Even if the wooden door is of high quality, over time it loses its presentable appearance. If the purchase of a new product is not part of your plans, you can try to restore the canvas. Paint for doors is suitable for this. The appearance of the product can only be freshened up or changed beyond recognition. You will not need any special investments or specialized knowledge.
In general, repairs of this kind are an interesting occupation. The design, as a rule, consists of a frame on which MDF sheets are glued. Typically, the frame consists of a wooden beam. Inside the door is hollow, so it is so light and not very durable. Before you restore an old door, you should consider that it is easier, of course, to acquire a new one. But if finances do not allow, you will help folk savvy.
When choosing materials that you plan to use, you should focus on those that are designed to work with wood, not metal. Before starting work, it is important to determine what damage was caused to the structure. Depending on this, there are different types of repairs. In the next step, you have to repair holes or scratches.
The choice of the type of restoration
In practice, many methods of door restoration are implemented. Among the most popular folk craftsmen distinguish the following methods:
- stripping with staining;
- drawing a pattern through a stencil;
- changing the shape or facade of the door.
Before choosing a particular option, you should evaluate the degree of wear or damage. Be sure to consider the material at the base of the canvas, the design of the room and the functional purpose.
To perform the restoration you will not need hard-to-reach tools that are difficult to handle. You should prepare:
- angle grinder;
- brushes of different diameters;
- plane;
- sandpaper.
It is more convenient if you have an electric planer in stock. Depending on which restoration method you choose, you may need other devices.
How to rid a door of scratches
If you wondered how to restore an old door that has scratches, you will need certain tools and materials. It is necessary to prepare:
- sand paper;
- putty knife;
- enamel;
- wood putty;
- soil for wood;
- paint brush.
When choosing enamel on wood, you should prefer a composition for MDF, which is a two-component special paint.
Methodology
If you, like many home masters, have wondered how to restore an old door, at the next stage with sandpaper you should clean not only the scratch itself, but also the area around. It is necessary to go outside by about 1 cm. Then the cleaned area is cleaned of small particles and dust.
The next step will be to putty on wood. Then, using a spatula, remove the rest of the mixture, trying to make the surface as flat as possible. After the putty dries, it is again cleaned to even out irregularities. Use for this should be sandpaper.
If you have a question about how to restore an old door, you must remember that the putty is applied very carefully. In this case, you can make new scratches. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to use rubber spatulas. After that, the soil is applied to the treated area with an even layer of wood. It is left to dry. The whole door at the next stage is covered with enamel or paint on wood.
How to seal a hole
For such repairs, the following tools will be needed:
- construction knife;
- polyurethane foam;
- sandpaper;
- putty knife;
- paint;
- Newspapers
- polyester resin;
- wood putty;
- soil for wood;
- paint brush.
Newspapers can be replaced with something similar. Polyester resin is sometimes replaced with epoxy. Both that, and another is offered on a car market. The paint can be used the same as in the above repair option.
The algorithm of work
At the first stage, you should cut a hole that will be slightly larger than the existing hole. Such work is facilitated by a construction knife. If possible, you need to make a chamfer, going deeper by 0.5 cm. At the next stage, newspapers are stuffed along the edges of the hole from the inside. They can be replaced with paper. If this is not done, then when filling the door, a large amount of mounting foam may be required. Then the hole is filled with foam. Once it dries, the protruding part must be cut to get a flat surface.
If you want to know how to upgrade an old door, then technology must follow. At its next stage, it will be necessary to apply resin to the formed surface in order to obtain a solid base. This operation is best done by wearing rubber gloves, because if the resin gets on the skin, it will easily stick, and you can remove it only with a solvent.
Once the resin has hardened, putty is applied to it on the wood. The dried layer should be cleaned with sandpaper to get a flat and smooth surface. After the base is cleaned, putty is applied to the putty on wood. It is better to do this several times, between sets should be kept for 20 minutes. As soon as the soil dries, it is necessary to apply the selected paint to the surface of the entire door. The primer is better to be applied with a paint brush, this will avoid stains.
An alternative to simple restoration
If you are interested in how to update an old door, you can choose the simplest option, which consists in thorough grinding with subsequent painting. This technology is suitable for those cases when the door does not have any particular damage. Before work, the canvas is removed from the loops. If there are glass inserts, they must be removed. The existing fittings are temporarily dismantled.
Then you can proceed to the restoration of the door. To do this, its surface is cleaned from the old coating. You can use one of the convenient ways. For example, this is often done with an electric drill, which is equipped with a grinding nozzle. You can use a grinder or ordinary sandpaper.
After removing the old paint, you can proceed to eliminate defects, if any. Crack formation can be repaired with putty and leave the canvas until it dries. Wood is recommended to be treated with antiseptic impregnation, which will protect the material from fungus, mold and other pests.
Restoration of old doors is usually accompanied by painting. You can do this in the next step. The composition is selected at will. It could even be a stain. It is necessary to focus on your own preferences and take into account the type of door. One of the available finishes is plain paint.
If desired, the doors can be pasted with wallpaper. If you approach the work correctly, as a result you will get an original solution.
Technological restoration methods
The old interior door can be repaired following a more technologically advanced technique. For example, many choose a false facade or carry out repairs using different stencils. The latter allow you to put on the door different patterns. They are created using paint, which contrasts in color with the main canvas.
A suitable stencil can be made independently or purchased at a specialized store. The work is simple. The stencil will need to be fixed on the door with tape and put the picture with the selected paint. After that, the stencil is removed. For convenience, the canvas can be removed from the hinges.
Using vinyl stickers
The old wooden door can be updated with vinyl stickers. They allow you to decorate the canvas with any pattern. You can order the manufacture of a sticker according to your sketch or print your favorite image using the services of an outdoor advertising agency. The reverse side of the film is coated with an adhesive. Restoration will consist in carefully gluing the sticker to the surface.
Replacing the facade or installing a false facade
If you wondered how to ennoble the old door, you can replace the facade on it. This method will allow you to get the final version, which will depend on your imagination and your own preferences. In the facade, you need to prepare windows for inserts. Conversely, you can close the existing holes for glass inserts.
Installing a facade overlay is quite simple. This allows you to completely transform the appearance of a wooden canvas. For fastening, you need to use ordinary PVA glue, nails, screws and other solutions, which will depend on the weight of the product. Previously, you may need to install the lathing.
Applying acrylic paint
Choosing paint for the door, you may prefer an acrylic composition. To do this, the door is removed from the hinges, the fittings are removed from the canvas. The decorative coating must be removed. The canvas is covered with a primer. Then you can start applying acrylic paint of the desired color. Before this, it is important to check how the composition will look on the door. To do this, the selected mixture is applied to an inconspicuous place, for example, the bottom end.
Acrylic compositions for doors are more durable when compared with conventional wood painting compositions. If necessary, at the final stage, you can replace accessories, glazing beads and cashing elements. Other updates are not excluded.
How to remove the door
Before the repair, you are sure to come across the question of how to remove the old doors. The resolution of the issue will depend on what kind of canopies are in front of you. If the models are card, then they consist of two straight or corner plates screwed to the box and canvas with screws. They are connected by a hinge element.
In order to remove the door from such hinges, you need to make a minimum of effort. It is better to seek help, especially if the product is heavy and has fragile inserts. Before painting the old door, you will have to prepare it by removing it from the hinges. To do this, the canvas pry from the bottom and slightly lifted. Then the door must continue to slide up, turning as necessary. The upper half at some point will be removed from the pin, and after that the canvas can be removed to the side.
There are also screwed loops. Removing the door from them will be a little more difficult. The hinge axis has a small pin that must be removed from the structure in order to disconnect the halves afterwards. To do this, the door is closed, then using a screwdriver or other suitable device, you need to push the pin up and pick it up with your fingers or pliers.
The MDF door can then be removed by pulling up the pin and turning it slightly as it moves. The main load in this case falls on the upper part of the structure, so it is better to start work from the lower loop. In order for the door not to fall, you need to ask someone to hold it or use improvised objects as props.
Repair of the canvas, which is not included in the opening
Do-it-yourself restoration of the old door may include fixing the problem, which is expressed in the fact that the canvas touches the box and does not close completely. This may be due to the fact that the wood has swollen, increasing in size. The reason may be due to increased humidity in the room or because the canvas has become old.
The box is deformed, and the door cannot be closed. Repair in this case is quite simple. You need to understand which part of the box is deformed. To do this, you need to study the gaps between the canvas and the box. If the gap is significant, the case is in the rack, which is located on the opposite side of the gap.
Another cause of the malfunction lies in the awnings, which are fastened with self-tapping screws. In order to bring them to their original state, they should be twisted deeper. The first method is suitable for the case when the door rubs against the rack of the box. It is necessary to deepen the landing of the canopies. To do this, the canvas should be removed from the loops that are unscrewed from the box. Using the chisels, the attachment points need to be deepened by a few millimeters. The canopies and the door are then installed in place. This procedure usually resolves problems.
Do-it-yourself repair of wooden doors may involve deliberate deformation of the box stand. In order to do this, it is necessary to remove the platbands, free the cavities from filling. The door then closes. It will be necessary to note the place where the door touches the box. Drill a hole from the inside of the box. Using a punch, it will be necessary to make another hole and drill a hole from the end of the opening. Now you need to use a block of wood, installing it between the racks. The box is wedged, and a self-tapping screw is inserted into the hole. As soon as the spacer is removed, during normal operation of the door everything will return to its place, and the gaps will need to be filled with foam.
There is another option for solving the issue of grinding the canvas. But it is recommended to use it in the most extreme case. It consists in reducing the size of the door itself by trimming it. It is better to cut from the hinges, but the appearance of the product may be affected.
Finally
Door restoration may seem like a rather laborious process that requires serious effort. But this is not so, especially if you use modern materials and technologies - one of those that were presented above. To restore the appearance of the door structure, you will need to dismantle the canvas. If the repair is small, cosmetic, you can do without removing the canvas. You can eliminate the shortcomings on a fixed door.
If the damage is minor and represents scratches and chips, then you need to polish the door. The surface will need to be coated with putty to begin with. The damaged area is cleaned of dirt, from this area it will be necessary to remove the top layer.
The door can be restored to any style of interior. The main thing is to choose a design design and follow the technology.