Interior doors serve not only to divide the living space into separate zones, they are a significant part of the interior of the room. They are selected taking into account the general style of the apartment, because they perform not only a practical, but also an aesthetic function. This is an important element of decor, which is visible at first glance at the interior, so when choosing products, you need to carefully consider their design, colors, suitable material.
Pros of self-installation
Interior doors serve for many years, they are not changed along with new wallpaper, so you need to choose a quality product, as well as install them correctly. You can, of course, use the services of a professional installer, especially if you are not constrained by funds. However, now goods are often purchased through online stores, and carpenters who agree to come to the client only to assemble and install interiordoors, not so much. Everyone wants to take on their own production. In order not to face the problems of finding unfamiliar craftsmen, you can do this work yourself, especially if there is a man in the house with basic skills in working with tools.
In the article, we will consider in detail the stages of assembly and installation of interior doors, we will advise which products for interior spaces are best to choose. The modern market offers customers a huge range of models. It is difficult for a person who does not understand the intricacies of carpentry to purchase a quality product, because even a cardboard Chinese door can be externally brought into perfect condition, but it will be short-lived. Before talking about the assembly and installation of interior doors, consider their types.
Varieties of models
The most common materials for the manufacture of interior doors are fiberboard, MDF and natural wood. Let's start the description with the cheapest options for budget repairs.
- Fibreboard doors are lightweight and relatively low cost. The fact is that only the frame of the product is made of wood, and inexpensive, coniferous species - spruce or pine. It is sheathed with laminated sheets of fiberboard. Such a lightweight door can be delivered home on your own and is easy to install. However, this type of interior doors is short-lived, exposed to moisture, can be deformed from this and subsequently sag or close poorly. Such doors can only be installed in dry rooms. They are not suitable for the bathroom and toilet.
- MDF doors are stronger and more durable, they are less susceptible to moisture and have excellent sound insulation. These doors are heavy and cost much more than the previous version.
Doors made of natural wood are valued the most. This is an eco-friendly material that can be used in apartments with a wide variety of designs. The price of the product directly depends on the type of wood. There are very expensive hardwoods - oak, ash. Cherry and walnut doors look especially beautiful. The wood of fruit trees, firstly, is rare, and secondly, it has an unusual color and interesting pattern
There are also doors with glass inserts, but this is not critical for assembling and installing interior doors with your own hands. Consider also an important part of such products - the door frame.
Types of door frames
The appearance of the doors is important for the harmonious unification of the space of the apartment. The platbands should smoothly connect the door to the plinth or adjacent staircase, so choose the material and color scheme of the finishing material in accordance with other elements of the apartment. The base on which the door itself is suspended must be strong and reliable.
Let's consider 3 main types of door frames:
- Fibreboard box outwardly may appeal to many housewives, however, fragile paper and glue strips, as you understand, cannot be durable. Thin and fragilestrips of fiberboard are not able to hold doors made of wood or MDF. The box can sag and sag under their weight.
- Box made of raw wood on top. Such a product is reliable and strong, it can be painted in any color or varnished, cut to the size of the doorway, without fear of spoiling the appearance. This is a bargain if painting work will be done separately.
- Laminated wood door frame. This is a reliable and strong option, however, the quality of the product largely depends on the thickness of the laminating paper. If it is thin, scratches and cracks will soon appear, which will affect the appearance of the product.
Boxes with a standard width of 100 mm are usually sold on sale, so if your doorway is larger, you will have to buy extensions - strips with grooves to increase the width, but their cost is high and this is unprofitable. The thickness of standard boxes is small, only 25 mm, which is also bad for quality when assembling and installing interior doors with your own hands. In addition to the door and frame, you will need trim for final decoration.
Tools for the job
To dismantle the old door and install a new one, you need to have the following set of tools:
- Puncher with concrete drill bits 4 or 6 mm in diameter;
- roulette;
- building level;
- screwdriver;
- screws;
- chisel;
- electric jigsaw or saw;
- dowels for quick installation;
- mount;
- pliers;
- electric router ordrill;
- hammer;
- mounting foam.
For convenience, prepare a few wooden wedges that will hold the box in position until it is finally installed. It is not difficult to put the interior door in place on your own, but the first thing to do is to dismantle the old one. This is a dusty and messy job, so keep everything away from the crash site to avoid damaging furniture nearby.
Dismantling the old door
First remove the door from its hinges. If it is not too ancient, then it will be enough to open it and, moving it towards yourself and away from you, lift it up with force. If the material is old and the hinges are still Soviet, painted a hundred times, then dismantling will have to be done using a metal mount.
To do this, insert it into the gap between the door and the floor and push it up with all your might, as shown in the photo above. When you got rid of the door itself, start dismantling the trim. They are also the easiest to tear off with a mount. The most difficult step is to remove the old box. Previously, it was installed on a cement mortar, so you have to tinker. It is most convenient to make several cuts with a saw and knock out the pieces with a hammer. Both a pry bar and pliers will come in handy to tear the wood off the concrete. But, as everyone knows, breaking is not building, so it’s easy to deal with dismantling. It takes brute strength.
One can only give useful advice to people who want to assemble and install interior doors on their own - it is advisable to immediately remove the old box,to measure the width and height of the opening. This will help to choose the right size of the door frame so that the gaps remain minimal. A good fit of the box in place will make installation much easier and you won't have to use additional materials to reduce the gaps.
Assembly steps
To act clearly according to plan and not miss anything, you need to know the order of work:
- Assembling the interior door frame on a flat surface.
- Trying on the door leaf in the prone position.
- Installing hinges and handles.
- Installing the box in the doorway and wedging under the level.
- Adjust door jambs in place.
- Filling gaps with polyurethane foam.
- Attaching trims.
Interior door frame assembly
Now door manufacturers deliver goods to the buyer in packaged and disassembled form. You will have to assemble the box yourself at home. To do this, free up space on the floor. Screw the top bar to the sidewalls with screws using the building level. Next, be sure to lay the door inside. The gap between the door leaf and the frame should not exceed 5 mm. Before installing interior door frames in a wall opening, you need to attach hinges and embed a lock or just a handle.
Attach loops
Previously, they always put two hinges on the door, now it is customary to install three pieces. Marking must be done from top to bottom, making marks every 250 mm. Then loops are applied and circled with a simple pencil around the entire perimeter. Alldimensions are transferred in the same order to the door frame.
The second stage of this process is the edging of the groove. It is punched along the contours with a hammer and a flat chisel. The depth of the groove should not exceed 3 mm. When clear lines are punched around the entire perimeter of the loop, wood is sampled from the groove. This is scrupulous work, act with a chisel at an angle. Hammer knock on the handle and cut down chip after chip. Take your time, work carefully so as not to damage the front of the door.
It remains only to attach the hinges to both the door leaf and the box with a screwdriver for several screws. Check the tightness of closing and opening of the door.
Recently, many hinges have been released that do not require so much effort to install. These are hidden and screw hinges, as well as trunnion hinges that hold the doors on the rod from above and below. They are not visible at all, but their cost is far from budgetary.
Put the lock
One of the important steps in assembling an interior door with your own hands is the insertion of a lock or handle. 900 or 1000 mm are measured from the lower corner of the door leaf. This is the optimal height for placing the handle, which will suit all family members. After attaching the lock to the side of the canvas, make the remaining appropriate marks.
The lock is applied to the end of the door and the required length of the hole is marked, adding a couple of mm for the lock to freely enter the groove. Put a pencil mark in the center whereand a drill will be placed. If the instructions for the lock have dimensions, then you can use them. A hole for the lock is drilled with a drill, a fitting is made and screwed with screws. The handles can be installed at the end so as not to scratch them when further installing the interior door frame.
How to put up the box
The door frame is inserted into the opening and first set the level of the vertical on which the hinges are attached, fix it with wedges on both sides. If necessary, cut off excess length so that the gap between the floor and the bottom of the canvas is no more than 10 mm.
Put the door on the hinges and check the gaps so that they are all the same. The door should open and close freely. To prevent the mounting foam from staining the box, cover it with masking tape.
Fixing box bumps
There are several options for the need to use a puncher and strengthen the box with dowels. It happens that a box that arrived disassembled has wood deformations. Wood is a natural material that can dry out over time and lose its surface evenness. You can align the box with a strong twist on the dowels with long screws into the wall. To do this, you need to make a couple of holes with a puncher and insert dowels. Level the box and screw it firmly into place.
Some craftsmen still use cement mortar when assembling the box and installinginterior doors. In this case, use a drill and long screws. Wooden dowels can be hammered into the wall.
Use mounting foam
When the door is level and all gaps are checked, you can fill the voids between the box and the wall with mounting foam. Blow out, starting from the top. Use the can carefully so that the foam does not fall out. It dries up within a day. After complete solidification with a knife, cut off the growths formed after the swelling of the mixture.
Remove the wedges and install the handles on the door. It remains only to attach the platbands.
Cutting trims
The first step is to make accurate measurements by placing the stand-up parts against the wall. The joints are cut at an angle of 45°. For precision sawing use a miter box. Repeat the procedure on the other platband. Next comes the docking with the top bar, on which you need to cut off two edges. So that the door opens freely and does not cling to the platbands, they are installed with a slight indent from the canvas.
They are nailed to the box with bare nails with an ordinary hammer.
In the article, we reviewed step-by-step instructions for assembling interior doors with our own hands. Now you can easily do the work yourself. Good luck!
