Finishing the slopes is a mandatory step in installing or replacing a door. After all, even the most luxurious entrance door will look unpresentable if the opening around it is left in its original form after the builders. The final decoration of the front door can be done independently without any problems, but this will require properly planning your actions, as well as choosing the appropriate material and, of course, fixing it correctly. Let's look at all these stages in more detail.

Planning. What should you consider?

Before you begin work, you need to decide on the following factors:

• budget for improving the opening;
• the material most suitable for finishing;
• method of designing slopes.

You will also need to take measurements to correctly calculate the amount of materials and stock up on the necessary tools.

The front door is the face of the owners

Types of materials

Today the market is replete with a variety of finishing materials. Most often used for slopes:

• Plastic. Such cladding will look good only if the door itself is lined with plastic, otherwise the slopes will stand out strongly against the background of the rest of the structure. The wide range of colors of these panels allows you to choose an option for almost any interior. They look especially good in houses decorated in a modern style. But plastic also has a drawback - low strength.
• Drywall. This well-known material has a number of advantages - it does not require the construction of a frame, reliably insulates all joints, serving as additional insulation, and is easily decorated by painting or wallpapering. It looks best on wide slopes.
• Natural wood panels. Wood never goes out of fashion and goes well with almost any design style, and treatment with special compounds can give it any desired shade. However, the disadvantage of this finish is the high price.
• MDF. This material looks very aesthetically pleasing, in addition, it is durable and highly wear-resistant. Can serve as an alternative to wood panels.

Another economical option for improving the opening is plastering. This method is easy to implement, durable, and most importantly, affordable. This finish is suitable for simple interiors and can be done both from the inside and outside of the opening. After the plaster has dried, it is easy to give it the desired color by simply painting it in a tone similar to the wall covering.

Methods for finishing slopes

In addition to the differences in the materials used, there are also different ways of fastening them and designing slopes, namely:

• fixing finishing panels with adhesive solution;
• leveling with mortar and subsequent plastering;
• frame cladding with selected materials.

The choice of a specific method depends on personal preferences and financial capabilities. As already mentioned, plaster is one of the most acceptable options. It is reliable, because such a slope will not bend, in addition, it provides good sound insulation. True, in terms of decoration it is inferior to panels, but this problem can be solved by applying textured plaster or attaching other decorative materials on top of the adhesive solution, thus combining the two finishing methods.

In some cases, if significant voids appear after installing the door block, it is more advisable to do without filling them with mortar. In this case, the finishing panels are attached to a frame made of metal or wooden slats. This allows you to save on the solution and gives quite a decent result. An additional advantage of this design is the ability to install lighting or switches on the slope. You can also place a cable from a telephone, wired Internet or other similar communications inside such a slope.

Required Tools

To carry out plastering work accurately and efficiently, you will need the following tools:

• drill with a nozzle for mixing the solution;
• wide and medium spatulas;
• sandpaper;
• masking tape and film;
• rule for leveling slopes;
• beacon profiles;
• masonry mesh (if the slopes have significant unevenness);
• level and plumb;
• a bucket or other suitable container for the solution.

The materials you will need are: cement mortar, primer and putty, as well as, if desired, paint for finishing. If you plan to decorate your front door with decorative panels, you should stock up on:

• fastening dowels;
• small self-tapping screws for securing panels;
• hammer drill;
• screwdriver;
• a durable stationery knife;
• hammer;
• measuring instruments (ruler, tape measure, etc.).

You also need to purchase: the facing panels themselves; corners for closing joints; adhesive composition; wooden slats or metal guides (if the materials will be attached to the frame).

Decoration of slopes: all methods of decoration and sequence of work

You can proceed to decorating and finishing the door slopes after the frame of the front door and it itself are installed, and all the resulting cracks are insulated. Next, the chipped parts of the old coating and dust are removed, after which it is time to prepare the opening for installation of the finishing material.

Preparing the opening

Whatever design method you choose, the preparatory work will be similar. First, the surface of the door leaf must be protected from scratches and dirt by covering it with a film secured with masking tape. Then the protruding fragments (if any) are trimmed off, which can complicate the installation of the frame, gluing panels or plastering. Then the walls are cleaned of dust and covered with primer. If the wall surface is not porous, it is better to use a deep penetration primer mixture.

Also at this stage, with the option of installing a decorative coating on the frame, it is worth laying communication cables or installing lighting, if they are planned. In this case, the wires are laid inside after the frame is installed.

Finishing slopes with plaster

Decorating the entrance doorway with plaster begins with attaching the beacon profiles. With their help, it will be easier to control the leveling of the surface. The beacons themselves are also attached to a solution, preferably plaster, or to self-tapping screws, and the correctness of their placement is checked by a level and, if necessary, adjusted so that they are all in the same plane. After the mortar underneath has hardened, you can proceed to filling the slopes with a cement-sand mixture.

To prepare the mixture, you will need to combine cement and sand in a ratio of 1:3, thoroughly mixing with a drill with a special attachment. The consistency of the resulting solution should resemble a homogeneous curd mass. If the slopes are too uneven, you should use a masonry mesh for better grip.

Next, the solution is applied to the slopes with a special spatula, evenly distributed and leveled according to the beacon rule. After drying, which usually takes about a day, you can proceed to puttying and then final painting of the surface.

Fastening slopes made of facing material with mortar

In this case, selected materials (MDF, wood, etc.) are attached to the pre-prepared slope surface with adhesive or sand-cement mortar. Gypsum-based adhesive is considered the most suitable for these purposes.

Installation of one of the most popular coatings - plasterboard panels - is carried out in the following sequence:

• Measurements are taken of all parts of the door slopes.
• In accordance with the obtained dimensions, the necessary fragments are cut out from the finishing material.
• The parts are fixed to the surface of the opening with glue by applying it to sheets of material in several slides and then pressing them against the slopes. It is better to start installation from the ceiling part.
• The panels are additionally secured with dowels, holes for which are drilled with a drill or hammer drill.

• The corners of the slopes are reinforced with metal perforated corners attached to the putty mixture.
• All joints are evenly coated with putty and, after drying, thoroughly cleaned.
• Priming, finishing putty and subsequent sanding with fine-grained sandpaper are carried out.

Next, the resulting surface can be painted or covered with wallpaper. Fastening plastic or other materials that have decorative properties without additional finishing is limited to installing panels with glue and fixing them with self-tapping screws. After this, if desired, you can secure the platbands using liquid nails.

Mounting decorative panels on the frame

Before installing the bases for fastening the material, the wall surface must be treated with a primer to prevent it from crumbling in the future. Then, for the frame, bars of the required size or metal guides, similar to those used to create wall and ceiling structures from plasterboard, are sawn off. Slopes, if there are significant flaws, must be pre-leveled for a better fit of the bases.

Installation of frame elements is carried out using dowels and screws of the required length. In this case, two slats are installed along the perimeter of the door structure parallel to each other and stiffening ribs are fixed between them for additional strength. They must be present at the corners of the structure. Next, cables are laid, if necessary, and decorative panels are attached.

It should be noted that the fastening of various materials has its own characteristics. For example, drywall requires mandatory reinforcement with perforated corners and gluing the joints with construction tape, and when installing MDF and similar materials, you should use small screws or nails that will not spoil the appearance of the structure.

Photos of doorways with different finishes

All of the finishing methods listed above have their pros and cons, and if you try, you can choose a decent option for any budget and interior. You can either purchase a ready-made structure and install it, or do all the work yourself. And for inspiration, we bring to your attention several ideas showing how to decorate the front doorway for various types of room design.

Such slopes made of natural wood will perfectly complement the interior in a classic style.

An interesting option is artificial stone finishing.

Thanks to the variety of colors and the ability to imitate various materials, plastic panels still remain relevant.

Plastering is a practical and inexpensive way to decorate slopes not only from the inside, but also from the outside.

The original design of home doors is not always the prerogative of professionals. With great desire and a creative approach, any talented person can make an unusual door decor. From our selection you will learn how to decorate a door with your own hands in the five most accessible ways for an amateur.

How to decorate a house door with your own hands.

Decorating a door with your own hands is a whole complex of stages, and according to the overwhelming majority of experts, initial preparation is considered perhaps the most important part of the work.

As a rule, the owners decide to decorate the old doors of the house in an original way; brave people who are ready to decorate a brand new home door beyond recognition are rare, because a new thing often looks good.

Let's start with the simplest thing, namely, what needs to be done before decorating the front door? In this case we are talking about the street, front part of the door leaf. According to statistics, more than 70% of owners prefer to install metal doors at the entrance.

The easiest way is to paint the outer part of a metal door with a stencil.

Steel structures can be decorated from the outside in only two ways: painting and cladding with wood or MDF. In both cases, you need to try to remove the old paint, sand the base and degrease it.

There are three ways to remove paint from a steel sheet:

1. The simplest thing is to buy a remover and dissolve the coating. The method is quick and effective, but only if the door of the house faces the street. In a closed entrance of a multi-storey building there may be problems with neighbors, because the wash is a “wildly” smelly and harmful thing;
2. You can also buy an attachment in the form of an iron brush (cord brush) for an angle grinder and scrape off the paint with it, the only problem here is noise;
3. A relatively quiet, harmless and at the same time effective way is to heat the base with a hair dryer and scrape off the coating with a spatula, but if there is foam inside the iron door, then the temperature may slightly melt the insulation.

The most harmless way to remove old paint is to heat it with a hair dryer.

You should not try to heat up old paint with a blowtorch or gas torch; firstly, you may cause a fire, and secondly, at this temperature the metal may be partially deformed, and burns will appear on the wood.

Potholes and chips in an old MDF or chipboard board are cleaned with a wire brush and covered with putty, in this case the composition is taken for exterior woodwork, and when the putty has completely hardened, the surface is sanded with emery and covered with primer.

Continuous application of putty using a spatula.

Preparing an old wooden door is not much different from preparing the same chipboard. The first step is to remove the top layer of old paint or varnish. In addition to the three cleaning methods listed above, you can also take a sharp steel scraper and try to clean the paint with it, which is physically difficult, but quite possible.

The installation sites for the lock must be prepared especially carefully.

When you have managed to get rid of the old finish, you need to clean out and slightly widen the visible cracks with a knife or chisel. Next, pick up a sanding machine with medium sandpaper and sand the surface.

It is impossible to level the surface with sandpaper alone, so before decorating the old door, all serious defects need to be puttyed, dried and sanded again with a machine, but now with fine sandpaper.

Acrylic putty is one of the best compounds for leveling wooden doors.

Then you brush off the dust and cover the wood with acrylic or latex primer. In principle, you can grind it by hand, but it is time-consuming and difficult.

Five ways to decorate doors

The decor of a wooden entrance door (on the side of the home) is no different from the artistic decoration of internal doors, except that it is advisable to use waterproof compositions and be sure to prime the base.

Method number 1. Coloring

The easiest way to decorate an old door with your own hands is to paint it. It is difficult to call such home door decor original, but we mentioned it, since coloring is an integral part of most more complex types of decoration.

If the complex original decor of the door does not appeal to you, just paint it.

• Despite the apparent simplicity, painting has its own nuances, so that the composition lays evenly and without drips, it is better to remove the canvas from its hinges and paint horizontally;
• If you are painting for further decoration of doors, then take acrylic or acrylate paint;
• Nitroenamel dries within an hour, plus it has a glossy shine, but such compositions are made with a solvent, and therefore have a pungent smell;
• Oil paints are the most affordable option, but they are not very suitable for decoration, only simple painting.

Method number 2. Wallpaper for old doors

First, about the wallpaper itself:

• You shouldn’t take paper models, because the finish should not only be beautiful, but also durable, and paper will lose all its attractiveness in a year;
• Textured wallpaper with vinyl coating is best used for placing accents, that is, in fragments. Plus, vinyl is resistant to the claws of pets;
• The best option is to decorate old doors with non-woven fabrics and glass wallpaper; they are strong, durable, retain their appearance for a long time, and most importantly, do not stretch when wet.
• But a truly win-win DIY door decor is photo wallpaper. They don't cost much more than standard non-woven fabric, and the effect can exceed your wildest expectations.

Properly selected photo wallpaper will turn the room into a fairy tale.

If the base is well leveled and primed, then you can safely buy regular wallpaper glue and glue it on it. Without primer, for example, when gluing doors painted with nitro enamel, it is better to use PVA.

We cut the canvas to size.

The instructions are usual:

1. Remove handles and other fittings from doors;
2. Prepare the base;
3. Apply glue to the base;
4. Lubricate the wallpaper with glue;
5. Glue the wallpaper to the doors and remove the air using a special plastic spatula. While the wallpaper is drying, you need to exclude drafts.

There is an important point here: if you take non-woven or glass wallpaper, then they are not smeared with glue, the glue is applied only to the base.

We expel the air and decorate the doors with polyurethane moldings.

The door will look original, one might even say chic, if you decorate it with polyurethane moldings. Moreover, you need to take polyurethane and glue it to liquid nails or some similar composition. Foam fillets look the same, but they are easy to break.

Method number 3. “Creative mess”

This DIY door design can be called truly unique. After all, even the best wallpaper is still a serial product, and here you create your own unique picture.

This method also looks especially attractive because there is no need to sand or putty the doors; all irregularities and defects will be hidden by the relief ornament; all you need to do is degrease or prime the base.

We will do the general relief decoration of the door using papier-mâché from egg trays. There is nothing complicated here: take an egg tray and knead it, naturally it will tear, but this does not matter, because we do not need clear dimensions.

Prepare and glue the papier-mâché.

Papier-mâché can be glued to doors with any high-quality glue, for example “Moment”, or you can use a glue gun.

The more little things there are, the more original the panel will be.

In addition to egg trays, we will need various small trash. Here, everything from buttons to a broken computer mouse will be used, and the more diverse this “garbage” is, the higher the likelihood of creating a truly unique decor. Small things are also glued to the door; choose the pattern yourself.

Any old things are suitable for decoration.

After the door is decorated in this way, it needs to be painted; the paint will, as it were, depersonalize the small details, turning them into the overall picture. Of course, a roller and brushes won’t help here, so you need to buy aerosol enamel; it’s better to take automotive enamel, it’s of better quality. The canvas takes about 2 cylinders.

Aerosol enamel for exterior and interior use.

Method number 4. The simplest decoupage

Decorating doors with your own hands using the decoupage technique can be different, but since we are talking about the most accessible methods, we will use three-layer paper napkins with a pattern as the main material

Decoupage technique is not new, but always original.

We begin work as usual, that is, leveling, puttying, sanding, painting. Next we will need the napkins themselves and PVA glue.

We don’t need complete napkins, we are only interested in the top layer with the pattern, and we separate it from all the napkins. Be careful, the paper is very thin and tears easily.

We tear the napkins into strips.

Now the napkins with the ornament need to be torn into strips. Keep in mind: you need to tear, not cut, we are interested in elements with uneven edges. Since we tore a regular square, we will have two strips with straight edges, they need to be put aside, and the entire middle should be torn into small squares.

We tear the middle strips into small squares.

PVA glue in the form in which it is sold is not suitable for us (very thick), so before decorating the door we dilute the glue with clean water in a 1:1 ratio.

The strips with a straight edge are glued first. Take a soft brush and first coat the door fragment with diluted glue. After this, carefully apply the strip and level it with a brush on the plane. You shouldn’t pay attention to small wrinkles; they will only make the decor better.

When the outline is pasted over, you begin to arrange the middle part. The technology is the same: you lubricate the base and glue those small squares of napkins that we have folded separately.

PVA glue dries on average in about a day at normal room temperature. Next, buy transparent acrylic varnish and cover the doors with it. It is not advisable to use another varnish, since initially we painted the base with acrylic paint and the reaction to a different composition can be unpredictable, even to the point of rejection.

Decoupage with paper napkins looks original and is easy to set up.

Method number 5. Fashionable Shabby chic

To explain it more simply, the overseas name Shabby Chic This is one of the many options for artificial aging; after processing, the wood acquires a grayish noble shade.

Please note: the base here is not initially sanded, but on the contrary, the surface is stitched with an abrasive ball. This ball is a hard metalized brush that selects soft tissues of the mass, leaving hard, clearly defined fibers.

Sanding wood with an abrasive ball.

Now we need to lightly sand our door with an abrasive wheel. In hard-to-reach curved nooks and crannies, you will have to sand them manually using sandpaper with P180 grain.

Sanding wooden doors with an abrasive wheel or P180 sandpaper.

Decorating doors with your own hands using the Shabby Chic technique looks like this:

1. The first layer is applied with white acrylic paint and immediately wiped off with a napkin, after which we leave the door to dry for 2 hours;

1. After 2 hours, apply a layer of paint a little darker and also quickly wipe off the excess with a napkin;

1. After 2 hours, apply a third, dark layer of binder and wipe again with a napkin;

Wipe off the next layer of binder with a napkin.

1. After half an hour, take the finishing varnish, cover the doors with one layer and leave to dry for another half hour (the finishing varnish dries quickly);

1. After drying, take P180 sandpaper and sand it down to wood, but without fanaticism, not evenly;

1. The finishing is completed by applying 2 layers of finishing varnish, the first layer is a primer, the second is a front layer. That's it, finishing is finished.

Conclusion

Now you know how to decorate an old door in five relatively simple ways, there are other options in the video in this article, they are also worthy of attention.

Mirror door decor is fresh and original.

To increase space, as well as simply for aesthetic purposes, door blocks are removed from interior partitions. When remodeling an apartment, a free passage is most often created between the hallway and the living room. No less popular is an opening without a door, combining the kitchen with the living room. The expansion of space occurs due to getting rid of the dead zone reserved for opening the sash. However, redevelopment creates a new problem associated with the design of a doorway without a door, which is sometimes difficult for the owner to solve.

Not every opening in a house can be left without a door. The open passage of a bathroom or pantry will look ridiculous. The kitchen, bedroom and office are considered a secluded area, but for these rooms there is an exception to the rules. To organize intimacy, openings are decorated with curtains, sliding screens and other similar devices. As a result, a visual illusion of separation of rooms is created, while the space remains without a dead zone.

Open passages emphasize the integrity of the living space. All openings are made of the same shape and decorated with material similar in structure to create a single ensemble.

The door leaf is removed when creating an opening between the kitchen and living room or when one of these rooms is connected to the hallway. However, it is advisable to provide visual separation at least with curtains.

If a gas stove is installed in the kitchen, for safety reasons the room will have to be fenced off with at least a sliding system.

Free passage is arranged when combining a hall or kitchen with a balcony. The process involves the simultaneous removal of the door and window frames. If an office or small bedroom is set up on the balcony, the rooms are separated by curtains or a screen.

When we are not talking about partitioning off a kitchen with a gas stove, the passage is often decorated with shelves. Climbing flowers, figurines and other elements are placed on decorative shelves.

Getting rid of the door doesn't just open up the space. Air circulates freely through open passages. Even in a small apartment it becomes fresher in summer.

When creating an opening, doors are not required in the following cases:

• A modern solution when performing redevelopment is an interior portal, which allows you to maintain the rectangular shape of the opening. Without a door, the passage becomes freer, and the decoration from massive decorative elements adds aesthetics.

• Arched passages are popular. In an apartment with high ceilings, they give preference to the classics, arranging the opening in a semicircular configuration. For a building with low ceilings, it is advisable to visually raise the walls with an elliptical arch.

• The door block is abandoned by owners who like passages of the wrong configuration. When designing, asymmetrical arches, triangles, and trapezoids are in demand. A rectangular portal looks beautiful, the corners of which are rounded at different radii. The only drawback is the limited passage size. It will not be possible to create an opening if its width is less than 80 cm.

Doors are abandoned when the passage is decorated with a bar counter, stained glass elements, and mosaic fragments. Often such techniques are appropriate for studio apartments.

Advantages and disadvantages

If you compare a beautifully designed open doorway with a door block, you will be able to identify a number of advantages:

• The integrity of the space of the combined rooms is created. The apartment becomes free, bright, while maintaining the functionality of each zone. The kitchen remains a kitchen, the living room remains a living room.
• When framing the doorway, materials that do not require complex maintenance are used. The absence of a sash prevents loosening of the frame and the formation of a dead zone.
• Without a door leaf, the opening can be given an original configuration, allowing you to emphasize the interior style of the entire room.
• Decorating an interior portal with even the most expensive materials will be more economical than installing a high-quality door block.

The disadvantage of an open passage is that it cannot be used for storage. With any type of design, a passage without a door is not able to provide intimacy for a specific purpose area.

Free ventilation through open openings will bring great inconvenience when combining the kitchen with living rooms. Smells from cooking, along with fat vapors, will spread throughout the apartment.

Forms

You can design the opening while maintaining the original configuration or modify the passage. Often the shape of the structure depends on the materials used for finishing. The skill of the master plays an important role.

Of all the types of doorways, the simplest option is the classic rectangular shape. An inexperienced person can assemble such a structure. To create an opening, remove the entire door block along with the frame. The ends of the walls along the contour are finished with decorative cladding. If it is difficult to dismantle the hatch, you can remove only one flap. Cover the remaining frame elements with MDF or plastic. The disadvantage of this method is the narrowing of the doorway due to the remaining elements of the frame.

In the case of arched openings selection of forms huge:

• Considered a classic semicircular arch. The transition is suitable when combining any rooms. If the apartment has low ceilings, it is better to abandon the semicircular arch or widen the passage.

• Arches trapezoidal the forms are easier to manufacture, suitable for apartments with low ceilings, and are often installed when combining a kitchen with a living space. However, designers rarely use the trapezoid due to its association with the shape of ritual accessories.

• Fans of unusual configurations prefer triangular arches The design has many subtypes, more suitable for spacious rooms with high ceilings.

Modern apartments are increasingly equipped with doorways asymmetrical forms. The structure is easier to make from plasterboard. For decoration, LED lighting is used, niches, shelves and other decorative elements are arranged. Asymmetrical designs make it possible to hide large defects in the passage and the interior partition itself.

How to decorate a doorway?

When decorating an opening without a door, almost any material used for wall decoration is suitable. A budget option is a plasterboard structure followed by painting or wallpapering. It is optimal to choose gypsum boards when manufacturing a device of an asymmetrical shape. Plastic or MDF will be cheap.

Of the more expensive materials, artificial stone, tiles, and valuable wood species are used to decorate the doorway. The pinnacle of art is the design of a passage with stucco.

When choosing the option of finishing a doorway without a door, you need to take into account the style of the entire room. The design should harmoniously fit the passage into the interior, and not highlight it with a separate structure.

There are two types of portals in the apartment: full - with a top and side elements, double-sided - only side edges without a top. Similarly, they provide for the installation of a threshold and platbands or abandon these elements.

Installation of slopes and plasterboard arches

If you decide to create a doorway without a door with your own hands in the shape of an arch, it is better to use drywall for decoration. The sheets are inexpensive, easy to cut and install. When making an arch, a frame is assembled from a galvanized profile. The structures give the shape of the future opening. The frame is sheathed with fragments cut from gypsum board sheets. Fixation occurs with self-tapping screws. The finished arch is treated with a primer, a perforated corner is glued, putty is applied, and after drying it is sanded.

If there is no desire to build an arch, the slopes are simply lined with plasterboard. To further refine the doorway, use water-based paint or glue wallpaper.

How to decorate a doorway with stone?

The finishing of the portal with decorative stone looks stylish. The material is made from natural chips with the addition of coloring pigments and polymers. When framing an opening, smooth boundaries are rarely adhered to. Most often, preference is given to torn edges. To aesthetically decorate a doorway indoors, use a stone with a small, almost smooth relief pattern. Elements with deep texture create a bulky design. They are used to decorate entrance door openings from the street side.

Decorative stone cuts well, but for corners it is better to use ready-made corner elements. Installation is carried out with tile adhesive or liquid nails.

Finishing with additions and platbands

It will be possible to simply and tastefully decorate a rectangular doorway made in the form of slats. The elements are made of wood, MDF or plastic. The latter look less aesthetically pleasing.

Made from MDF, there are regular ones, with an edge at the end, and telescopic ones. In the first option, the edge of the plank is without decorative covering. You need to fit the joints tightly. Extensions with edges have a finished look. The end is sealed with decorative film and in case of flaws the joints look presentable.

They are produced in flat, rounded and other shapes. Wooden planks can be decorated with carvings. The elements are installed using glue, nails or self-tapping screws. Telescopic platbands are secured with a lock to a pre-fixed strip.

Finishing the interior doorway with MDF

MDF panels will make a beautiful and inexpensive finish for the portal, but trims are also selected from a similar material. The disadvantage of cladding is the fear of dampness. It is better not to use MDF to design the passage connecting the kitchen to the living space. If there is a good exhaust system above the stove, then the material is not at risk of dampness.

To cover a doorway with MDF, first construct a frame of wooden slats. The panels are cut to size and secured with special metal clips. The planks are joined together using a tongue-and-groove joint.

MDF panels without locks are placed on adhesive solutions. The frame is not being built. To glue the planks, prepare a perfectly flat surface. The joints are covered with a decorative strip, and the edges of the passage are framed with platbands.

Decorating a doorway with plastic

The principle of decorating an opening with plastic is reminiscent of finishing with MDF panels. Only the material is different. PVC plastic panels are fixed to the frame with fastening clips or glued. The completion of the frame is a platband made of a similar material, attached to the guide strip.

PVC panels are used to decorate doorways of rectangular, semicircular and other configurations. Stores sell ready-made kits for cladding arches; you just need to select the product according to the size of the passage.

Advantages of polyurethane stucco molding

Gypsum stucco is rarely used due to its fragility and heavy weight. If the apartment has high ceilings, and the Venetian or other similar style is chosen for decoration, then the doorways are decorated with polyurethane elements. The material is non-fragile, lightweight, and can be painted.

To install such stucco molding, prepare a flat, durable surface. Pre-treatment is carried out with a deep penetration primer. The elements are secured with an adhesive mixture. After the glue has hardened, the joints are puttied and then sanded with sandpaper.

Wood finishing

Lovers of natural materials prefer a portal made of wood, lined with extensions and platbands. When making a door portal with your own hands, you can even use cheap pine wood. After good sanding, treatment with protective impregnations and painting with varnish, the material will be difficult to distinguish from valuable wood. You can decorate the wooden portal of a doorway with carved ornaments.

The elements are being installed on the frame. First, level planks are attached to the slopes, then platbands are installed. The doorway lining is fixed with self-tapping screws. The caps are recessed into drilled secret holes, and the top is rubbed with putty. I glue the platbands and secure them with nails or self-tapping screws.

Decoration with curtains

A simple option to decorate doorways without a door is to hang curtains. The whole process consists of fixing the cornice over the passage. Curtains will hide the opening without a door from view, distract attention, and will not clutter up the space. The main requirement is not to use curtains with horizontal opening. They will become an obstacle to free passage. It is optimal to use curtains for doorways with vertical closure. When open, the curtains are tied to the wall.

If you make every effort, you can decorate a free interior passage better than a door block. If expensive materials are used, it is advisable to take advice from experts so that the costs are not in vain.

The entrance to the house is the calling card of your home, so the task of improving the doorway of the front door inevitably comes to the fore. It is necessary not only to put the canvas itself in order, but also to take care of its framing and high-quality fittings. This can be done in different ways.

Upgrading the front door gives it an aesthetic and stylish look

Painting

The simplest and most accessible method is to paint the elements of the doorway. Today it will not be difficult for you to choose a suitable shade, because the palette of coloring compositions of various brands and types is unusually wide. In addition, you have the opportunity to order the color you are interested in by mixing the base mass with the color in certain proportions.

The following types of paint are best suited for such purposes:

• Acrylic water-based. Thanks to their water base, they do not have an unpleasant odor, dry quickly and do not emit toxic substances in the future; in addition, acrylic components ensure color fastness.
• Nitro paint. It is best to apply it outdoors using a spray gun, as it has a pungent odor and cannot be used indoors due to harmful fumes during drying; later it becomes completely safe and extremely durable.
• Oily. This type is used less often today, as there are more advanced examples, however, it is perfect for painting both metal and wooden doors.

The easiest way to decorate the front door is to paint it

The paint must be applied in several layers with a roller, sprayer or wide brush. The direction of the strokes alternates with each layer. Before reapplying, you need to wait until the previous one has completely dried.

You can create a design on the door using templates or acrylic paints and a brush.

Pasting with film

If you don’t want to waste time drying the linen and ventilating the apartment, decorating your front door with self-adhesive film will suit you. This material is widely used in many areas and allows you to decorate almost any surface in the shortest possible time.

Self-adhesive film can be of absolutely any color

The difference between self-adhesive is that this material has a sticky side protected by special paper. After removing it, you can easily attach the material to metal, wood, laminate, paint, etc.

In order to complete this design of your doorway, you need to prepare the surface in advance. It must be well cleaned so that there are no tubercles or other irregularities left on it. It is better to cover up cracks and chips with mastic. Immediately before gluing, remove dust from the doors and openings, and also degrease the surface.

The cut film begins to be glued from the upper left corner. You need to peel off the backing gradually. The self-adhesive is pressed against the door using a rubber roller or a soft spatula. Be sure to remove any bubbles.

The process of gluing a door with self-adhesive film

Wood and MDF

Another way to create a high-quality front door with your own hands is to use decorative overlays. This is true for bases made of any material. The most affordable is the use of thin wooden planks. It is recommended to stick them to the surface using a special composition. In the future, the wood will need to be further processed. In general, this can be done both before and after cladding.

MDF is good for an entrance door

In order for the wood to retain its special structure and not deteriorate over time, it is necessary to impregnate it with water-repellent agents. The ideal option is stain. It will give the wood the desired natural shade and protect it from destruction. A layer of varnish is applied on top. If you don't like gloss, choose a matte or semi-matte mixture.

An alternative to decorating doors and openings in general is to use ready-made MDF overlays. They are also fixed with glue or on a frame, if we are talking about slopes. Since the decorative coating can be of almost any color, you can decorate the entrance doorway in any style. This is very convenient and besides, such decoration of the opening looks very stylish and expensive.

Using MDF overlays you can create a high-quality doorway

Other modern cladding

In addition to ready-made panels, you can create a similar coating using various modern surface finishing materials. For example, it is possible to decorate entrance doors with the following materials:

• veneer;
• eco-veneer;
• plastic;
• laminate;

It is recommended to apply such a coating to the surface by exposing it to warm air. At home, you can use a hair dryer or a regular household hair dryer at maximum power. You need to act extremely carefully and quickly so as not to spoil the coating.

Decorating the front door with laminate

You can also glue the cladding plates with glue. Some types of materials contain hot-melt adhesive on the back side, which is activated when even slight heat is applied to it, for example, using an iron.

If you are afraid of not being able to cope with the task and processing the area of ​​the doorway poorly, you can order a door finishing service from craftsmen.

Upholstery

Today, the method of creating soft upholstery for door leaves is gradually receding into the background. However, with its help you can create a very attractive look for the doorway. Upgrading a worn door using this method is an excellent way to hide all the imperfections of the door leaf. In addition, you can further insulate it by placing a high-quality filler under the dermantine.

First you need to lay out the substrate and spread the insulation on the canvas over its entire area. Additional bolsters can be attached to the sides to create a tight sheath. The surface upholstery is attached with glue or nails, if the base material allows it. You can imitate genuine leather upholstery and give your interior a feeling of warmth and luxury. Slopes can also be treated, but the thickness of the layer should not interfere with the movement of the canvas and narrow the opening.

With the help of upholstery you can achieve not only comfort, but also insulation of the front door

Slopes and opening

If we talk specifically about the doorway and slopes, here we can highlight the following popular solutions:

• leveling with plaster followed by painting;
• applying textured plaster;
• laying tiles, stone or mosaics;
• soft upholstery;
• installation of panels made of wood, MDF or plastic, etc.

Popular solutions for finishing entrance door slopes

It is important to consider that the thickness of the facing layer should not interfere with the movement of the canvas and narrow the opening relative to the calculated parameters.

How to decorate the front door, first of all, needs to be decided based on your financial capabilities and the general style of the home. You also need to take care of replacing worn-out fittings and adjusting the hinges.

If your front door has become quite frayed over time, has simply gone out of fashion, or does not harmonize with the interior of the hallway, but remains strong and capable of protecting your home, you can refinish it and give the canvas a new life.

The easiest way is to correct a wooden door leaf, but iron doors can also be put in order. Let's take a closer look at how you can decorate your doors from the inside and outside.

Entrance door from the inside: how to decorate it

There are really a lot of options:

• lining;
• artificial leather;
• PVC panels;
• veneer of various types of wood;
• firoparallels and many other options.

In fact, the inside of the canvas can be finished with anything, the main thing is that the material is practical, not easily soiled and matches the decoration of the hallway. For example, you should not mix modern economy-class materials with classic or eco-style, and, on the contrary, use expensive solid wood for a hallway trimmed with plastic. The door can be the main accent of the hallway or, on the contrary, merge with the walls in an “invisible” box, the main thing is the harmony and compatibility of materials.

For more information on how to cover a door with the most common material - artificial leather - watch the video.

How and with what to decorate an old front door from the outside

Suitable for exterior finishing of both wooden and metal doors

• artificial leather;
• wood veneer;
• putty + paint;
• decorative film and other options.

It is worth noting that even the simplest and most standard materials can sparkle with new colors if you move away from boring solutions and use unconventional decor.

How to decorate the front door with fittings

The market is filled with a lot of accessories of various types: handles, locks, bells, eyes and much more can be found today in any stylistic variation. Of course, the price of the issue varies depending on the quality of the products, their functionality and design according to a simple scheme: the better the product, the more expensive it is.

Lock

In fact, this is the main element of housing protection, therefore, first of all, it must be reliable, preferably with the maximum number of degrees of protection. The easiest way is to choose a hidden model, almost invisible on the door leaf. This way you can ensure a decent view and sleep peacefully.

If you want to be original, you can install a “antique” lock - a unique look for the front door is guaranteed.

Door knob

The main requirement for this accessory is harmony in the overall image of the portal. You should not choose an elegant door handle for a door in a loft or minimalist style, although for most styles a bent or forged handle will work perfectly.

An excellent option is an illuminated handle with a flashlight aimed at the lock hole. Its style can be anything you want, but the convenience of the device will be appreciated many times over.

Peephole

The peephole can be either modest, barely noticeable, or become the main decoration of the front door, or it can be completely absent. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive accessories in this case. For example, a minimalist modern design will go well with a mural or a cool sticker.