How to repair a front door with your own hands

All property owners, without exception, have had or will have to face the restoration of the front door. This procedure is simple, to some extent creative, but it has its own nuances. If you take all of them into account and approach the troubleshooting correctly, you can reasonably count on a high-quality result of your work.

Reasons and need for restoration of the front door

Most houses and apartments have entrance loops made of iron profiles. This choice is justified by the high performance and protective characteristics of the products. At the same time, they are exposed to the most extreme loads. The canvases are affected by changes in temperature, humidity, frequent opening and closing, and sometimes vandalism by third parties.

The reasons for the restoration of metal entrance doors can be as follows:

• Loss of presentability, untidy appearance.
• Difficulties with the processes of opening and closing the canvas, the occurrence of complications with the functioning of the fittings.
• Reducing the level of protection against noise, cold and dampness.

Proceeding from the fact that this structure is a kind of visiting card of real estate, one should not delay with the restoration of the iron door.

Types of malfunctions

The entrance group is a rather complex system; there can be many reasons to repair the door in the apartment.

The main types of malfunctions that people have to face:

• Broken hinges, lock or handle. The fittings take on almost all the mechanical load - the weight of the canvas, its turns, turning the keys in the locks. Parts wear out, rust, and if a foreign body gets into them, they jam and break. Due to frequent opening, fasteners are loosened, which causes creaks and distortions. If in such situations the door is not urgently repaired, you may end up locked from the inside or not get home from the outside.
• Damage to the finish. Regardless of the quality of the cladding material, the canvas does not last forever. Under the influence of sunlight, dampness, heat and cold, the cladding changes color, becomes thinner, becomes fragile, cracks and flakes. Let it not affect the functionality of the mechanisms, but competent restoration of metal doors will allow them to return to their former presentability and representativeness.
• Damage to the door leaf. It starts to cling to the threshold or the whole box dangles. In most cases, the prerequisites for such phenomena lie in the violation of the installation technology. As a rule, this is a violation of the vertical and horizontal, the use of an insufficient number or too short anchor bolts during installation.

You can repair the front iron door yourself. To do this, you need to figure out the possible options for its recovery and choose the most suitable for a particular case.

Ways to solve problems

Most often, property owners have to repair the finishing of the canvas and platbands. Internal mechanisms are durable and reliable, they are inside, and the lining is accessible to all destructive factors.

You can repair the front door in the following ways:

• Coloring. The easiest and most affordable option. It should be borne in mind that ordinary paint is not suitable for interior work.Better to overpay a little and get a durable and reliable car enamel.
• Film. Budget method, there is an abundance of suitable material on the market. It is not difficult to stick the film, but it should be borne in mind that it looks cheap, tears easily and can only be applied on flat surfaces.
  
• Using laminate or veneer. Such a repair, in addition to a purely aesthetic component, also has a positive in terms of practical characteristics. Plates of wood and panels based on it look presentable and expensive. With them, the doorway takes on a completely different look. In addition, the panels have excellent sound insulation and are easy and simple to maintain.
• Wooden slats and MDF panels. The method is expensive, but the end result is worth it. This is especially true for solid wood. With its help, using carvings and curly platbands, you can turn an ordinary entrance group into a real work of art.
• Stitch or upholstery. Previously, this method was widespread, but now it is gradually fading into oblivion. It is inexpensive, easy to perform, and involves placing insulation under the upholstery. The disadvantage is the extremely low strength and the impression of a poor past that is inevitably created when looking at such objects.
• Antique finish. An interesting approach to which there should be an appropriate entourage - walls, windows, landscaping of the yard. The effect of antiquity is achieved by painting the cladding under patinated copper or burnished steel. For this, aerosols of appropriate colors are used.

Problems with locks are solved by replacing them, squeaks - lubrication, distortions - tightening or replacing fasteners. This also applies to the seal, which can cause drafts and difficult closing.

Required tools and materials

The list of property required for the repair is determined by the characteristics of the defects and the selected technology for their elimination. It is necessary to prepare for the repair comprehensively in order to carry it out without being distracted by the search for missing tools and materials.

To fix the front door with your own hands, you should have the following with you:

• grinder with abrasive nozzles;
• assembly gun;
• grater with meshes;
• sandpaper;
• paint brush;
• roller;
• acrylic glue;
• mount;
• anti-corrosion agent;
• solvent;
• level;
• roulette;
• facing material.

In order not to get injured, the doors should be restored in protective devices - thick clothing, glasses and gloves.

Preparatory work

The quality of the final result and the absence of undesirable consequences largely depends on the completeness of the preparatory measures.

1. Conduct an inspection of the object, check the operability of units and mechanisms, the state of the finish. Draw up a work plan and a list of tools necessary for their implementation.
2. Remove from the corridor as many things as possible that may complicate the restoration or suffer during the restoration process.
3. Cover the working area with cardboard, plywood, wood-based panels.
4. If there is such a need, remove the canvas from the hinges using a pry bar.
5. Remove old coating that cannot be restored. MDF is lifted and peeled off, varnish and paint are grinded off.
6. Remove rust from surfaces. Prime the metal with an anti-corrosion compound.
7. If there are dents, seal them up with automotive filler, clean and prime these places.
8. Clean the surfaces from dust and degrease them with a solvent.

Further actions can be carried out after complete drying of the used technical fluids.

Stages of restoration of the front door with your own hands

Each technology has its own characteristics and execution order.

The paint is applied with a brush, roller or from an aerosol can.First, vertical movements are made, and then horizontal, drips are immediately removed.

The film is rolled onto the upper end of the web and then rolled down. Air bubbles are expelled with a spatula from the center to the edges. If some bumps remain, they are removed by piercing the film with a thin needle.

The veneer is glued in strips. First, the central fragment is attached, and then the side ones. Alignment at the ends is carried out with fine sandpaper. Finally, the surface is covered with a waterproof varnish.

MDF panels are first applied to the base, holes for fittings are marked and made on them. Then fastening is carried out with acrylic glue.

The upholstery is fixed in several stages. First, the insulation is glued, leaving free edges, then the upholstery is attached to the insulation. Finally, its edges are folded up and glued to the base.