MDF door linings: design features

The desire to protect your home from unauthorized entry into your territory is absolutely natural. The front door must be reliable and durable. Strong metal doors have not lost their relevance for many decades. But if earlier the appearance of the door was not given due attention, now every owner strives to give the entrance to his home with respectability and sophistication. First of all, the door is the face of the house, the beauty and nobility of the decoration of which will tell about the owner's taste.

Nowadays, it is quite popular to cover doors with decorative panels.

Overlays are made from:

• MDF;
• wood;
• plywood;
• plastic.

MDF panels are widespread among consumers; they have also established themselves as a beautiful and reliable material.

MDF is a medium density compressed fiberboard. To put it simply, these are crushed sawdust and shavings impregnated with resin. Hence the name - fine fraction, abbreviated as MDF. The result is a fairly strong slab.

Such linings are called thermal panels and are mainly used for trimming entrance doors, as they help to keep the temperature in the dwelling at a certain level. MDF panels are installed on both entrance and interior doors. They are used for revealing not only new, freshly installed doors, but also decorate old ones that have lost their appearance. It is easy to hide external damages on the door with MDF overlays, as well as to give it a respectable, sophisticated look.

No wonder why this material is so popular.

It has such important properties as:

• The beauty. The main advantage of MDF panels is that their coating allows you to imitate any type of wood and texture. In addition, a rich selection of colors, from standard, woody, to exclusive bright, makes them especially popular among consumers.
• MDF - pretty easy-to-work material, it is soft and plastic, which allows you to make absolutely any patterns and ornaments on it. Milling is very popular now. The surface of the board is milled before laminating or painting.

• Resistant to damage and long service life. The material is able to withstand physical stress and damage. Does not fade when exposed to sunlight.

• Refractoriness and moisture resistance. Unlike its counterpart - chipboard, it does not swell from moisture and does not lose its appearance.
• Soundproofing. The possibility of using mineral wool and other insulating materials increases the insulating properties of the door
• Plating work does not require a lot of time and materials.
• Low cost.

At the same time, these panels are manufactured in any size at the request of the customer, from typical classic ones to non-standard ones with exclusive sizes. Decorating with a beautiful MDF panel will easily add a grand look to any front door.

There are several types of production of MDF panels and each of them has certain properties, which significantly affects the place of their further installation.

Laminated MDF. The board is covered with a PVC laminating film. This technology allows you to simulate any texture, although there is also a smooth coating option. Due to milling, colored inserts and mirrors, this type of MDF is highly appreciated by the consumer. The high strength of the material allows it to be used for decades.

Veneered. Due to the manufacturing technology, in which the surface of the slab is covered with a thin saw cut of natural wood, this type of MDF is the most beautiful in appearance and looks as natural as possible.

Its popularity is due to its noble appearance. Panels covered with eco-veneer are suitable for apartment and street entrance doors, as in terms of resistance to damage they are second only to laminated ones.

Colored. This type of MDF is suitable for finishing both interior and exterior doors. The surface of the slab is covered with a special paint that is resistant to sunlight and mechanical damage.

Covered with laminated MDF. The so-called anti-vandal coating. The most durable coating that can withstand not only UV rays, shocks, but also chemicals. Such a coating is considered to be almost ideal in terms of resistance to physical stress. In addition, this coating is maximally moisture resistant, relative to the rest.

The process of restoring a door with decorative overlays is not so difficult. But a little skills in working with tools will not be superfluous.

To begin with, you need to decide on the color and design so that your updated door is in harmony with the facade of your home, if you are decorating the front entrance. For the correct selection of the top coat, it is important not to forget about the climatic conditions. When restoring or renovating an interior door, it is important that it blends harmoniously with the interior style.

You can buy a door cover ready-made, however, now the price is the individuality of the decoration and design of housing.

For independent work on door paneling, you will need tools and materials:

• drill;
• screwdriver;
• self-tapping screws;
• glue or liquid nails;
• sandpaper;
• end profile;
• roulette;
• clamps.

Before starting the sheathing, it is necessary to remove the door from the hinges, dismantle the fittings, and put it on a flat surface. It is not recommended to carry out all manipulations on weight in order to avoid distortions. If the old coating is replaced, we completely remove it.

Next, you need to grind the entire surface of the canvas. If the door is made of steel, it is recommended to paint or cover it with vinyl film for a perfect fit of the panel to the door. If the door is wooden, then the old paint and varnish layer must be removed from it and the entire surface must be thoroughly cleaned.

On the doors, it is necessary to outline the places of the future fittings, as well as transfer these marks to the panels and drill holes.

You should start from the inside of the door. The surface of the door is coated with special glue or liquid nails. The adhesive is applied in waves and the panel is laid. It is important to press it as hard as possible. For this, clamps or clamps are used.

Throughout the entire area, holes are drilled from the outside, in increments of 40 cm. They will be used for fastening to self-tapping screws. It is important to choose self-tapping screws of such length that they do not go through the lining and spoil the decor. We screw them right through to the decorative cover and remove the clamps.

The next step is to install the outer panel.A little more adhesive is required than with the inner card. We fix the panel with clamps. Further, the difference in actions is only that it is necessary to drill holes along the perimeter, as close as possible to the edge, in increments of 10-12 cm. We screw in the screws and remove the clamps.

We close the ends with a decorative corner to match the door, this will hide the caps of the screws. To do this, we measure the door pagination and cut off the necessary slats from the end profile. We install all the fittings and the lock on the door. We hang the door on the hinges.

We make out the opening in the same way.

When upholstering interior doors with door panels, several questions arise that will have to be resolved.

Due to the thickness of the overlays on both sides, the thickness of the door itself also changes. The hinges, as well as the latch, will no longer fall into place.

True, there is an option to install linings with a minimum thickness. These are panels with a thickness of about 2-3 mm, but they do not differ in durability and strength. Such panels fail quickly.

If in the process of updating the door you have a question whether it is worth updating the doorway, it is definitely worth it. The same MDF panels with which the door was sheathed are ideal. The ideal solution would be to make slopes and platbands from the same material as the door itself. So, the updated door block will look neat and harmonious.

Then, wooden guide rails are attached to the surface. Their installation is carried out using a level. You can get perfect edges when bonding panels only with a decorative corner. In order for the platband to fit as tightly as possible to the wall, we apply it to the wall and determine the thickness of the gap. If necessary, the corner can be trimmed to fit exactly to the wall.

The upper slope is adjusted and installed first with the help of small studs. We attach it to the upper frame. Then we take measurements to install the slope on the left side. We measure the length from the upper slope to the floor, and the width from the door frame to the outer corners, upper and lower. The slope is fastened with self-tapping screws, and it is better to use small nails at the door frame. At the end, this place will be covered with a bar. Then you need to use a grout or putty to eliminate the gaps between the slopes. It remains to attach the platbands. We select them in the color of our door.

Below you can see how the restoration / replacement of MDF door panels is carried out.