How to paint doors to look like wood if they are made of a different material or are simply painted in a boring color? Where should you start the restoration process, what tools will you need to use, and is this game worth the candle? Let's try to figure it out.
Doors are a very important part of the interior; Even the most skillful and original wall decoration will not look decent if the entrance openings were not given due attention during the renovation. Replacing doors is too radical a method, and also very expensive, so why not try to save the situation by simply updating them with a high-quality coating?
Wood painting
Old wooden doors in old-style houses have long lost their appeal. You can replace them with new ones, but the prices for high-quality solid wood products are by no means small, so owners resort to all possible ways to improve existing structures.
Modern budget models, called Canadian, are initially white - they can also be repainted in any color. To decorate Canadian doors, use any paint suitable for working with wood.
Products made from chipboard or natural wood can be updated:
- Matches the floor;
- Combine with walls;
- Under existing furniture in the room;
- Make antique decor.
To give a beautiful appearance to an old wooden door, you need to clean the canvas of old paint and clean it of any unevenness. To highlight natural wood, stains, clear varnishes and tinting materials are used.
To change the existing pattern on the canvas, a special paint for wooden surfaces is selected - acrylic, oil, polyurethane.
It is best to work with acrylic paint; it has a good consistency for drawing. As a rule, paint is applied to the door leaf with a roller, and curves and small details are worked out with a brush.
The necessary conditions
Restoring a door that is “walking” in the opening is a thankless task; and it doesn’t take long to touch the fresh paint, and it’s generally inconvenient.
To work comfortably and get decent results, do not forget:
- remove the door from its hinges and place it on a stable support (a table or a couple of stools),
- dismantle all fittings; if you don’t want to, or it’s impossible to remove the lock, you can cover it and the handle with masking tape or wrap it in foil;
- provide free space to have access to the workplace from all sides.
How to create a tree drawing
Imitation of wood grain on the door can be emphasized or created. To make the natural pattern clearer, different impregnations are used, which must be applied in several layers depending on the material. It is not recommended to use drying oil before the last coat of varnish; it is better to give preference to impregnation.
It is recommended to work with paints and varnishes in a well-ventilated area, using personal protective equipment.
A face mask and gloves on your hands are a must when working with paints and varnishes at home.
Sequence of drawing:
- Paint the door with light paint, maybe white. You can use either a roller or a brush. Wait until completely dry.
- Apply a thick layer of liquid soap to the surface.
- Paint the canvas with a darker wood paint. When painting, the layer of soap will be washed off, and the paint will create dark curls that imitate wood fibers.
- After complete drying, a “natural wood” pattern will appear.
Beginning craftsmen can also use another method of decoration. It involves using a special rubber grater with a pattern. On dry white doors you need to apply a dark layer of paint (wenge, rosewood, walnut), let it “grab” slightly and run the tool over the entire area of the product, creating a pattern. After complete drying, the door leaf must be opened with several layers of transparent varnish.
Surface preparation
Having selected the necessary materials for painting wood-look doors with enamel, you will need to prepare the surface, and then apply a drawing of the structure of the wooden fibers. It is always necessary to prepare the surface by removing old paint or varnish, using a grinder or sandpaper.
Sanding the door before painting
To paint interior doors Canadian wood, as well as other types, you need to bring the surface to perfect condition. To do this, use a sander or sandpaper with small or medium grain. If there are cracks, holes or other flaws, it is necessary to additionally putty the surface using a wood compound. This condition is mandatory, but when using transparent varnish, the color of the putty should match the color of the wood itself. When the mixture dries and hardens, it must be sanded. After which the preparation is completed and you can proceed to coloring.
It should be immediately noted that an imitated wood pattern can be applied to almost any material. This could be a metal entrance, plastic or plastic, on a steel sheet, etc. the main difference lies in surface preparation.
Antique doors
Antique things look attractive, unusual and keep their history. But few people know that almost any thing can be aged intentionally. Today, antique doors are especially popular, which modern craftsmen have learned to make so skillfully that they cannot be distinguished from a real antique.
The easiest and most inexpensive way to age a wooden product is to use stain, but it will not be possible to achieve complete similarity with the rarity.
Professional decorators use brushing technology, which can be used for hard wood (oak, maple, ash).
How to age a wooden door:
- Use a stiff metal brush to remove soft parts of wood from the surface. The depth of the grooves should be the same throughout the entire canvas.
- On the second floor, you need to smooth the surface a little using a brush with softer bristles. The brush should be moved along the grain, removing loose parts of the wood.
- Use a polymer brush to remove fine lint using gentle movements along the fibers.
- Apply decorative coating. First you need to treat the deep areas of the canvas with dark oil, then the entire surface with a lighter material. As a rule, a special oil with wax is used for coating, which is well applied to the wood.
A more complex aging technology involves painting the canvas with several shades of paint using a spray bottle or ordinary brushes. A laminated surface can be obtained by covering a wooden product with several layers of transparent varnish.
Paint selection
So that the work does not go in vain, and the product turns out professional and stylish, you need to take a responsible approach to the issue of choosing raw materials.
There are special paints for the mission being pursued, or you can get by with standard options, just choosing the right shades.
The paint options you purchase may vary in many ways.
Various options for painting wooden doors
One of these parameters is the quality of the material:
- If you need to tidy up the existing surface without hiding the beauty of the material, you can cover the door leaf:
- some people prefer to use stain;
- others buy clear varnishes that renew the existing surface;
- still others choose oil-based impregnations;
- The canvases are also opened with tinting varnishes.
- If you want to paint a white door like wood and achieve an imitation of wood, then you should pay attention to such finishing materials as:
An example of applying paint to a white door
- acrylic paint;
- oil paint;
- You can also paint MDF or wooden doors with polyurethane paint;
- perchlorvinyl paint is also suitable for this mission.
The choice of paint also depends on the material of the structure. In this case, the division goes to:
- Wooden doors. They can be painted with any paint you like.
- MDF or veneer surface. For these types of door structures, light, non-aggressive materials and paints are used. It is better to give preference to compounds that are marked that they are suitable for finishing MDF and veneer.
The process of painting a veneer door
You should consider the type of material that will be used for finishing at the planning stage. This will help you avoid getting into a difficult situation when purchasing raw materials.
Painting of entrance metal structures
The appearance of the entrance doors indicates the wealth of the owners of the house, so it is important that the entrance to the home looks beautiful and neat. Even new metal products do not look particularly attractive, and those that have been used completely lose their appearance. Painting will help to refine the entrance doors, and the correctly selected color of the canvas will fit into any interior.
The technology for painting metal structures differs from painting wood, but in both cases the surface of the product must be leveled, treated with a solution to remove moisture and wait until completely dry.
How to paint an old iron entrance door:
- Nitroenamel is the cheapest paint, most often used for painting door panels in high-rise buildings. Protects metal from rust, but is sensitive to many chemicals.
- Alkyd paint dries quickly and adds shine to painted products.
- Acrylic paint is similar to alkyd paint, but is less toxic because it is water-based.
- Graphite paint is resistant to many weather conditions and prevents corrosion.
- Powder is used most often for finishing expensive models. The material is expensive, but due to its advantages - strength, resistance to ultraviolet radiation and precipitation, it retains an attractive appearance for a long time. The disadvantage of this coloring is that it cannot be done at home. Special equipment is required to apply the material, after which the door must be dried in a chamber at 200 degrees.
- Automotive paint is well suited for applying a pattern to the facade. The material holds up well and does not fade.
- Hammer paint, which is applied to the surface with a spray gun, is well suited for armored options. It has an unusual appearance that gives the entrance doors originality. It is afraid of moisture, but is quite resistant to mechanical damage.
- Epoxy paint is used to paint various metals. Due to the high level of toxicity, the staining procedure should be carried out in non-residential premises.
When painting a steel structure, many nuances should be taken into account: the type of paint, the size of the surface to be painted, the method of applying the material to the metal.
If a door loses its appearance, it can be updated with a small set of necessary tools and woodworking skills. With just a little effort, you can transform any, even the oldest canvas, beyond recognition, with the help of paints, varnish or adhesive film.
How to change the appearance of plastic products
Without knowledge of the quality characteristics of the plastic, it is difficult to apply CM without spoiling the base. If the actions are performed correctly, the protective layer will be durable. The technology itself is simple:
- Before painting to match the structure of a natural material, the type of plastic is specified. There are known species that cannot be covered with CM.
- The start of work begins with sandpaper.
- The surface is treated with a primer.
Important: you cannot use types of CM that are known as solvents for plastic.
It is recommended to work with a medium-hard brush, flat and wide. A white door will become the color of natural wood. A wooden door makes the interior more respectable. Wood effect paint allows you to preserve the quality of plastic and change the appearance of the doors.
The paint, which imitates the structure of wood, forms a covering protective layer after drying. It retains its technological characteristics for a long time and is visually similar to natural wood. As a result, acrylic paintwork gives a beautiful coating.
Coloring materials
The paint for the door should be chosen based on the room it is intended for. For example, it is better to finish the entrance to the bathroom with the most moisture-resistant composition, and to the children's room - easy to clean and resistant to abrasion.
In addition, paints vary in quality and price. The most affordable ones are oil and alkyd enamels, but it is better to work with them in the fresh air, since their sharp unpleasant odor does not disappear from the room for a very long time. Acrylic-based materials are the most popular, they are easy to work with, they are non-toxic, dry quickly and have excellent technical characteristics.
On the finishing materials market today you can purchase special wood-like paints that imitate the appearance of noble and expensive species, as well as compositions designed specifically for the restoration of old surfaces. Many of them have excellent protective properties, preventing mold and cracking, while allowing the wood to “breathe.”
Attention: when calculating paint consumption, do not forget to take into account the door jambs and lintel! If you are tinting the composition yourself, creating a complex shade, take care of a supply of solution, since it is almost impossible to repeat the tone by mixing an additional portion.
When choosing a color scheme, and especially a complex combination of shades, it is not difficult to make a mistake. To prevent this from happening, experiment with gouache on a sheet of whatman paper. Apply at least an approximate base color, on top - the expected light tone, brush with a stiff brush and admire.
Try several options, decide on your choice and feel free to go to the construction market. Now you know how to paint doors to look like wood with your own hands.
Coating of a metal product
Paint for interior doors can be applied even to metal structures. The metal is prepared for painting according to a scheme that repeats the steps for other materials. A primer with high adhesive properties is pre-used.
KM for metal for a street door is selected according to several criteria:
- fire retardant composition;
- anti-corrosion material;
- electrically protective.
The shade of paint should be in harmony with the color of the facade.
In industry, metal is coated with a wood-effect powder composition. The metal surface retains its qualities and acquires an attractive appearance. The powder dye is applied with a special sprayer in a heat chamber at high temperatures. The doors are coated with oak, walnut, beech, cherry, and pine. It is impossible to distinguish it from a natural wooden surface. The dye covers any metal. The issue of decorating metal products often arises at the time of creating the interior of a house. Coloring is carried out in stages. The metal is carefully prepared.
- The metal surface is degreased and dirt is removed.
- An anti-corrosion compound is used.
- The metal is coated with CM.
Matte dye is used. To apply it you need a brush. Hand movements are made along the texture, with a jerky line of the pattern, scratching the coating, which allows you to create an imitation of wood texture. When the first coat of coating has dried, the second is applied. This will create a surface with a pattern of wood structure.
