How to sheathe doors with leatherette?

Quite budgetary and quickly, you can change the appearance of the door if you sheathe it with leatherette. This procedure is performed quite simply and easily, and, most importantly, does not require the use of any special and complex tools. How to sheathe doors with leatherette? The answer to this very question will be given in our article.

The leatherette used to upholster doors is a multi-layer artificial leather. The composition is as follows: cotton fabric and nitrocellulose. In this case, these two materials are applied in layers on top of each other.

This material is used not only for changing the appearance of entrance doors, but also for upholstering furniture, making bags, and even for decorating car interiors. The manufacturers of the material themselves say that leatherette is a high-quality and presentable substitute for real leather.

The main advantages are:

1. Resistance to the negative effects of harmful microorganisms, as well as decay.
2. Protection against moisture and the absence of negative consequences for the material during prolonged contact with it.
3. Practically unlimited service life if used correctly and carefully.
4. Ease of cleaning with water and any detergents, while the coating does not suffer from their effects.
5. Ability to withstand even the lowest temperatures and not deform.

But there are also some disadvantages, the main one is the impossibility of restoring part of the material. That is, if a hole appears, then you will have to upholster the entire door again. And the leatherette is easily scratched and cut, therefore, it is necessary to use the door upholstered with this material carefully.

But these disadvantages are significantly inferior to the advantages, so it is not surprising that the popularity of leatherette has not been falling for many years. The wide assortment of this material also contributes to the popularity.

Having made the decision to sheathe your door leaf with leatherette, you should also purchase related materials in advance:

1. Leatherette itself. It can be matte, glossy, perfectly flat or with a small pattern.
2. Insulation. It is better to use foam rubber or special mineral wool, these materials are best combined with leatherette.

You should give preference to thick leatherette, it is more durable and durable, but its color and texture are selected by the buyer, depending on personal preferences. A high-quality material should spring slightly when stretched - this indicates its quality. Carefully inspect it for scratches, cracks or paint chips. The base itself should fit snugly, without gaps, to the top layer of the leatherette.

Mineral wool should be purchased with a small margin, it will come in handy when decorating the door leaf. If you cannot find such material, you can buy either isolon or batting. By the way, izolon allows you to strengthen the sound insulation and thermal insulation of the front door. Therefore, this option of insulation will be the best for people living in a noisy area.

Some manufacturers offer their customers special kits that are designed to upholster the door leaf with leatherette.Usually such a set consists of the leatherette itself, insulation, decorative strips and special nails. Therefore, each customer can either purchase a ready-made set or create it independently.

In addition to the insulation and leatherette itself, you will also need: a tape measure or a meter ruler, a pencil, scissors, a stapler, decorative nails, a hammer, glue, flexible thin wire, metal corners, decorative strips, pliers, a screwdriver, pliers.

Of the above tools, not all may be required, it all depends on how the upholstery will be performed - in the usual way or with the execution of a pattern. In any case, all tools should be prepared in advance and placed near the work site.

The decorative paneling of the door leaf allows not only to change its appearance, but also to make it more attractive and unusual.

Today, experts distinguish several main types of such drawings:

• Regular upholstery using special roller strips. With this method, the drawing, or rather, its edging, is available only along the edges of the door, the rest of the surface is perfectly flat and smooth.

• Another simple pattern that consists of studs set diagonally from right to left and vice versa. Such a drawing is performed quite quickly and looks best on doors in dark shades.

• Simple, but at the same time stylish and not quite ordinary pattern, which consists of three separate ornaments. To complete it, you will need to use not only carnations, but also special rollers or applications from several strips of leatherette.

• This figure, again, consists of two. The first consists in edging around the entire perimeter of the doors with studs, and the second is located in the center of the door leaf and consists of several small rhombuses that make up one central rhombus.

• Another example of a beautiful but simple pattern, consisting of only one diamond that covers the entire door leaf.

There are many more options for drawings that will help to decorate and highlight your door against the background of the rest of the door panels. Each of the proposed patterns is made using various studs, inlays, rollers and appliqués. With creative inspiration, patience and perseverance, you can recreate almost any ornament on this material. The main thing is to make sure in advance that all the necessary materials are at hand.

You can decorate with leatherette a door leaf made of both wood and metal. In each case, there are nuances in the performance of the work. Therefore, we will consider in more detail how to properly fit the door leaf itself in each case.

The first step is to calculate the required amount of leatherette. It should be 15 cm larger on each side than the same side of the door. If rollers are made, then one of them will require a piece of this material 15 cm wide and as long as two lengths of the door itself. Do not forget that such a calculation is given for the manufacture of one roller.

The size of the insulation is equal to the size of the door leaf, but you should pay attention that its thickness does not exceed two centimeters. The number of decorative carnations will depend on the availability of the pattern and its appearance. Their exact number can be found out by studying the drawings in detail.

It is necessary to remove the door from its hinges and lay it on a flat horizontal surface.It is also necessary to free the canvas from handles, fasteners and locks. All these details will interfere with the work process.

The roller can now be formed. This is done immediately at the door. To do this, roll up a bundle of insulation and put it in the middle of the canvas. This strip is attached to all edges of the door, that is, from four sides. Great care should be taken to ensure that the thickness of the roller is the same everywhere.

After the roller is laid and secured with a stapler, it is necessary to spread the insulation on the door leaf and cover it with leatherette on top. In this case, the top coating should first be fixed around the perimeter, and only then the drawing should be performed, if there is, of course, it will be.

You can make a roller separately, and only then attach it to the door leaf. In this case, the base is attached to the door with a margin on the roller, then the insulation and the leatherette itself are laid, and at the end the rollers are formed.

The difference between these two methods lies in the fact that in the first case the roller itself is practically invisible, and in the second case it is clearly visible on the door. The exact way it is formed depends on personal preference.

But there is also the option of sheathing the entrance wooden door with leatherette and without making rollers. In this case, the base is first attached to the door leaf with nails or staples, then the insulation is laid out, and after that the leatherette itself is attached. Rollers on the door leaves enhance the thermal insulation and sound insulation of the doors, as well as reduce the noise level when they are slammed.

After completing all the work, it is necessary to install all the door fittings in place and re-fix the door in the box.

The key difference in this case is that all materials will not stick to the door leaf, but stick. The same applies to the studs, with the help of which the pattern will be made. They will have to be glued to the leatherette with a special adhesive base.

The very same sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Removing the door leaf from the hinges and releasing it from the fittings.
2. Laying the door on a flat surface.
3. Laying the base on glue. First, you need to apply special glue to the entire perimeter of the door, as well as to its middle, and only after that it is necessary to lay the base from top to bottom with smoothing movements, preventing the appearance of bubbles on the surface.
4. Now you need to lay the insulation. To increase the strength of its fasteners, a small amount of glue can be reapplied to the already laid base.
5. Laying leatherette. It is necessary to reapply special glue to the insulation and lay the material on it. It is very important to correctly and clearly smooth the leatherette, otherwise the door upholstery will be uneven, bubbly, and it will be impossible to draw a pattern on it.
6. Execution of the picture according to the selected scheme.
7. Installation of fittings in the door leaf.
8. Hanging the door on the hinges.

It is worth noting the fact that sheathing of a door metal sheet with leatherette can be carried out both with the creation of rollers and without them. In general, the technology and the process of performing the work itself are very similar in both cases.

Having completed all the work, the owners of leatherette doors can be calm, but only until the door leaf again loses its attractive appearance. With the onset of this moment, the question arises as to whether it is necessary to perform the entire procedure again. Of course, you can re-upholster the door, or you can restore it by painting the upholstery in any other color.

The following materials can be used to restore a leatherette door by staining it:

• Spray paint in spray cans makes staining easy and simple. In this case, the door leaf itself does not have to be removed from the hinges. The procedure takes little time, and the palette of shades is very wide, so you can paint the door in almost any color.

• Special impregnationswhich are very similar to those used to protect shoes. Their use allows not only to change the color of the leatherette, but also to improve its water-repellent properties. They are inexpensive and sold almost everywhere. The downside lies in the fact that the effect of their influence is short-lived, so such staining will need to be carried out every week.
• Acrylic surface paints do not damage the structure of leatherette, have a rich palette, dry quickly and retain their original appearance for a long time.
• Special paints for artificial leather are considered the best option for painting such doors. They have an extensive palette of colors, affordable cost and excellent technical characteristics. In addition, such paints can be applied on top of each other in several layers.

By and large, leatherette door trim does not take so much time. This option for updating the door leaf is more budgetary compared to installing a new insulated door.

Thanks to the wide range of leatherette itself and its ease of use, now everyone will be able to budget, quickly and independently change the appearance of their doors for the better.

For information on how to properly sheathe a metal door with dermantine, see the next video