Sometimes the interior of a house becomes boring and boring. Then there is a desire to change it or supplement it with something new. Doors are especially susceptible to aging and fading of paint. Although MDF doors are the most reliable and durable, their frequent use erases the shine and beauty and leaves minor scratches.
Such doors are solid and are made by pressing waste lumber, so painting MDF at home is difficult, but possible. And at the same time it will give your home an updated look.
How to paint MDF doors?
In order to paint the doors, you will need MDF paint. On some slabs this coating applies easily, on others it is difficult. Such properties depend on the components from which the board was made. The material fraction causes them to absorb the coating applied to them too quickly.
In order for the color to apply evenly, you need to choose a paint for MDF doors that matches the chemical composition of the material being painted.
Therefore, when choosing paints and varnishes for work, you must:
- choose paints without a strong odor, for example, water-based paints;
- quick-drying. These include acrylic-based paints;
- with a high percentage of adhesion for strong adhesion of the coating and the surface of the object;
- with low consumption;
- a certain color so that the door fits harmoniously into the interior of the apartment.
Nowadays there is a special polyurethane paint for MDF on sale. It is an environmentally friendly coating material, odorless and volatile components. It has high wear resistance and resistance to chemical elements.
What to consider when choosing a material?
The cost of building materials is important, but it should not be the deciding factor.
What you should pay attention to when choosing MDF panels:
- Which side will the finishing be done on? You can decorate the door from the inside, outside, on both sides. The material does not have to be the same.
- Design. The panels must be in harmony with the style and color scheme of the interior for internal covering or the facade of a building or house for external decoration.
- Resistance to conditions (moisture, temperature, light). This characteristic is especially important for the external cladding of an iron door that opens directly onto the street.
- Individuality. To decorate MDF with iron door panels, you can buy them at any construction supermarket. But such stores offer standard options. If desired, it is possible to purchase exclusive options from companies that create custom-made overlays, taking into account all the buyer’s requests for color, texture, and patterns. In this case, the panels will not just be a protective element of the door, they will become the highlight of the entire room.
- Size. The dimensions of the cover are indicated in the product passport if a panel was previously installed on it. Otherwise, you should focus on the size of the canvas; you can measure the height and width yourself. It's better to do this several times to avoid mistakes. Otherwise, you will have to trim the pads or, even worse, you will end up with an unsightly gap. If you plan to order turnkey decoration, the service usually includes a free call to a surveyor.
In addition to purchasing material for cladding the metal sheet, you need to think about who will do the finishing work. It is best to entrust this matter to specialists who will restore the door at a convenient time. All work takes no more than 2 hours; a team of workers will remove the old casing and install a new one, removing all the debris.
MDF is a practical, durable and beautiful material that is used to finish iron doors. The panels are easy to install or replace if the old ones are worn out. A huge range of decorative overlays made from this material will allow you to choose them for any room.
Tools
To paint the surface of an MDF door, we need certain tools.
- Tassels . Narrow for small parts and hard-to-reach places and large. Instead of a large one, you can use a roller or spray gun. The lint on the brush should not creep in, so you need to buy a quality tool. Otherwise, then you will have to collect hairs from the brush all over the door.
- The roller must be terry or wool, because foam rubber slips on the surface.
- Mixer or drill with an attachment for stirring the coating composition.
- A special tray for working with paint, if a roller is used for application, or a small jar so that you can dip your brush into it.
- Stencils, tape, scissors, zero sandpaper.
Painting methods
Paint not only decorates the door, but also protects it from negative influences. In particular, for example, polymerized paints make it possible to protect the structure from moisture, which can be of great importance if standard steel without galvanized coating was used as the manufacturing material.
For some time now, manufacturers have been covering their products with so-called powder paint , which, among other things, effectively protects the canvas from mechanical damage. Thanks to powder coating, doors are successfully used as entrance doors, since they have an increased level of moisture resistance and are also able to withstand significant temperature changes.
How to paint an MDF door?
In order to paint or repaint MDF doors from one color to another at home, it is necessary to cover the floor of the workplace with paper so as not to get dirty in the process. Place two timbers under the surface to be painted. This is done so that in the future you can easily turn the canvas over to the other side. MDF doors can be painted not only when new, which are made specifically for painting, but also repainted from one color to another.
The procedure is quite simple and does not require any special costs or effort. MDF doors are painted in several layers. Before each application, the previous layer must be completely dry. But first you need to prepare the canvas.
Preparatory stage
To paint MDF at home, the door is removed from its hinges, freed from fittings, and placed on prepared beams. Using heat, the old coating is removed and the material itself is prepared for painting. MDF is carefully sanded with sandpaper.
It is better not to use other tools, as they may damage the material. The remaining debris from grinding is collected and mixed with PVA glue, used as a means to get rid of various defects that appeared during grinding.
If there are glass inserts in the door, they must be sealed with tape to prevent paint from getting in and causing additional trouble.
After the MDF door is sanded and leveled, they proceed to the process of priming the surface. This is a very important point before painting.
Padding
Before covering MDF doors with paint, it is necessary to apply a layer of primer. To do this, you can use drying oil. You need to wait for the primer to dry completely. Then inspect the surface again for defects and scratches. If necessary, cover all cracks and chips with putty and sand thoroughly.
Then you should apply two more layers of primer so that it can clog all the pores and reduce the amount of paint material absorbed.
And only after thorough priming of the surface and complete drying can you proceed to painting.
Painting stage
If you purchased MDF doors for painting, we skip the first two stages. When the product is prepared, you can not be afraid and start painting the MDF yourself. It is necessary to paint the ends and small parts well. An alternative application method is to spray paint if you don't want to bother with a roller or brush. But first you need to paint all hard-to-reach places well with a narrow brush.
After the first layer has been applied, it must be allowed to dry completely. There will be small stains on the surface, but they will then be covered with the next layer. And, after the second layer has dried, you can apply the final third.
When using water-based or special polyurethane paint, a layer of dried coating on the surface will never prevent MDF doors from closing, as happens if they are painted with nitro enamel.
Paint selection
It remains to solve only the most important question, what can be used to paint interior doors. Let me tell you right away that the specialized electrically conductive paint zinga, more related to the cold galvanizing method, will not work here (find out also how and with what to paint plaster).
You should not use fire-retardant paints on metal. But even with this exception, the choice is not at all poorer.
Requirements
But first, about the selection requirements:
- Firstly , the paint must be good from an aesthetic point of view, and its appearance must last for a long period of time after completion of the work.
- Secondly , the paint must be impeccable from an environmental point of view; this is a requirement for all materials used in interiors.
- Thirdly , since the paint is for the door, it must be strong enough to withstand abrasion, because interior doors are in motion and in constant use 24 hours a day.
- Fourthly , and this is very important, the paint must be resistant to fire, God forbid that you ever have to check this quality, but we highly recommend checking this characteristic when purchasing.
Painting can be done with a roller, it’s faster, but you can’t do without brushes; in any case, apply at least two layers
Offers
We have several paint options on the market to choose from:
- Alkyd . This is now the most common, due to its durability, large number of colors and cost. But the alkyd paint base emits a not entirely pleasant odor for 2-3 days, until it dries completely. On the environmentally friendly scale, this paint also cannot be given a maximum score of 100 points - it is no higher than 80. In other words, you should not paint the door of a nursery or a place where people prone to allergic reactions live with this paint.
- Acrylic enamel . There is also a wide range of colors here, no smells for you. But it is noticeably more expensive and durability suffers, so often the paint layer is additionally coated with acrylic varnish.
- Nitroenamel . The high cost of this proposal for many is more than compensated by the wonderful appearance of the surface on which this paint will lie. But such paint requires increased attention to personal safety during work; it is toxic.
If the area of work is small, then everything can be completed in just a few hours, do not forget that the putty must be allowed to dry completely
