Panels for door slopes. Step-by-step instructions on how to make door slopes from MDF panels with your own hands. Important nuances: covering slopes with MDF panels

When decorating an interior, it is impossible to achieve a complete look without an aesthetic doorway. When decorating doorways, one of the important conditions is the creation of smooth and neat slopes. And here slopes for entrance doors from . They do their job perfectly and, moreover, hide the fasteners perfectly. With their help you can emphasize the beauty of the door.

Recently, MDF panels have become increasingly popular. The material is of sufficient quality and can be matched to any interior. There is a huge variety of types and colors of MDF panels that can satisfy even the most demanding buyer. High-quality imitation wood looks like an expensive species.

General information

Advantages and disadvantages of MDF

Installing a doorway is a rather labor-intensive process in which accuracy is important. However, this work can be done with your own hands.

The following advantages of this material are highlighted:

Unfortunately, there are disadvantages here too. Firstly, this is not resistant to strong mechanical impact, but it is quite resistant to moderate impact. Once damaged, the panel cannot be repaired. Also, the material is not able to withstand high humidity.

DIY slope installation

Any work begins with preparation. It is necessary to remove all contaminants from the surface to be finished, eliminate and repair all chips and cracks in the walls. If there is such a need, install waterproofing.

MDF panels come in two types: L-shaped finishing and wall.

Nuances of marking and sawing MDF

In order to most accurately mark the required fragments, it is better to use a square and patterns in addition to a tape measure. You need to start with the top panels. Basically, slopes have uneven edges at a slight angle. This needs to be displayed on MDF. After installing the first panel, apply the following elements. Marking and cutting are carried out during the installation process.

MDF is cut with a hacksaw, saw or jigsaw. The last one produces the most ideal cut without any burrs or chips.

Important: When installing side elements, do not forget about the presence of a threshold, since this will affect the height of the side bar.

Installation

Installationslopes can be produced using the following methods:

• gluing;
• frame device.

Since MDF is a sheet material, it is easy to mark elements on it. There are times when for installation you need to join two panels on the wall. Here you can use the frame installation method. But if the installation can be done with solid elements, then it is quite possible to get by with the adhesive method.

How to mount the frame

When constructing the frame, it is used from wood, which at the same time serves as a support. According to the technology, it will be necessary to install the slats on the wall in a horizontal position in increments of thirty centimeters, and attach them with dowels. The voids between them are filled with thermal insulation or construction foam.

Important: The integrity of the entire panel will depend on the accuracy and high-quality filling of voids.

Gluing method

The adhesive method is used mainly when the wall surface is perfectly flat and the laying seam is minimal in width. Also, when gluing panels, it is not always possible to use insulating material.

Important: When gluing MDF panels, all existing cracks and seams must be carefully sealed, and the surface treated with a special primer.

Using a level, beacons are installed in all directions, for which a solution is first applied. It is applied to the slopes and leveled along the beacons with a spatula. The solution is left for two days until completely dry.

The adhesive composition is applied to the inside of the parts, which are then applied to the wall.

Gluing of MDF elements should be done with special adhesives. This way you will be sure of reliable adhesion of surfaces and strong adhesion of materials. This will also eliminate the possibility of elements falling off in cases of mechanical stress and temperature fluctuations.

Conclusion

To finish a door using MDF panels, you need to choose the right panels in style and color. It is important to take into account the interior of the rooms that are in contact with this doorway.

It is necessary to achieve harmony between the door leaf and the opening, as well as their integrity. You need to try so that the heads of the screws do not protrude. They must be covered with special covers.

MDF panels, due to their combination of many advantages, variety of colors and stylistic solutions, and low cost, are considered the best solution for decorating door slopes.

In order to install a door yourself, you need to have some experience and knowledge in this matter. In this case, the MDF slopes of the entrance door are part of the space, and quite an important one at that. Installation of slopes, which are often made of MDF, occurs at the final stage of installing the door itself.

The function of MDF slopes in this case is, firstly, to improve the appearance of the structure, and secondly, to insulate the room. The installation method may be different, but it is necessary to take into account the material from which the door leaf itself is made, since the protective properties of the door and other equally important characteristics depend on this. When installing a door, you need to consider the following rules:

• to ensure free opening of the door, installation of slopes must be done at the bottom of the frame (20 mm);
• slopes on the front door should be placed at different distances;
• To install the door correctly, it is necessary to take the correct measurements.

Facing can be carried out in various ways. The standard method includes attaching a ready-made slope directly to the box itself. In this case, there is a great saving of time, since it is not necessary to make the slopes for the entrance doors themselves.

There is a finishing option using plasterboard or plaster. This method is considered no less popular, however, not everyone can carry out such finishing, since this requires some knowledge in the construction field.

In order to decide on the method, you need to know the type of box installed. If door slopes are installed on an interior structure, insulation is not required in this case. Here, the best option would be cladding with decorative materials.

As for entrance doors, they require more careful and attentive work. Here, the best option would be MDF panels (fibreboard). Their popularity is quite high, since this material is not affected by temperature and dampness. The color of the panels in this case is selected in accordance with the color of the door itself. High-quality finishing includes the combined use of MDF with plaster.

Tools and materials for work

Before you start work, you need to make sure you have all the tools. To install entrance door slopes using a combined method, you will need:

• foam used to seal joints;
• primer, cement, putty, sand;
• dowels;
• mortar;
• profile used in construction;
• liquid Nails.

Manufacturing instructions

This method requires special attention, so you must follow all instructions exactly. It would be useful to watch a video on the topic: “How to make slopes.” Once the door has been installed, cracks may appear along the edges. In this case, in order to seal such gaps between the wall and the frame, special foam (mounting foam) is used. After using it, you need to wait for some time for it to harden, cut off the excess and level the surface.

Next comes surface treatment in those places where the joints will be located. The first step is to apply a primer, which will strengthen the material and improve its protective properties. The evenness of the surface can be ensured by plastering using a profile. As for the corners, they are attached to the corner using dowels.

You can start plastering, but first you need to prepare the appropriate solution. It is easy to prepare, just mix sand, cement and lime solution. In some cases, it can be replaced with putty, which is used for cladding facades. It must be applied in an even, fairly thick layer, removing excess with a wooden lath.

The corners are strengthened using a perforated profile laid in a layer of plaster. The next layer should be applied after the previous one has dried. Once the puttying process has been completed, the MDF panels can be installed. Do-it-yourself finishing of entrance door slopes with MDF panels includes the following steps:

1. Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare the base for the slopes for the front door. The appropriate solution is placed on the surface, after which it needs to dry. A primer layer is applied.
2. MDF cutting. It is done to obtain three separate parts for the upper part of the structure and the sides.
3. Glue is applied to the upper part of the opening and the MDF panel is pressed. It must be pressed and held until the mass dries. Other parts of the slope are made in the same way. For a tighter fixation, as recommended by the builders, you can use spacers.
4. The space created during the work process is covered with small plastic.
5. The next step is measuring the angles of the opening. To prevent cracks from appearing, before installation, you need to apply the material and see how tightly it fits. Then we attach the panel parts to the corners. It must be taken into account that the corners account for half the opening angle.
6. The final stage is decoration. For this, the same material from which the door itself is made is used.

Thus, observing all the nuances and following the instructions, it will not be difficult to carry out the work efficiently, and if you still have any questions, you can watch the corresponding video.

Personally, I became acquainted with MDF panels a long time ago, back in the days when only “initiates” knew the decoding of this abbreviation. Since then, more than one renovation has been made, and this material has never disappointed.

And even when it came to finishing the slopes of the entrance door, the first thought was about MDF panels.

Why MDF

There are three main criteria by which finishing materials are selected, and this applies not only to door slopes, but to all repairs in general.

1. Price-quality ratio.
2. Convenience and ease of installation.
3. External aesthetics.

MDF panels meet all of the listed qualities, which makes them popular among specialists and customers.

Pros of MDF

• The relatively low cost of not only the panels themselves, but also the entire repair of the slopes, taking into account all the components.
• Easy installation, which can be done in two ways, which will be discussed below.
• Aesthetic appearance. MDF panels are produced with imitation of natural wood of various species. The color scheme is so varied that it can be matched to any room design.
• The dense structure of the material creates additional heat and noise insulation, which is especially important for finishing the slopes of the front door, where cold zones are traditionally located.
• Completely environmentally friendly. The basis of MDF is wood chips, which are completely harmless to health, just like the polymers that are used in the panels.

But you shouldn’t immediately run to the store and buy MDF panels to renovate your entire apartment, like any other material, they have a number of their own disadvantages.

Cons of MDF

• Very low resistance to mechanical damage. Any sharp or hard object leaves scratches on the panel that cannot be repaired or restored.
• Just one scratch can lead to the rework of all slopes.
• MDF does not like large amounts of water, and if such panels can withstand wet cleaning without problems, then thorough washing will lead to their destruction.

As you can see, the ratio of quality characteristics is almost the same, so MDF door slopes are everyone’s choice, but in defense of this material, I would like to say that there are no ideal materials, and everyone has their own list of disadvantages, which is often much longer than the list of advantages.

The issue with the choice has been resolved, which means we need to figure out how to make high-quality slopes that will not look “like a saddle on a cow”

Method one

Installation on the lath. For this we need:

• Drill and screwdriver.
• Self-tapping screws and dowels.
• Wooden beam.
• Tape measure and pencil.
• A sharp knife or jigsaw.
• MDF panels and decorative components in the form of corners matching the color.
• Primer for walls and impregnation for wooden beams.

First, we prepare the walls and bars, treating them with impregnations and primer, respectively. Of course, this stage can be skipped, but there is a possibility that moisture, hated by builders, will begin to accumulate under the slopes, which will eventually eat the wood and the panels themselves.

Advice! Before buying a block, you need to measure the distance from the door frame to the wall. From this size you need to subtract 7 mm, this will be the required thickness of the bar. With this installation, the “tenon” of the panel can be placed behind the box, it will look good and there is no need to glue it, an additional corner is needed.

On each slope, two bars are enough. They are attached to dowels directly to the wall in increments of about 50 cm. The first beam is adjacent to the door frame, and the second is installed flush with the corner of the wall. The space between the guides can be additionally insulated or filled with foam.

In order to make slopes, you may have to cut the panel lengthwise, the main thing is that it is not narrower than the slope.

The MDF is sawn off to height and attached to the guide bars using self-tapping screws with countersunk heads, which will “sink” into the panel and then be covered with a decorative corner.

Interesting! The second block, flush with the wall, may be thinner than the first. In this case, the panel will go at an angle and create a visual expansion of the opening.

Method two

Method two

Installation of panels on the finished surface. Making such slopes is somewhat more difficult, but since cold zones most often form in the area of ​​the front door, this method additionally insulates and insulates the wall.

For such finishing of slopes, you will need a more extensive set of tools and materials, as well as a certain skill in plastering.

Tool

1. Rule.
2. Spatula or trowel.
3. Gun for liquid nails.

Materials

1. Plaster mixture.
2. Liquid Nails.
3. Lighthouses, two per slope.
4. MDF panels and decorative corners.

Installation

As in the first option, we first prime the wall; this will never be superfluous. Next, we install beacons along which the coating will be leveled. This can be done using liquid nails or alabaster solution.

We cover the space between the beacons and the beacons themselves with a solution of plaster mixture, and remove the excess using the rule to create a flat surface.

Important! The layer of plaster should be approximately 7 mm less than the frame of the front door. This will allow the panel to be installed flush with the frame.

Read in 8 minutes.

Installing slopes is an important stage in installing the front door. If they are not installed, gaps may remain between the door and the opening, through which frost will penetrate into the house and heat will escape outside. And the entrance group will not look aesthetically pleasing.

Methods for finishing slopes

You can trim slopes in different ways:

• Cement and carefully putty;
• Install slopes from a sandwich panel. This is an inexpensive type of finishing. But sandwich panels are fragile and short-lived.
• Install MDF slopes. This is a more expensive and at the same time reliable method of finishing. MDF slopes are more durable. In addition, they can be matched to the color of the door. Torex produces slopes that fully match the selected door model in color and texture.

You can perform any of these options either independently or with the help of professionals. You can order the installation of MDF slopes from a certified Torex team. In this case, we guarantee high quality of work performed. Since installing MDF slopes is the most complex and time-consuming, you need to know a number of nuances. If you decide to do this yourself, use our instructions.

What will be needed to install slopes?

To install MDF slopes you will need the following tools:

• 1 – miter saw;
• 2 – roulette;
• 3 – pencil;
• 4 – angle;
• 5 – knife;
• 6 – hammer;
• 7 – masking tape;
• 8 – fastening elements;
• 9 – screwdriver;
• 10 – polyurethane foam;
• 11 – drill.

Stage 1. Control measurement of the opening after door installation

We make accurate measurements of the actual dimensions after installing the door - even if we know the exact factory dimensions. It is necessary to measure the width, height of the vertical and length of the horizontal extension.

Door trims are decorative strips that cover the walls of the doorway. They are installed if the opening is wider than the door frame. Most often, MDF panels are used for this.

It is necessary to measure at three points vertically on each side and at two points horizontally (from above).

The additional element must be adjacent to the door frame, so we measure the length along the width of the door.

Stage 2. Setting aside and marking the required dimensions of the extensions

After we have measured the required dimensions of the additions, we set them aside on the blanks of the additional elements. We make preliminary markings directly on the panel.

Using masking tape, mark future cutting lines.

On one blank for additional elements, you can put two parts - the threshold and the upper part of the additional elements.

In the same way, we set aside the dimensions of the second part, make preliminary markings on the workpiece and glue it with masking tape.

We re-mark the length of the extension directly on the masking tape.

If you do not glue the edge of the additional element with masking tape, chips may appear on it during sawing.

Once again we check the correctness of the markings.

Use a miter angle to mark a cutting line perpendicular to the edge of the panel.

Stage 3. Trimming the extensions to the required sizes

Using a miter saw, we cut the blanks for additional elements exactly along the marks.

We saw off the first and then the second horizontal parts of the extension.

We repeat the procedure for the vertical parts.

Stage 4. Assembling the accessory box

Before installation, we assemble the extensions into a solid, rigid box.

Using a drill, we drill holes for self-tapping screws - for fastening from the inside. This is a mandatory step so that when screwing in the screw does not split the MDF panel.

We make several holes at a distance of 10–15 cm from each other.

Stage 5. Installation of the extension box

We install the extension box in the opening. We set it relative to the door so that the gaps between the door and the frame are the same on all sides.

Spacer elements are needed to fix the extension box in the opening. We cut them out of a wooden block. The thickness of the spacer element is selected according to the size of the gap.

A total of 10–12 spacer elements are required. 3-4 pieces for each vertical extension. Top and bottom – 2 pieces each.

Since in the future we will need to install platbands and close the gap, it is important that the spacer element does not protrude beyond the trim and the wall.

In the same way we hammer in all the spacer elements.

Stage 6. Installation of platbands

We attach the trim and mark the required length. The size is set according to the angle of the internal intersection of the horizontal and vertical extensions.

Similarly, we set aside the length of the second casher.

We mark the length along the inner corner of the extensions.

We cut the trim using a miter saw at an angle of 45 degrees.

Polyurethane foam is used to fix the extension box. Gives the structure rigidity and additional sound and heat insulation.

It is important not to overdo it with the volume of foam, so as not to deform the extension.

At the same time, if there is too little foam, the opening will be leaky and not rigid enough.

To remove excess foam, you need to wait for it to cool and cut it off with a knife.

Try to avoid getting polyurethane foam on the boards, walls and flooring.

First we install vertical extensions, then horizontal ones.

We attach the casing to the trim using decorative nails.

To install the trim you will need about 20 decorative nails. They are clogged at a distance of 20–30 cm from each other.

On average, each vertical trim will require 7 decorative nails, and each horizontal trim will require 3–4.

We measure the size of the horizontal platband.

Starting from the larger size, we cut at 45 degrees to reduce it.

The horizontal casing is fixed to the extension box and the vertical casing.

We press the structure against the door frame and fix it with masking tape until the mounting foam hardens - for 1-2 hours. The exact time depends on the drying time of the foam, which can be found on the packaging.

After this, you can remove the masking tape. Your front door is ready!

Installation of slopes: video

If you have never installed doors and slopes before, we recommend contacting the Torex installation team, who will complete the installation as quickly and efficiently as possible. The results of our professionals' work are guaranteed.