Do-it-yourself door repair of an interior door

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

If your doors do not please you with their appearance: the door is cracked, sagged and cracked, the lock began to seize strongly. Have you started to think about replacing it more often? Do not hurry! Try to fix everything yourself. Most of all these problems can be "cured" by yourself, saving a lot of money on this.

Overview of typical malfunctions;
How to strengthen a door frame if it is loose;
Sagged and scratches the floor covering, what to do;
How to correct geometry correctly;
Large gaps, what to do;
How you can strengthen the panels yourself;
What to do with cracks;
How to replace a broken lock with your own hands;
The handle is broken, how to replace it with a new one;
How to replace a broken glass yourself;
Do-it-yourself repair of sliding structures.

Often, when a door looks respectable, we forget to "take care" of it. And yet, no matter how expensive and high-quality it is, time takes its toll and it needs cleaning, lubrication or adjustment, in short, preventive measures. When they are not done on time, the door begins to create a lot of problems for household members:

sag, scratching the flooring;
a nasty creak appears;
door hinges are loose;
tightly enter the door frame;
just dry out and so on.

One of the most important reasons for all defects is considered to be improper operation or quality.

The step-by-step instructions for repairing the mount are as follows:

the door must be removed;
align the box and fix it in the required position;
drill 3 holes with a drill, going deeper into the wall on the rack in the area of the hinges and the lock;
drive wood pins into the finished holes (you can use metal pins, but first lubricate them with epoxy);
you can hang the door in place, and then attach the platbands.

Video (click to play).

A simple solution is to outweigh the hinges or replace them:

first of all, we check the upper loop: how firmly it adheres to the canvas and the box, tighten it if necessary;
if the door did not sag very much, you can fix the problem by putting a metal washer on the hinge pin;

Adjustment with a washer on the hinge.

Sometimes it so happens that not a single piece of advice in repairing does not help to eliminate the problem of sunken doors. Most often this happens due to the fact that it dries up or, on the contrary, swells. Exit - to correct the edges around the perimeter.

What needs to be done, what repairs are required.

Close it, carefully evaluate the dimension of the gaps, if they are not so significant, you need to remove it from the hinges and sew the harness.

When door products are made from dry wood, the door will dry out during operation, which, while using it, creates a lot of inconveniences and problems: the tongue cannot reach the latch, large hinges between the frame and the door, as a result, the door sags a lot.

What to do in this situation?

The hinges must be rearranged slightly upward, they will tighten the door;
If the gap is large, attach the bar to size at the bottom and trim it;
On the side, the gaps are also removed using a strip attached to the looped end;
The only thing left to do is to putty and paint the cracks together with the slats.

When the interior doors dry up, problems can arise not only in the form of gaps that have appeared, but also in the panels. They lose their tightness. What should be done in such cases?

The only correct solution in the repair will be plywood.

It is required to remove it from the hinges;
Disassemble completely;
Thoroughly remove old glue and dirt;
Re-assemble the bars and connect (glue);
The panels are put into place, then the door is fastened in the clamping device.

The repair process is laborious and painstaking, however, the result is worth it. The algorithm of actions for restoration is as follows:

remove from the hinges, put horizontally on a comfortable table;
remove the existing coating from the surface of the canvas (using a solvent, an emery sheet, which will be convenient);
grind (with a grinder or emery sheet);
to close up obvious cracks with special putties, matched to the color;
after drying, the putty door is sanded again;
primed and varnished.

For clarity, watch the video:

This device has the main load, so they very often fail. Signs that it is time to repair or change it: it closes very badly, the handles scroll. This suggests that the larva of the locking device is unusable and it is time to change it.

The first thing to do is to remove the larva, for this, screws are unscrewed on the end plate, after which it is removed quite simply;

decorative strips are dismantled along with handles;

carefully unscrew the remaining fasteners, remove the device case;

after which a new locking device is bought, suitable in size (so as not to drill new holes) or a similar model, and mounted in the keyhole.

The repair process is shown in more detail in the video:

To make a decision, it is necessary to weigh all the pros and cons in favor of replacing or repairing doors based on many criteria, it is necessary to take into account both the amount of available funds and the complexity of the restoration work. Our article will tell you how to repair the door in case of some breakdown, or loss with a "marketable" appearance. Consider the main methods of repair and ways to eliminate deficiencies.

A common problem is that the canvas does not close properly, it touches the box. This may be due to the fact that the wood from which the door is made swelled, expanded in size. The reason is the high humidity in the room, or the banal old age of the canvas. As a result - the deformation of the box with the inability to close the door.

Repair with such a breakdown is quite simple. First of all, you need to understand which part of the door frame is deformed. To do this, you should study the gaps between the door frame and the canvas. If the gap is significant, the point is in the rack, which is located on the opposite side of the gap. Another possible cause of a malfunction is canopies fixed with self-tapping screws. In order to bring them back to their original state, it is necessary to tighten them deeper.

In order to eliminate the above malfunction, two main methods have been invented.

The first one is suitable for cases when the canvas rubs against the rack of the box. In the case when the door still closes, but with some effort, the repair work can be done independently. To do this, it is necessary to deepen the planting of the awnings. The canvas is removed from the hinges that are unscrewed from the box. Then, using a chisel, the attachment points are deepened a few millimeters. After that, the awnings and the door are installed in place. As a rule, this procedure allows you to completely eliminate all problems.

The second way is to intentionally deform the rack of the box. To do this, it is necessary to remove the platbands, to free the cavities from filling. Then the door closes, the place where the canvas touches the box is determined. Using a drill, a hole is drilled from the inside of the box. With the help of a punch, another hole is drilled through the previously drilled hole from the end of the opening.

A block of wood is taken, installed between the racks and the box is wedged, and a self-tapping screw is inserted into the hole. After removing the spacer, during normal operation of the door, everything returns to its place, and the gaps are foamed.

There is a third option in order to solve the problem of lapping the canvas, but it is not recommended to use it. It consists in reducing the size of the door leaf by trimming it. It is better to cut from the hinge side, but the appearance of the product may be permanently damaged.

Restoring doors to their original appearance is a laborious process that requires quite serious efforts. In order to restore the appearance of the door structure, you first need to dismantle the door leaf. If the repair is required small, cosmetic, you can do without removing the canvas and eliminate the imperfections on the fixed door.

So, if the damage is minor (there are small scratches, chips, and other defects in the coating), the door needs to be sanded. First of all, the surface is putty, and only then it is sanded. The damaged area is cleaned of dirt, the top layer is removed from it. Then putty is used, the excess of which, after drying, is removed from the surface of the canvas with sandpaper.

If the damage is serious, it is impossible to restore the door without removing the door leaf from the hinges. The recovery process is quite complicated and requires a lot of concentration of efforts. The first step is to remove the old paintwork on the door. It can be removed both mechanically and chemically. Mechanical is preferred.

In this case, special attachments are put on the drill, with which you can grind the surface. The chemical method is not safe. The beauty of the mechanical method is that, simultaneously with grinding the surface, it restores its original appearance. At the end of the sanding process, a new decorative coating is applied to the door.

Damage to the leaf can be of a different nature, depending on what the door is made of. If the doors are made of veneer or laminate, the top layer may peel off or scratches. In this case, no amount of putty will help. These types of doors have their own methods of restoration.

If the top decorative layer of the surface peels off, this is not a very terrible problem. You can simply glue it back using super glue, or in another way: a sheet of paper is used through which the damaged element is ironed with an iron, and then the paper is pressed against the surface of the door with a rag.

Chips, like scratches or cracks, can also be repaired. To do this, you should purchase a special pencil for removing damage. It is made on the basis of wax and can be of various colors. It must be kneaded to a uniform consistency, and then applied to the canvas with a spatula. After it has hardened, polishing with felt is necessary.

The restoration is quite complicated and painstaking. However, the result of removing cracks from interior wooden doors exceeds expectations.
Let's analyze the process step by step:

Removing the canvas from the hinges, followed by its location on a flat surface in a horizontal position;
Removal of the outer coating, which is carried out using solvent and sandpaper;
Sanding the surface with sandpaper or a sander;
If there are large gaps on the canvas, they are removed with a putty, selected in accordance with the color of the surface;
After the surface has dried, it is necessary to re-grind the canvas;
Once the sanding process is complete, the surface must be primed and varnished.

The presence of a glass insert is a definite plus for the door. Such doors look beautiful and interesting. Unfortunately, not all types of glass are reliable enough; some of them may break under mechanical stress. If such a situation has occurred, it is quite possible to replace the glass with your own hands.

To do this, it is necessary to remove the glass element from the canvas. To do this, loosen the fasteners that hold the glass insert. As a rule, the bindings are made of wood. After that, you need to wrap your hands with a rag so as not to damage them, and remove the remaining pieces of glass.

On some door structures, an additional rubber protective insert is installed, which must be removed. If it is not damaged, you can use it later.

In case the glass is rectangular, you just need to order glass of the same size from a specialized workshop. Shaped glass can also be ordered, however, a redrawing of the design, made with unsurpassed accuracy, is required.Before inserting new glass, it is better to remove the sheet. This will save you from the possibility of damage to new glass in case of accidental damage. In addition, weight lifting is not very easy.Silicone glue is applied to the glass, and then a rubber gasket is inserted, after which the structure is fixed with a glazing bead.In modern homes, sliding doors are increasingly common. As a rule, they are installed in order to save space. Various hardware components can easily fail and must be replaced from time to time.The main breakdowns include heavy door opening, rollers jumping out of the guides, and loosening of fasteners.If the matter is in the rollers, you can try to clean them or replace them. To do this, the door is removed from the guides, and the rollers are cleaned and lubricated, or replaced, and then the blade is installed in place. If the fasteners are loose, it is necessary to fasten its elements more tightly.If the door cannot be repaired for a number of reasons, it must be replaced. It is much easier than repairing certain structural elements of the door. In order to change the door, you need to remove the canvas, dismantle the box with a crowbar. After that, the installation site is cleared of various debris and the opening is measured.As you acquire a new door, it will be necessary to install fittings on it, and then proceed with the installation of the box.The box is installed using a level, and after installation, the remaining hollow spaces between the wall are foamed. Platbands are fixed only after the polyurethane foam has dried. Next, the canvas is hung on the hinges.So, if the door requires repair, in most cases the procedure can be successfully completed on your own. How to do this must be decided depending on the type of breakdown that has occurred. If decorative repairs are required, it is possible to update the interior wooden doors or any other doors using the above methods. In the event of a hardware failure, it can be easily replaced with a similar one, and in some cases it is repaired. The main thing is to approach the issue wisely and then the result will not disappoint. Image - Do-it-yourself repair of the doorway of the interior door

To make a door with your own hands, or to order it in a workshop, it is very important to "take measurements" correctly. An inaccurate measurement of the entrance door opening, at best, will lead to the formation of large gaps that will have to be repaired and insulated. In the worst case, you have to think about how to increase the doorway, which will cause even more trouble.

Sometimes it is necessary to build a partition or partition into which a door of a given size will be inserted. But sometimes you have to solve more serious problems - for example, the construction of an opening where it has never been.

On request: "Preparing doorways video", you can always find a suitable video, where the masters share their experience. For our part, we will try to shoe you theoretically, relying on building rules and technologies - after all, the opening must not only be correctly calculated, but also qualitatively level it.

The easiest way, of course, is when the construction of a house is carried out, as it should be, according to the project. The documentation contains a scheme for filling doorways, an example of which you can see below. It indicates the sizes and types of doors, as well as gaps in the walls where they will be inserted.

As a matter of fact, when erecting walls, masons immediately make such openings as needed - the main thing is that they have accurate information on door markings that will be installed in load-bearing and self-supporting structures.But as for the partitions, for the internal planning, most often today they are no longer invited to masons, but to drywall specialists.

The structure device in the GVL partition (see How to make a doorway from drywall) - the procedure is not so complicated, and can be done independently. But, of course, work must be approached with understanding, and try not to confuse anything regarding the size of the opening.

After watching the video in this article, you may well be able to cope with the task at hand. We offer you a short instruction on this topic below.

The thickness of the door frame made of wood is on average 5 cm - it is this distance, coupled with the size of the canvas, that is the full dimensions. All instructions for measuring the opening for installing a door boils down to adding along its perimeter the size of the mounting gap, which should be within 3-6 cm.

It is then sealed with polyurethane foam. Deviations of a couple of millimeters are not critical, but it is better if they are in the big direction.

Note! Maybe not everyone knows that in the door marking, in decimeters, the size of the canvas is encrypted, taking into account the thickness of the box. If it is required, for example, to put a door of the DG 21 * 9 brand, the minimum opening should be 2.160 m in height and 0.980 m in width. This principle applies not only to doors installed in partitions, but in general to all similar structures.

Since the plasterboard partition is a frame structure, the opening in it is formed at the time of installation of the load-bearing elements. For the manufacture can be used wooden bars, but more often still, for this purpose, an aluminum profile is used: a guide, and a rack. Its dimensions are selected depending on the dimensions of the partition and the weight of the door to be installed, for example: PN75 / 40 and PS75 / 50.

First, on the floor, ceiling and walls, the perimeter of the future partition is drawn, along which, with its back to the base surface, a guide profile is mounted. Its shelves form a groove into which the vertical posts and lintels will be inserted. Before installing the lower guide, it is necessary to mark the position of the opening on the chipping line, because the profile is not attached there.
Of the vertical load-bearing elements, the first to be exposed are those that form the doorway. The distance between them, as already mentioned, should exceed the width of the door with the frame by 8-10 cm. Then, a cross member is mounted between these two posts, which will limit the height of the opening.
Cut it out of the PN profile, and mount it so that the shelves are turned towards the ceiling. Depending on the method of installing the gypsum board around the door, one or two short intermediate posts will be inserted into it, giving rigidity to the opening. For the same purpose, wooden blocks of the corresponding section are inserted into the groove of the side posts, to which the box will then be attached (see How to assemble a door frame without problems).

How the frame of the partition looks roughly can be clearly seen in the previous photo. How to properly cut a profile, use the bending method, what distance should be between the frame elements, and other necessary information, look for articles specifically devoted to this topic, as well as on request: "Preparing a video doorway".

We talk about this only in general terms, since the article is devoted to the process of aligning the opening. Although there is nothing to align in the plasterboard partitions. Usually, the thickness of the partition is made in accordance with the door frame.

If no mistakes were made during installation, all that remains is to putty the surface of the walls adjacent to the box, finish them, and close the joints with a platband.

A completely different matter is the repair of openings in the bathroom, or near the front door, which will be discussed below. In these places, there are no plasterboard partitions, but there are rather thick load-bearing walls.

The opening of the front door is often filled with one box with two canvases or several bindings. This is justified by the fact that one door, for example, can be metal, and the second wooden.

The space between them is called a plug. Considering that the thickness of the load-bearing wall can be quite impressive - say, two bricks (51 cm), then it is natural that even a double binding does not fill the opening completely. Most often, the door is placed on the outside flush with the wall, and slopes are obtained inside.

Sometimes they are sewn up with wood, or MDF, but most often they are plastered with cement plaster. In any case, after replacing the door, or in the process of overhauling the walls, when the plaster must be knocked down to the ground, the geometry of the slopes is significantly disturbed, and you have to think about how to level the opening.

So we come to the most difficult stage of wall renovation. By the way, the invited craftsmen take some money for plastering the slopes, and the price, I must say, is rather big - about 250-300 rubles per running meter.

Thus, a slope of one door measuring 2.1 * 0.9 m will cost at least 1300 rubles. Although, such work may not take too much time - it all depends on the initial state of the opening.

Try to do it yourself, especially since you can use a variety of materials at hand for work. The alignment of the side walls of the opening without a door is carried out according to the same principle as plastering rectangular columns. On the sides of the slope, adjusting the level, two long aluminum rules are fixed on both sides, pushing them beyond the surface plane by the thickness of the plaster.
The rules, in this case, serve as beacons, but in principle, you can do without them. The role of the rules is equally well performed by ordinary drywall profiles, which are mounted on self-tapping screws or dowels, with their backs to the side surface of the opening. In the same way as the rules, they need to be pushed forward by the thickness of the screed.

If there is a door in the opening, then the beacons are mounted on only one side. In the first case, the excess solution is removed with a short rule, a small, or wide spatula. If there is a door in the opening, it is necessary to make such a template from scrap materials, which is shown in the picture above.
It can be made from a piece of plywood, hardboard, drywall or even thick cardboard. The main thing is to make a recess on the template, exactly fitting the protrusion of the door frame. This will create a clear line of the plaster layer around the door. After the solution has set, but has not yet hardened, the beacons are carefully removed, and an angle is formed, trimming everything unnecessary with a spatula.
When the leveling screed, which is made with a base mixture with a coarse dispersion of components, dries, a plaster perforated corner is mounted on it. And then putty. If there is no major damage on the slopes, then a thick layer of plaster will not need to be applied.

In this case, you can do without lighthouse profiles, and immediately mount the corner. By the way, when plastering walls and slopes with specialized mixtures, you can simplify the leveling process using the same drywall. If you cut out narrow long strips and glue them to the putty along the box racks, you get a perfectly even abutment.
Aligned in level, these strips serve as beacons for the application of the leveling layer. It is not necessary to remove them, since after the starting layer has dried, the drywall strips will be hidden under the putty. The upper slope, by the way, is also more convenient to level with drywall.

Plaster mixes, especially when it is necessary to apply a thick layer, do not adhere very well to horizontal surfaces. We have to mount the mesh, apply several layers, and each time wait until they dry.

And the wall drywall itself has a minimum thickness of 12 mm, plus a thick layer of glue, which allows you to level the slope in one step.

Sometimes, during major repairs or redevelopment of apartments or houses, the owner decides to change the size of the opening. If the walls are load-bearing, such actions are preceded by obtaining a permit, if it is just a partition, then the housing commission is notified of the fact of the work performed. But now is not about that.Passages are made in different ways, the choice of which depends on the structural material of the wall. Accordingly, slopes are formed in different ways. In brick, foam concrete and asbestos-cement partitions, passages are cut. These materials are quite soft, therefore, large expenses for cutting the opening are not required.Naturally, this is done according to preliminary marking, after which alignment and finishing are performed. If the passage just needs to be widened, then it is easier to do it only on one side. Although, the layout does not always allow you to make it easier, and you have to cut the opening on both sides.Diamond cutting of openings, performed with the help of specialized wall sawing equipment, although more expensive, can solve the problem with a structure of any thickness and strength. Image - Do-it-yourself repair of the doorway of the interior door

At the same time, there is no dust, since such equipment is equipped with a dust-collecting device. Dirt, of course, happens, but from the fact that the working blade of the wall saw in the process has to be cooled with water. But, with such equipment, everything is done exactly in size, quickly, and without unnecessary noise.
Since the integrity of the structure is violated during the cutting process, and a fragment that has taken on certain loads is removed, the openings are necessarily reinforced with rolled metal. In curtain walls, the perimeter of the opening is strapped with a steel corner 40 * 40 mm and connecting plates.

In multi-layer walls - for example, frame houses, the reinforcement is carried out with a square pipe, embedded into the surface and fixed to the floor. For partitions in a half-brick, a channel of the required size is selected, mounted U-shaped on both sides, and attached to the ceiling and floor.
In general, reinforcement options may be different, and they are determined by the project, without which such work is not performed (see How doorway reinforcement is performed). Reinforcement of openings is also carried out in cases where the strength of the structural material of the wall is insufficient to withstand, for example, a steel door.

Whatever the finish of such openings, their slopes must be plastered with cement plaster. To hide the metal structures, it is necessary to apply a thick layer of mortar, and this is done necessarily on a coarse-mesh steel mesh mounted on the surfaces of the opening.

After the plaster is completely dry, the opening can be revetted with polyurethane stucco molding - and no one will guess that there are metal structures under it.

As you know, interior doors can lose their attractive appearance during operation. However, you should not immediately go to the store for a purchase, because all sorts of deformations can be easily eliminated with your own hands. It should be understood that interior doors are durable and high-quality structures, therefore, defects that appear on their surface are not able to affect the parameters.

Defects such as loosening, swelling of the interior door, the appearance of cracks can be eliminated on your own without resorting to buying a new door.

For example, the main problem that torments people is the cracks that appear between the walls and the base. Because of such unaesthetic gaps, the door leaf begins to sag. As a result, the door may not close properly. But it is worth considering that repairing interior doors with your own hands is within the power of even a novice master. Repairing defects yourself can save you a lot of time and money.

If the hinges are loose and the door starts to sag, you need to fix them with a screwdriver.

How is the restoration of doors carried out with your own hands? First, make 3 holes in the walls of the box, evenly spaced along the length of the surfaces. Please note that these holes must fit the dowels.

Fix the box with the dowels. Seal the remaining defects with polyurethane foam.

As a rule, doors cause inconvenience during sagging. But to fix the problem, you can do the following:

The hinge fastening is checked (quite often the doors sag due to the loosened hinges).
The next stage is pulling up the loops.
Quite often, a violation of the geometry of the canvas leads to sagging. In this case, you will need to return it to its previous shape: take a plane and process the harness with it.
The swollen door is treated in the same way. Sometimes it happens that the door cannot be closed due to the swelling of the canvas. As a rule, this happens through the increased humidity of the atmosphere in the house. That is why excess moisture should not get into the room.
In addition, during closing, the door can form gaps with the frame. To eliminate such an opening, fill a rail on the box. After fixing the rail, it must be processed with a plane and adjusted to fit the doors. Then painting is done.

As a rule, all people try to put wooden doors in the house.

If the door frame is skewed, it is necessary to put a wedge under the bottom of the desired side.

But it should be understood that this material is strongly influenced by the environment. It often cracks, swells, and dries up. For example, if a door is cracked, metal corners are best suited to restore it. It is not difficult to repair a cracked structure.

To better restore the doors, try to dismantle them. Remove them from their hinges and disassemble. All structural elements will need to be applied with special glue. Further, the canvas can be put in order, to mask the cracks and places where there are drying out. Clamp the glued door in the clamps and wait until it dries. After that, hang the canvas on the loops in the box.

To repair cracks and peeling places, you need to use an adhesive mixture and a press. Some heavy object can serve as a press. It will come in handy for pressing the canvas from above. And with the help of glue, various deformations and voids on the structure are perfectly filled.

If there are sufficiently deep cracks in the structure, then in this case you need to use sawdust and varnish. Sawdust is a material for masking such defects.An interior door can serve for a very long time without restoration. To do this, you just need to take proper care of her. Any detachment can be easily prevented. You should be aware that such deformations in wood grow rapidly over time. Therefore, the sooner you find and fix small cracks, the more likely they will not damage the structure.Installation diagram of the door frame in the opening.Of course, if the doors are old, then it is more profitable to buy new ones than to restore them.Remove the fabric from the hinges first. Removing the old door block is carried out using a pry bar.Next, consider installing a new door. It is best to purchase assembled products. In this case, you do not need to do additional work.It is necessary to install the hinges so that the distance from the bottom and top is about 20 cm. Installation of the lock can be done with drills and chisels. Try to place the lock 1 m from the floor.Remember to install the box level. After completing the work, be sure to seal the openings between the wall and the box. Fixing the platbands is possible only after the foam has completely dried.To install the door, use chisels, drills, dowels and screws, a water level, foam, wedges, and a pry bar.