DIY MDF door repair

In detail: do-it-yourself MDF door repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Even a careful attitude to the door block does not guarantee that defects will not appear on its surface. If there are too many scratches and chips, everyone will think about purchasing a new door leaf or restoring an already installed MDF door. From a financial point of view, the second option seems more attractive. You just need to find out how to repair the canvas at home.

If a hole appears on the door some time after the start of operation, do not despair. To get rid of the hole, prepare the usual carpentry tools, and besides them:

  • Plain paper and emery paper. The granularity of the latter is at least 150;
  • Polyurethane foam;
  • Epoxy or polyester resin, which are always available in car dealerships;
  • A putty intended for wooden surfaces and a trowel with which it is applied;
  • Wood primer;
  • Special two-component paint and varnish composition and a brush for its application.

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Removing the hole

The work begins with the fact that a hole is being prepared, the size of which is larger than the dimensions of the door. It is advisable to use a construction knife to form it. If possible, a chamfer with a width of 0.5 cm is provided.

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We form a hole

Prepared paper is placed inside the door leaf. These may be newspapers or other unnecessary literature. Thanks to this stage, the amount of used polyurethane foam is reduced, which is poured into the hole.

As soon as the foam is completely dry, its excess is cut off from the surface of the door leaf. After performing the specified manipulation, you will get a flat surface. Considering that paper and cured polyurethane foam do not have the required strength, the surface is covered with a layer of polyester or epoxy resin, after which the surface will harden. In order not to damage the skin of the hands, it is recommended to restore the door leaf with rubber gloves. If the resin does get on the skin, remove it with a solvent.

Video (click to play).

After the final hardening of the resin, a putty is applied to the place where the hole once was, designed for treating wooden surfaces. After it dries, the excess is removed with sandpaper, thereby forming a flat surface.

Then several layers of primer are applied. Each subsequent after complete drying of the previous one. At the final stage, the selected paints and varnishes are applied.

A door leaf with glass inserts looks beautiful and airy, so many people install such doors in their home. However, during operation, the glass can accidentally break, which will worsen the appearance and make the operation of the door unsafe. In this case, the glass insert should be replaced in a timely manner.

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Broken glass insert

The order of action depends on the method of fastening the glass insert:

  • If the glass is glued, the fragments are carefully removed, a new insert of the same size and shape is cut out and glued into the vacant opening using silicone gel. When determining the dimensions, the depth of the grooves is taken into account, which is 1-2 cm;
  • If the glass is fixed with glazing beads, proceed in the same way as in the first case. The difference lies in the process of removing the debris and fixing the new glass insert;
  • If the door is collapsible. Restoration of doors with MDF canvas in this case will become more complicated, and therefore not everyone will be able to replace them with their own hands.The door leaf will have to be completely disassembled, the glass insert replaced and everything is assembled in the reverse order, while avoiding the appearance of a skew, which will lead to the fact that the door stops opening and closing.

Attention! When replacing the glass insert, you can choose a different glass design option - instead of transparent, install matte or decorated with a beautiful pattern.

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Determine the size of the glass insert

The above list of works applies not only to MDF canvases. In fiberboard doors, glass inserts change in the same sequence.

The situation in which you have to shorten the door leaf is rare. However, if it becomes necessary, for example after laying a new floor covering, proceed as follows:

  • A place is being prepared for the planned scope of work and a tool. The best option is to install two tables of the same height;
  • The amount of material to be removed is determined. When taking measurements, remember the gap between the flooring and the end of the door leaf;
  • The markup is in progress. For this, a special square is used, which will help to draw a line parallel to the end of the sash. A deviation of a fraction of a degree can cause the door to jam during operation. It is recommended to check the correctness of the marking several times;
  • With the help of a construction knife, the front cover is cut. To prevent the veneer or other coating from peeling off, the canvas is pasted over with tape on both sides of the kerf;
  • The head cut is being made. It is advisable to use a fine-toothed disc with carbide inserts;
  • The cut is glued with a veneer of the same color as the door covering.

After that, it remains only to install the door in place. If the work was done carefully, no one would even guess about it.

If mechanical damage appears on the surface of the door leaf, impairing its appearance, prepare a putty (wax pencil) and a piece of felt. Such defects appear almost immediately after the door starts operating. Even with careful handling and timely care, it is difficult to avoid them.

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Small scratch

The process of removing scratches is to cover up with a wax crayon. In this case, it is important to choose a putty that is close in color to the shade of the door leaf. In this case, the effect of the work performed will be the best. After the scratches are covered, the area of ​​mechanical damage is thoroughly rubbed with a piece of felt to achieve the desired effect and completely hide the scratches.

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Removing scratches

Everyone can repair the door on their own, if desired. You just need to be convinced of the expediency of the restoration and boldly get down to business. Knowing how to fix a door leaf, everything can be done neatly. In this case, the door will acquire its new look in a short time.