have special skills.