How to update the interior door with your own hands: ideas and tips. Door restoration

Any high-quality interior door eventually loses its original appearance. As a result, it may need to be replaced or restored. The first option is expensive, so it’s best to consider a new design. So, how to update the interior door with your own hands?

Preparatory work

Buying doors every few years is very expensive, so many people decide to do everything on their own. But before proceeding with the design of the wooden door, thorough preparation should be made.

We perform the work in the following order:

1. Remove the updated door from the hinges. To do this, you need to slightly open it, put a crowbar to the lower edge and press.
2. We lay the structure on a flat surface or rest on something.
3. Carefully remove the wooden glazing beads and take out the decorative glass.
4. Remove all components (applies to the door with a lock, hinges, handles).
5. We heat the surface with a building hairdryer and remove the old coating with a spatula. If this is not done, the new finish will not last long. Old paint can be removed with sandpaper, thinner.
6. We find all chips, cracks, various defects and fill them with putty (or special putty).
7. We level the coating with a grinder or sandpaper so that it becomes even and smooth.
8. Wipe the surface to remove dust from it. Do not wet too much.
9. We cover the structure with stain or drying oil.
10. We paint with varnish (in 2 layers). If the restoration of the doors will be carried out using other materials, then we cover them with a primer (in 2 layers).
11. We insert glazing with glazing beads, fittings and return the structure to its place.

Painting or varnishing

The fastest and easiest finishing options are painting and varnishing. Paints are different, but for door processing it is better to choose acrylic, oil, alkyd and perchlorovinyl. It is not necessary to use water-based compositions, as they wipe away over time, and handprints remain on the surface. As for the color scheme, the finish can match the shade of the walls or create a contrast with them.

Lacquer compositions create a transparent coating on the surface, under which you can see a picture of wood. This fact should be taken into account because all defects will be visible. The best for doors is a polyurethane compound, because it is durable and resistant to mechanical damage.

How to paint the door or varnish it? We carry out the work as follows:

• remove the old layer of paint (varnish) with a blowtorch or industrial hair dryer;
• we clean and degrease the surface;
• we find all chips, cracks, dents and putty them;
• coated with a protective compound;
• take a brush and paint (varnish) in several layers;
• waiting for complete drying.

Veneer coating

The veneer is made of wood and is a thin plate of different colors and textures. For its production use oak, walnut, linden or mahogany.

How to renew the interior door with veneer? The process looks like this:

1. We remove the old door from the hinges and lay it on the supports (you can take ordinary stools).
2. Dismantle handles, hinges, locks, glass (if any).
3. Inspect the door for defects. They will have to putty.
4. Let it dry and clean it with sandpaper.
5. We dilute with water protein glue (bone or skin). Its readiness is determined by the stick: we immerse it in the composition and pull out (should drain with a thin stream).
6. We heat the glue and apply it on the surface being trimmed.
7. We wait about 5 minutes and apply the veneer.
8. We perform grinding with a damp cloth, and then with a hot iron. Movements can be made only along the fibers, and from the center to the edges.
9. We lay the rest of the plates with an overlap, since the material narrows during cooling.
10. After cooling, we cut off the excess veneer and heat the surface with an iron.
11. The joints are treated with adhesive film, so that the seams do not diverge.
12. We are waiting for the material to dry and remove the film.
13. We use lacquer based on rosin and shellac. It should be applied in 3 layers, each of which must completely dry.
14. We return locks, handles, loops to the place.

Wallpaper and photo wallpaper

A great way to update the room is to paste wallpaper on the door. Even inexpensive material will make the design stylish and beautiful. The selection process takes into account not only your own taste, but also compatibility with the interior. This design option is very popular abroad (in the USA, Sweden and Canada). Wallpaper on the doors separated by compartments looks very beautiful and unusual. If glass is present in the structure, then it is removed and plywood is inserted. Wallpaper is glued on top of it.

If there is a geometric pattern, then it is aligned vertically. On double doors, the picture should be symmetrical. Places where there will be no wallpaper, it is better to paint in the color of the material. Installation is carried out in the following order: the surface is cleaned, degreased and primed. If necessary, grinding is done. For gluing wallpapers, PVA glue is used.

Doors with photo wallpapers look very beautiful and unusual. Of course, they are not cheap, but the variety of drawings will allow you to get a unique finish. Landscapes, animals, views of the night city, etc. will decorate any room well. Material is glued in the same way as ordinary wallpapers. But you have to think in advance about the completeness of the drawing.

Self-adhesive film

This option for finishing doors is considered one of the most expensive, since the material is quite expensive. Its main characteristics are density, beautiful appearance and durability. In order for the film to adhere well and remain smooth, it will be necessary to level the surface qualitatively.

Let's figure out how to update the interior door with a self-adhesive film:

• remove and prepare the design for decoration;
• spray it with a spray gun (it’s easier to put the material in the correct position);
• turn the film on the wrong side and peel off a small area;
• apply the material to the surface;
• gently place it with a spatula or roller;
• pierce the bubbles with a needle and smooth the coating.

The dimensions of the self-adhesive film allow you to completely close the canvas. But if desired, you can use small stickers on the door. This option is perfect for a child’s room.

Fabric finish

Cloth doors are decorated in the same way as wallpapering. In this case, it is important to choose the right glue - it should not leave stains on the material. If the choice fell on loose fabric, you will have to tuck its edges. Working with it is a little more difficult than with wallpaper, but the result exceeds all expectations. This is due to the fact that the variety of colors of the material is wider than that of wallpaper.

How to update an old interior door with a cloth? There are several finishes:

1. We paste over with small pieces of fabric assembled in one canvas (patchwork).
2. We make the bottom of the structure (about 2/3) of the fabric, the top - paint. On the border you can place moldings, special linings).
3. Instead of glass, we insert a drapery made of fabric assembled on a thread or fishing line. It can also be completely closed.
4. We make several square or rectangular inserts located vertically.

Polyurethane linings (moldings)

Polyurethane moldings look very stylish and beautiful on the doors. If desired, you can purchase wooden linings. In stores, you can see them in different colors and designs. They represent various panels, borders, arcs (and their halves), platbands. As for the surface of products, they are: smooth, embossed, with an ornament, etc. Entire compositions are assembled from such an arsenal.

How to update the interior door using moldings? We take liquid nails or any construction glue and fix them on the structure. On sale you can see self-adhesive products, the installation of which is greatly simplified. To assemble complex compositions, you will have to put a sketch on the door in advance.

Vinyl stickers

A great way to get an updated interior is to use door stickers. They can be in the form of landscapes, animals, plants, cities, children's drawings, unusual patterns, etc. As for the sizes, the stickers can completely or partially cover the canvas, and also consist of small elements. Their main advantage is that when they are removed there is no trace left.

There are stickers similar to a slate board. They are well suited for children's rooms, because you can draw on them with chalk. Using stickers is nothing complicated. Small items can be glued on their own, and large items can be glued with someone else's help. In the process, you need to gently smooth the sticker so that its surface is even.

Updating doors with glass inserts

If you need to update doors with a mirror or glass, then you can use several finishing options. Stained-glass windows drawn with special paints will look unusual. For work, you will also need: stencils, a sketch, glass contours (silver, white or black).

The process of decorating doors with a stained glass window (using the glass structure as an example) is done as follows:

• we spread the sketch on a flat surface;
• stack the canvas on top;
• we circle all the lines of the stained-glass window with an artistic outline;
• we are waiting for drying and fill the space between the contours with paints (colors - to your liking);
• let dry and set the canvas in place.

So that the decorated door does not look too pretentious, you can paint any other piece of furniture (chandelier, chest of drawers, etc.) in the same way.

Mosaic

Also, door decor can be done using mosaics. It is suitable even for the bathroom, as it is resistant to moisture. Ceramic or glass compositions are assembled from these small elements. The uniqueness of the design will be given by additional decorations in the form of sea or river pebbles.

When choosing a material, one should take into account the fact that the weight of the door increases due to the mosaic. It is very important that the door frame is ready for such a load. Wooden veneer or acrylic glass (instead of stones and ceramics) will help reduce the load.

Let's try to figure out how to update the interior door with our own hands. First, we sketch it with a simple pencil. Then we take “liquid nails” and begin to stick large fragments. When they are in place, you can proceed to small details.

Decoupage

Door restoration can be done using decoupage. The work consists in applying ready-made drawings (from fabric, wallpaper, napkins, newspapers or ready-made decoupage cards) to the design. The decoration process is as follows:

• preparing the canvas for work;
• cut out the drawings you like and soak them in water;
• slightly dry them, place on the structure and cover with PVA glue (both the picture and the doors);
• smooth the product well so that there are no bubbles and wrinkles on it;
• apply a little putty on its edges (should be matched by color);
• grind this layer with sandpaper;
• if necessary, varnish (in 1-2 layers).

Decoupage can be done in several ways:

• trim some sections (suitable for designs with bulges and curly divisions);
• decorate a small part of the canvas or close it completely;
• randomly fill the free space or collect a thematic panel from individual motifs (for example, a world map).

Art painting

Among the variety of door decors, it is worth highlighting art painting. If you have skills in this matter, you can immediately get to work. An excellent effect can be achieved if you use the floor, walls and ceiling in painting. A great option is to draw letters, names, philosophical phrases or any wishes.

But what if there is no artistic experience, but you want to get a masterpiece? Special stencils that are sold in construction and office stores will help here. If necessary, they can be cut out of cardboard or self-adhesive film.

Let’s figure out how to decorate the door with your own hands:

• we carry out the preparation as before dyeing;
• we apply or glue the stencil (we monitor its tight fit);
• apply paint with a roller or spray.

It is better to supplement the restored design with a new handle, hinges and a lock. Metal fittings wear out over time, so it should be changed.

Decor materials at hand

How to update the interior door if there are no finishing materials at hand? Any unnecessary items will go into action: shells, lids, mesh bags, egg trays, etc.

Let's try to decorate the doors with the help of egg trays (we save them in advance):

• tear or cut paper cells into small pieces;
• wet them with water;
• arrange the elements in a chaotic manner (or lay them out with a simple pattern) and fix with glue. The glue gun will help speed up the work;
• place the remaining decorative elements;
• cover the surface with spray paint.

Another way to update doors is the sandblasting technique, with which glass inserts are formed. This finish option will require the involvement of specialists, because it will be difficult to independently carry out this.

Designing doors with various decorative elements is a real creative process that will bring pleasure. Also, the owner of the house will appreciate the result of work and the opportunity to save money. Thanks to the above finishing options, you can get a truly unique interior door (with a mirror, glass or solid).