Installation 

Upholster the door with leather with your own hands. Do-it-yourself insulation and upholstery of entrance wooden doors How to fit a wooden door with dermantine

03.09.2016 37767

The front door not only protects the house from burglary, but also keeps it cozy and warm. Upholstery front door will help increase its functionality, and in some cases even avoid replacement (if there are only cosmetic defects).

The modern construction market offers a lot of variations of upholstery materials of different prices: leatherette, vinyl leather, genuine leather, special fabric. The choice depends not only on the budget, but also on the type of door leaf, its quality, and the preferences of the owner.

Benefits of front door upholstery

  1. Increasing the level of sound insulation, moisture resistance.
  2. Improves an esthetic look, does imperceptible defects.
  3. Keeps the heat in the room.
  4. Protects steel sheet from corrosion, and wood from the effects of temperature changes.

But it is also important to take into account that the upholstery is sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and is practically unsuitable for restoration after mechanical damage.

How to upholster a wooden door

Upholstery will extend the life of the wood, prevent it from drying out. In the process of work, materials such as:

  • dermantin;
  • vinyl leather ( , beautiful appearance);
  • felt;
  • plastic-foam;
  • bologna fabric

When choosing a material, take into account in which direction. The way of working with sealing rollers and fixing the upholstery boards depends on this:

  • opens outward (the rollers are fixed to the ends of the door frame);
  • opens inwards (rollers are attached to the door frame).

To make the upholstery process quick and convenient, the master needs to prepare in advance: material, insulation (batting, synthetic winterizer, isolon, foam rubber at least 2 cm thick), repair tools (special nails, tape measure, scissors, hammer, screwdriver, stapler). For 1 m² of area, you will need 50 g of construction nails and 75 g of decorative ones.

Upholstery kit soundproofing, but also additionally insulate the room.

Upholstery: work algorithm

  1. Measuring the door leaf, preparing it and segments to mask the edges. Measurements are taken with a tape measure. To create blanks from the material, two strips are cut equal to the width of the door and one equal to the length. The width in both versions is 14 cm. Then the canvas is cut along the perimeter 10 cm larger than the measurements of the door. It must be removed from the hinges and the fittings dismantled.
  2. Removal of old material, surface cleaning (with special washes, spatula).
  3. A heater is placed on the door leaf, the upholstery material is fixed with decorative nails, a special band for the edges. First, the side segments are fixed with nails with an edge (wrong side out). The lower part is nailed no less than 2 cm from the edge so that the material does not rub off too quickly. Each step of the sheathing of the canvas is 10 cm.
  4. In order to provide additional noise and heat insulation, in addition to standard upholstery, it is recommended to install a sealing roller around the perimeter of the box, an additional layer of foam rubber, synthetic winterizer on both sides. Sealing rollers are placed on the side segments of the material, the edges are tightly wrapped inside. On the edge of the fold they come with decorative nails. If the product opens inward, the rollers are attached to the ends of the door frame.
  5. They make holes for locks, eyes, bend the edges and fasten them with nails.
  6. The product is hung on loops.

The upholstery is stretched so that there are no folds or wrinkles. To do this, the material is fixed with a nail, first from above, then from below, carefully straightening, and only then the side part is fixed.

For decorative design, a silk cord, wire is used, special nails are stuffed in the form of a pattern.

If plastic (fabric) is used, then another technology is used. The main tool in the process of upholstery with this material is rectangular profile strips with a special slot. A decorative baguette frame is inserted into it and its coals are sawn off at 45 °. The frame is fixed with nails (indentation 7-10 cm), insulation is placed and covered with plastic, which is fixed with nails at a step of 4 mm.

Metal front door upholstery: process specifics

The upholstery is made using laminated fiberboard (for interior decoration), vinyl leather, leatherette.

For work you will need:

  • upholstery;
  • plywood;
  • stapler, scissors;
  • insulation (the thickness should be 10 cm more than that of the door leaf);
  • plywood;
  • liquid Nails.

Sequence of steps

  1. First you need to remove the fittings, for convenience, the door leaf is placed horizontally on a hard, flat surface.
  2. Plywood blanks are attached to the surface using epoxy glue. Complete drying is expected for at least a day.
  3. To prepare the fasteners for the sealing rollers, first cut blanks (10 cm wide and length according to the door parameters) from the selected material. They are folded in half, fixed with nails or a stapler at a step of 10-15 cm.
  4. To upholster the door and prevent heat loss, foam rubber is placed on the canvas, 2 layers of batting (attached with liquid nails).
  5. The upholstery material is cut with a margin of 3 cm on each side, fixed above the insulation, first from above, and then from below with furniture nails.
  6. Fix the edges of the sealing roller filled with batting.

Upholstery without interior trim requires additional manipulation. The workpiece is cut out from a solid fiberboard, holes are made for the peephole, a lock and placed on the insulation blocks. The panel is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.

The upholstery is economically beneficial and in terms of the functionality of the door (the material will last a long period of time, save the room from noise and cold, beautifully decorate the canvas).

If the product is one-piece, and the sheets of the inner and outer skin are welded to the frame, then the foam rubber is fixed on the sheet of the inner skin. A frame of slats is attached to it with screws, between which foam rubber or batting is placed, covered with a fiberboard panel. It should be borne in mind that with this upholstery method, the thickness of the fabric will increase significantly.

Dermantin is recommended primarily to those who want to increase the level of heat in the house, to ensure good sound insulation. It is better to use its modern analogue - vinyl leather. It has properties that are useful in terms of functionality and care: it is not afraid of frost, practically does not fade, has an elastic and at the same time strong texture, and high wear resistance. There are many models on the market and color solutions this upholstery material. But the owner must also remember about the shortcomings: sensitivity to mechanical damage, temperature changes.

Door upholstery cost

Replacing the upholstery of a metal door costs about 1500 rubles. for one side, wooden - about the same. The material is paid and purchased separately. The cost of working with doors of a non-standard size (not in the format of 200 by 80 cm) must be specified individually. Finishing with laminated panels is estimated at an order of magnitude more expensive - 4500 rubles.

The price largely depends on the materials used, the range of additional work, adjusting the locks, adjusting the doors). For example, the average cost of a standard set: dark-colored leatherette, synthetic winterizer or foam rubber, decorative nails, glue is 1000 rubles, and the departure of the master is 500-800 rubles. On average, he spends 2-4 hours at work. But on sale there are ready-made kits for upholstery of entrance doors with your own hands from 200 rubles. Upholstery of doors with leather will not only decorate them, but also allow you to keep the room warm and quiet.

It is important to remember that upholstery of entrance doors with leatherette, for example, in most firms, provides only for fixing the material itself. And the installation of a sealing, decorative roller, insulation with an additional layer of foam rubber, batting, isolon, vibration isolation must be paid separately (from 200 to 1500 rubles, depending on the type of work, materials used).

In addition, they require a fee for the preliminary departure of the master to measure and select the material, dismantle the old coating, install and remove locks. It is much more profitable to change the upholstery of the front door on your own, especially since this process is not very complicated.

Underwater rocks

  1. When pulling the material, you need to carefully monitor that it is fixed correctly, without wrinkles and folds. If there is no experience in this kind of work, you can spoil the material or carry out this stage of poor quality.
  2. It is not necessary to insulate with materials popular among the people (paper, felt). They do not retain heat well and contribute to the appearance of pests.
  3. Cutouts under the eye, the lock should be smaller than the fittings.
  4. When working with the upholstery of a metal product, it is important to ensure that the material of the inner and outer upholstery does not overlap at the gluing points. Otherwise, the fastener will be of poor quality.
  5. It is better not to use rubber gaskets for sealing joints, this will interfere with the quality closing of the door.

Upholstering the front door is much cheaper and easier than replacing it, and the alternative in the form of installing decorative MFD panels is not cheap (about 3500 without a specialist leaving for measurement). Another plus of this design is warming and positive changes in the interior.

Do-it-yourself upholstery of doors will save money and be sure of the quality of the work performed.

When you start talking about upholstery of front doors with leatherette (it’s more correct to say leatherette, but this is the case when erroneous spelling and pronunciation prevailed over the correct one), then in response you can hear that this is a solution from the last century, the material is ugly and impractical. But only those who do not know that manufacturers can say this building materials developed and introduced to the market a whole line of dermantine fabrics with a beautiful texture under the skin of various color shades.

As a result, new upholstery materials are gaining more and more popularity every year - do-it-yourself upholstery of doors with dermantine has become fashionable again. This is due to the beautiful appearance of the doors, wear resistance and low cost of materials.

General description of new leatherette fabrics

The classic definition of leatherette says that it is a roll material based on a woven fabric made of cotton thread, on the surface of which a layer of colored nitrocellulose is applied. Material manufacturers took into account the previous shortcomings and decided to replace the woven base with a porous film of polyvinyl chloride.

The surface was coated with polyester, polyurethane or a mixture of leather fibers with latex chips. In the first two cases, new leatherettes were called eco-leather, and in the last version, using a mixture, they were called recycled leather.

As a result, practically new materials were obtained, which differ in:

  • elasticity;
  • wear resistance;
  • breathability;
  • strength;
  • affordable cost.

Tactile sensations are almost impossible to distinguish synthetic materials from well-made genuine leather. But the main aesthetic advantage of the new leatherettes lies in the possibility of dyeing in any color and creating a beautiful surface texture. The price of the canvas depends on the constituent components and ranges from 500 to 1500 rubles / m 2.

Pros and cons of dermantin

Consumer properties of new roll materials for fitting entrance doors and other household purposes, in a number of indicators they even surpass natural leather. Among them, experts include:

  • affordability for most consumers;
  • resistance to moisture, microorganisms and decay;
  • very high tensile and tensile strength;
  • wear resistance and durability;
  • operation in the temperature range from -40°C to +60°C;
  • service life - at least 20 years;
  • high heat and sound insulation qualities;
  • immunity to solar ultraviolet;
  • a wide variety of textures with a wide range of colors;
  • easy care and the possibility of using chemically active detergents.

There are only two drawbacks, but they are quite significant:

  • impossibility of repair in case of mechanical damage or a cut - a complete constriction of the entire coating will be required;
  • all types of new leatherettes are capable of sustaining fire and belong to the G2 combustibility group.

These disadvantages are not critical and, given the large number of advantages, can be considered insignificant.

Materials and tools for door upholstery with dermantine

If you strictly follow the order of work, prepare the entire essential tool and use quality materials, then any man can properly upholster the door with dermantin on his own. For upholstery you will need the following:

  • rolled leatherette;
  • insulation in the form of thin sheet foam rubber or isolon;
  • decorative nails for wooden doors, and self-tapping screws for metal doors;

  • polymer glue and brush for one-time use;
  • thin braided brass wire or decorative polymer cord;
  • tape measure, ruler and pencil;
  • a hammer;
  • furniture stapler;
  • sharp knife and scissors.

For metal upholstery, you will need a screwdriver, without which it is impossible to tighten the screws.

Door upholstery instructions

The full scope of work on sheathing the front door with dermantine includes the following steps:

  • preparatory activities;
  • production and fastening of the roller;
  • upholstery surface;
  • decoration;
  • finishing work.

The total duration, even for a non-professional, usually does not exceed 8 hours.

Preparatory stage

Before upholstering the door with dermantin, perform preparatory work, which include:

  1. dismantling of locks, handles and peephole;
  2. removing the door leaf from the hinges, laying it on the stand;
  3. revision inspection of the condition of the box and repair if necessary;
  4. removal of old upholstery, if any;
  5. inspection of the door for its integrity and checking the geometry;
  6. cleaning and degreasing the door leaf on both sides;
  7. painting or coating with a protective composition;
  8. cutting insulation according to the size of the door;
  9. cutting leatherette with an overlap of 100-150 mm;
  10. development of a patterned decor scheme;
  11. laying leatherette and fixing it;
  12. roller manufacturing.

Rollers are called dermantin tubes with insulation located along the edge, which cover the gap between the canvas and the box, and also serve decorative element. Depending on the direction of opening the door, they can be fixed on the box or door leaf.

Manufacturing and installation of the roller

The number of rollers depends on the type of door hinges installed. With an open design, 6 tubes are required, and for a hidden one, 4 are enough. The fact is that the outer loops are not covered by this decor.




For the manufacture of a roller, strips of dermantine 100-150 mm wide are required. They can be taken from scraps that remain after cutting the main material. The length of the bead should take into account the possibility of a slight overlap to form beautiful corners.

Nail or screw the prepared strips along the edge of the door or door leaf with self-tapping screws front side Push. Lay the insulation on the strip, cover it with leatherette and connect the seam with a quick-drying polymer adhesive.


Insulation.

As a result, the fixed roller should protrude beyond the edge of the door leaf or box by no more than 30 mm.

Classic upholstery technology

This is the easiest way to sheathe a door with dermantine with your own hands. The design of the canvas can be wooden or metal. This factor implies significant differences in performance.

To finish a wooden door leaf:

  • lay insulation between the stuffed rollers and fix it with a stapler or glue it;
  • tuck the leatherette fabric around the edges and spread it on the surface so that it goes under the rollers;
  • fasten leatherette with decorative nails along one long side, at a distance of 5-7 mm from the edge of the roller, with a fastening step of 100-120 mm;
  • after that, at the same distances, drive nails along the top and bottom side, and then along the remaining edge.

In the laid and fixed canvas, cut holes for the elements of locks and fittings. Installation locations are easily determined by touch. The process of decorating the surface will be discussed later.

When tightening a metal sheet: nails cannot be hammered in and therefore special self-tapping screws are used, which are screwed in with a screwdriver or a low-speed drill. Moreover, they are twisted at the points marked on a pre-compiled scheme of the wire clamping decor.


Markup. Button fastening.

But first, the insulation, and on top of it, the leatherette is temporarily fixed with glue. The decoration process completes the work and fixes the canvas completely.


Carriage upholstery method

The idea of ​​the carriage technology is that the insulation and leatherette upholstery are fixed on a plywood sheet with a thickness of at least 10 mm and exactly the same size as the door leaf.

Holes are drilled in the plywood sheet in accordance with the intended surface decor pattern. Usually this is a continuous division into diamonds or squares, although other finishes are allowed.


Markup.

After that, a heater is glued to the surface of the plywood sheet, in which, using a special crown, soft materials notches are also selected that correspond in marking to the holes in the wooden sheet.


Hole cutting.

The dermantine fabric is fixed (sewn) step by step with brass wire or cord, which are passed from both sides and attract the upholstery to the plywood sheet without nails. The plywood sheet itself is fixed with long self-tapping screws screwed on the back of the door leaf.

Upholstery decor options

On the surface of doors upholstered with leatherette, in most cases, decor is provided. There are a lot of decoration options and the choice depends only on your taste and imagination. The only thing to consider is that wire, cord or just decorative nails provide additional fastening of the canvas to the surface. Shown below are some of these finishes.

To complete the decor, markings are made, at the points of which nails are hammered into 1/3. After that, a wire or cord is pulled over them, the nails are finished to the end, creating a relief pattern by pulling the cord.

What else can be upholstered entrance doors

Answering the question of how to upholster the door instead of dermantin, then among the popular materials, you can specify:

  • vinyl artificial leather - vinyl-based composition;
  • natural leather;
  • special upholstery fabrics, according to the type of materials for finishing passenger car interiors.

Metal doors are often trimmed with plastic and wood panels. However, it should be noted that all these materials are much more expensive than leatherette.

Further use of the upholstery

The surface of the upholstery, covered with polyester, polyurethane or a mixture of leather fibers with latex chips, is easy to clean with a soapy solution. It is allowed to use chemical detergents. However, to avoid discolouration, test the detergent composition on a piece of upholstery material first.

If wear occurs and the color of the material changes, these places can be easily tinted. The most important thing is to accurately guess the color shade. To do this, contact a specialized workshop and bring there a sample of the remaining and saved scraps.

Modern leatherette is a strong and durable material that usually does not require additional care, except for cleaning from dust and dirt.

Entrance and interior doors lose their attractiveness over time, but it is not always reasonable to purchase a new canvas, in most cases a new leatherette upholstery can save the situation. At the same time, such an event improves the heat / sound insulation properties of the door, which is especially important for residents of multi-storey buildings.

Leatherette (also called leatherette, eco-leather or granitol) as a material was known and popular to our forefathers in the 30-40s of the 20th century. Leatherette was used to upholster not only doors, but also furniture, as well as book bindings and much more. However, at that time the quality of the material was at a mediocre level, and the variety of colors and textures left much to be desired.

Now, thanks to modern developments, leatherette has become a strong, attractive in appearance and durable material with a wide palette of shades and textures. Leatherette is one of the many leather substitutes. During the production process, nitrocellulose, polyurethane or vinyl coatings are applied to the base-fabric on one / two sides, which ensure the external resemblance of the finished material to natural counterparts.

Reasons for the popularity of leatherette

  1. Leatherette endures temperature changes.
  2. The material "breathes", but at the same time it has water-repellent properties.
  3. Leatherette is quite durable, has sufficient tensile strength, the surface is difficult to damage.
  4. Leatherette is easy to care for. With a frequency of several months, the surface should only be covered with impregnation. Pollution is eliminated with soap suds, ammonia or ordinary medical alcohol.
  5. Eco-leather is attractive in appearance and is very different affordable price. Anyone who knows how to hold a hammer in their hands can buy a piece of material and beat the door with their own hands.
  6. Leatherette as upholstery is a good sound and heat insulator, respectively, if you upholster the door with eco-leather, then the room will become much more comfortable.

When choosing a material for door upholstery, pay close attention to the thickness of the base fabric and the quality of the coating. It is advisable to choose a dense material that slightly springs when stretched. High-quality leatherette does not have stains from paint, and if you run a fingernail over the surface, then there are no traces left. Don't forget about the smell. The harsh chemical amber does not fade over time and will be constantly felt in the room.

If the quality of the material suits you, all that remains is to make a purchase by paying for a piece of leatherette, the length and width of which is approximately 10-15% larger than the dimensions of the door.

What will be useful for work?

Leatherette will have to be cut, which means you will need scissors, pencil and meter ruler or tape measure.

To fix a piece of material, it will come in handy construction stapler, hammer, construction and furniture decorative nails(metal or covered in matching color vinyl leather). for sheathing iron door nails are not needed. They will be replaced by mounting glue.

Additionally, for decoration, you can prepare decorative wire or cord. If the door is very old, it is recommended to purchase metal corners to further strengthen the structure.

If additional insulation is planned, then it is worth buying foam rubber, felt or batting.

And to prepare the door for sheathing, you need pliers, screwdriver, pliers.

The purpose of the preparation is to get a smooth door leaf, on which leatherette will lie beautifully and evenly. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the peephole, dismantle the door handle, lock, remove the old trim, if any.

It is important to eliminate all protruding and protruding parts. If the door is embossed, then a sheet of thin plywood, cut in accordance with the size of the door and nailed with construction nails along the perimeter, will help to quickly align it.

This option is suitable for interior doors. Work will be much more convenient if the door is removed from its hinges and laid horizontally on a pair of stools of the same height.

Step one. We prepare materials

In addition to the list of materials and tools listed above, you will need frame profiles for fabric tension (one-sided). It is these profiles that we cut so that you can easily place them around the perimeter of the door.

And you will also need furniture buttons, consisting of two parts - a metal base with a thread and a hat covered with leatherette.

Step two. Making markup

In order to evenly and beautifully sheathe the door with leatherette, we make markings, namely:

  • using a square and a tape measure, we divide the door with two perpendicular lines into four equal parts;
  • We mark on the door the places where the buttons will be installed.

Step three. We fasten buttons, insulation and trim

On those places where the buttons will be located, we apply assembly glue. We glue the details of the buttons with threads.

We take the already cut profiles and glue them around the perimeter of the door. We wait until the glue dries (about a day).

In the meantime, the glue dries, in a sheet of insulation (polyurethane foam or foam rubber) we cut holes for buttons. The next day, we spread the insulation on the surface of the door, combine the holes in the material with the button fasteners glued to the door. Trim off the excess around the edges. We do the same with dermatin. It remains only to fasten the buttons, pull on the leatherette and tuck it into the profiles.

Step four. Final

We install the handle and hang the door in place. This completes the work.

Upholstering the door with dermantine with your own hands is easy! Classic variant

The work is quite painstaking, but everyone can do it. It is not necessary to remove the door from the hinges.

We cut out the material. We will need strips of leatherette about 15 cm wide for bordering rollers and a layer of material a little larger than a door.

We take leatherette strips, carnations and a hammer. We place the strip with the wrong side up. With carnations (step - 10 cm) or a stapler, we fasten the edge of the strip to the edge of the door.

Using a stapler or glue, we fix foam rubber on the surface of the door. Cut off the excess with a utility knife. On top of the foam rubber, we attach two layers of batting in the same way. This will extend the life of the short-lived foam rubber and improve the thermal insulation qualities of the door.

Let's start attaching leatherette fabric. We hammer the first decorative carnation at the top of the door, in the middle. The second is from the bottom in the center of the door. This will avoid distortion. For the same purpose, it is worth pulling the material as tightly as possible. Next, we hammer nails around the perimeter of the door, observing a step of about 10 cm.

We return to the edging of the door. We cut the batting into thin strips, turn each into a tube. We put these tubes in the center of the leatherette strips. We wrap the strips inward so that we get a neat roller. We fix the rollers with decorative carnations.

We fix the handle to the updated door. On this work, you can complete or start decorative trim. To do this, we take a cord, lay out any pattern you like on the door, for example, a zigzag or rhombuses.

Note! If your door opens "from itself", then you will have to mount the rollers not on the door, but on the jambs (box) adjacent to it. On the door itself, the leatherette is simply stretched, the edges are tucked up and fixed around the perimeter with carnations.

Door upholstery with leatherette tile method

The door itself will act as the basis, buttons and foam rubber are also needed. The door must be removed from its hinges.

We make the markup using a square and a meter ruler. We draw the entire door leaf into identical rhombuses, in the corners of which we fasten the base screws for the buttons. We lay out the foam rubber with cut out holes and fix it with a stapler (we insert 3-4 staples around each screw, and also fixing the foam rubber around the chipboard perimeter).

Foam with holes

Cut leatherette into diamonds. Leatherette diamonds should be slightly larger than those marked on the door. Excess material will go to the hem. For leatherette rhombuses, we cut off one corner in advance, so that it is more convenient to make sheathing.

We fasten the first rhombuses along the edges of the door with a stapler, bending. The corners of the rhombuses should be in those places where the fastening for buttons protrudes.

How to fix diamonds in the center of the panel? We lay out the rhombus on the foam rubber according to the markup. The cut corner should be at the top. We fix the lower corner of the rhombus with a bracket. We bend the edges of the material. We fix the right and left corners of the rhombus with brackets, avoiding distortions and wrinkling of leatherette. We fasten the button. We continue until the entire door is hidden behind a neat trim.

Video - Leatherette door trim

Video - Decorative door upholstery

Upholstery of metal and wooden entrance doors with leatherette, insulation. The choice of materials for insulation, options for decorative upholstery. Step by step instructions.

Reasons for the popularity of dermantin

Dermantin (the correct name is “dermatin”) was invented and began to be used at the beginning of the 20th century to replace genuine leather. In terms of strength, durability, and other indicators, it is comparable to it, but it costs 50-60% cheaper.

It is used in various fields: for upholstery of furniture and car interiors, tailoring and footwear. In construction and repair, it is used as a universal material for upholstery of doors, usually entrance doors. Facing with dermantine is done on both wooden and metal doors.

Recently, the traditional term "dermantine" has given way to the term "vinyl leather" or simply "vinyl".

Dermantin, used for upholstery of entrance doors, has such qualities as:

  • durability (resistance to changes in humidity and temperature, exposure to sunlight);
  • ease of operation (easy to care for, ordinary soap is enough);
  • environmental friendliness (hypoallergenicity, immunity to microflora);
  • economy (upholstery can be changed without significant costs and assistants);
  • aesthetics (wide choice colors, textures, the possibility of embossing).

The disadvantages of the material include:

  • specific smell (almost imperceptible, but not passing over time);
  • low resistance to fire (relevant if the door falls into the field of view of hooligans);
  • impossibility of repair (damage to dermantin cannot be repaired).

How to choose materials for door upholstery

In the vast majority of cases, simultaneously with the upholstery of the front door with leatherette, it is insulated and the level of sound insulation is increased. Therefore, in addition to choosing a fabric for door trim, you should pay attention to the insulation material, which simultaneously plays the role of a noise absorber.

The door decorated with dermantine will retain a presentable appearance for a long time.

In addition, visually dermantin is suitable for making the door beautiful and original, not only with the help of the material itself, but also through decoration: nails with caps matching the color of the upholstery, colored wire or cords. In this way, you can not only decorate the outer side of the door with traditional "diamonds", but even depict a certain composition.

The choice of dermantine for door upholstery

Modern leatherette is conditionally divided into 3 groups in terms of thickness: thin for haberdashery, thick for shoes, and medium for upholstery. For a door, a thickness of 0.45–0.7 mm is suitable. Color, texture (gloss, embossing) - at the choice of the buyer. As a rule, leatherette is sold in cuts 1.2–1.5 meters wide, enough for a door. High-quality leatherette slightly springy when stretched, painted evenly.

It is better to buy leatherette for upholstery in specialized stores by contacting the seller for advice.

The choice of material for door insulation

The range of materials for insulation and soundproofing doors today is able to satisfy the most demanding taste. Some of them are especially popular.

  • Foamed polyurethane ( polyurethane foam). Rarely used for insulation of doors in residential premises, it is usually used for insulation of garages, warehouses, industrial premises. Among the advantages is the ability to fill cracks and cavities that are not amenable to traditional heaters and the simplicity of the method. The downside is its price.

    Foamed polyurethane - expensive, but effective method door and wall insulation

  • Felt. It is made from natural wool, so the moth considers it as a nutrient medium, mice and other rodents take it apart to warm their holes. Advantage - low cost in comparison with other heaters.

    Felt is cheap, but not the best way for insulating the front door

  • Batting. Like felt, it is made from natural materials, the same disadvantages.
  • Mineral wool. It accumulates moisture, deforms and falls into lumps. There is still debate about the carcinogenicity of this material.
  • Styrofoam. Perhaps the most popular door insulation. High moisture resistance, low thermal conductivity, high sound insulation, low cost. Disadvantages: fragility, high flammability with the release of toxic substances in open fire.

    Styrofoam is used for insulation almost more often than any other material.

  • Foam rubber. Advantages: ease of installation, attractive price. Disadvantages: low moisture resistance and high flammability. Fragility (crumbles after 2-3 seasons).
  • Isolon (foamed polyethylene). Universal material with high performance, non-flammable. The foil layer provides the highest rate of heat and sound insulation compared to other heaters. The material is simply glued to the door tightly and covered with a second layer. Service life - up to 100 years. The disadvantages include the high cost.

    Izolon provides almost 100% heat retention

Sometimes multi-layer insulation is used. For example, first, an isolon is fixed on the inside of the door, foam rubber is placed on it. And since after a few years the foam rubber begins to “crumble”, then the whole structure is covered from above with batting or similar material, and only then with dermantine.

Other cladding elements

To give the door individuality, decorative (usually brass) wire, a strong cord, suitable in color and texture, or ordinary fishing line are used. At the final stage of upholstery, they are passed through nails that are not completely driven into the upholstery, decorating the appearance of the door. Nails are wrapped in turn in a given order, from one to another, and then driven in completely.

With the help of a decorative screed on the door, you can depict a complex pattern

With the help of decorative nails, you can decorate the door with an image or even text.

Decorative (wallpaper) nails are matched to the color of the coating. Hats can be of any size, shape, color. You can pick up nails, the caps of which will be covered with the same material as the coating. Or, on the contrary, they will be in harmony with the fittings: door handle, locks, peephole.

The choice of decorative nails for upholstery of doors is almost limitless.

Facing the door involves working not only with the door leaf. The door must be in doorway, decorated in the same or in harmony with it style. This applies to platbands and door slopes.

Preparation for sheathing the front door with dermantine

Before starting work, you should make sure that the door is not skewed and that the seal is functioning effectively. If the door is skewed, then you first need to solve the problem, and then proceed to the sheathing. The seal is usually changed every 2-3 seasons (depending on how actively the door is used).

It will not be superfluous to prepare a sketch of the skin, in the form of a drawing with calculations or a rough sketch of how the door should look.


Many before starting repairs do not take into account one important point. Namely: Murphy's basic law works always and everywhere. Let me remind you how it sounds. “If something can go wrong, it will definitely go wrong.” Even if the door trim looks like a breeze, it will probably take twice as long as planned.

Tools for sheathing the front door with dermantine:

  • scissors;
  • screwdrivers;
  • pliers;
  • a hammer;
  • nails (for 1 m² of area you will need 50 g of construction nails, and 75 g of decorative ones);
  • glue, brush, roller;
  • roulette;
  • pencil;
  • wire (cord, fishing line);
  • Styrofoam;
  • assembly foam.

The list of tools does not include door paint, surface degreasers. Painting the door is desirable, but not required. You can add sandpaper (sanding machine) to it to clean metal doors from corrosion and sand wood.

Standard items like gloves or goggles are used for any work with wood or metal.

Simple ways to upholster and insulate a door

If you simplify the process as much as possible, you can do without rollers. However, it is usually an integral part of an insulated door.

Roller - an element of insulation, located along the edges of the door leaf or on the jambs of the door frame. Its task is to ensure the tightness of the structure at the points of contact between the ends of the door and the door frame. The future roller is a leatherette tape as long as the part of the door where it is located, 10–15 centimeters wide. Inside the tape, the remnants of insulation or factory material, sold in specialized stores, are laid.

Factory made polyethylene foam roller

Depending on whether the door opens outward or inward, the rollers are attached to the corresponding side. If the door opens inward, the rollers are attached to it from 4 sides, if it opens outward - from above, below and from the side of the handle.

The roller can be attached with glue, a construction stapler or nails

The edges of the leatherette tape are wrapped lengthwise, the resulting roller is attached with nails or glue. The distance between the nails should be 10-15 centimeters. A gap is left on the side of the handle for the lock.

Metal door, paneling on the outside

When sheathing the outer side of the door, in addition to the aesthetic aspect, it is necessary to take into account the impact of aggressive environment. And not only the weather, but also aggressive people. Therefore, the costs of the outer skin of the door must be compared with the risks. Dermantin is not repaired, it can only be changed completely.


I understand that if you do everything wisely, then the door for cladding must be removed, put on chairs or a table. Surely then it will be more convenient to work. But on personal experience I can say that on our landings it is not very convenient. It's easier to do everything without removing the door from the hinges. In my opinion, this does not complicate the work very much. I'm talking about the door of an ordinary city apartment. You can find a place in the country.

Metal door, paneling from the inside

  1. A decorative panel is removed from the inside of the door (usually this is a hardboard sheet).
  2. Wooden slats are screwed onto the inner ribs (before this, the ribs of the door leaf and the slats are drilled through).

    Wooden slats are required for mounting insulation on the inside of the door

  3. The gaps between the rails and the metal frame are filled with mounting foam.
  4. Pieces of insulation (polystyrene, felt, foam rubber, etc.) cut to size are inserted into the resulting cavities.

    Mounting foam is needed for sealing

  5. The resulting layer of insulation is covered with a sheet of plywood (hardboard). The location is pre-marked on the sheet wooden slats. The sheet is attached only to the rails in the middle of the door, dermantin will be wound from the sides under it.
  6. On top of the sheet, you can put another layer of insulation, it depends on the outside temperature. In the northern regions, this is justified. Leatherette is placed on top of the second layer of insulation, its edges are tucked under a sheet of plywood (hardboard). At the corners, edges and in the middle of the sheet, leatherette and plywood sheet are screwed to wooden frame self-tapping screws, the heads of which are sunk into the sheet. You can hide these places later with decorative nails.

    Professionals do not consider batting an ideal material, but it is used often.

  7. It is important that while nailing to the door leaf, the dermantine is constantly stretched. Then it is nailed around the perimeter with the same decorative nails.
  8. In the resulting structure, holes for fittings are cut (drilled).

Wooden door, cladding inside and out

Differences from a metal door in the outer skin are not fundamental. The difference is that nails and a construction stapler are used to attach the insulation and topcoat, rather than glue.

Fastening with nails of dermantine begins from the central vertical row (from top to bottom), while the sheathing material must constantly be stretched. After fixing the leatherette from above and below, both edges of the coating are nailed. Nails around the perimeter of the door leaf can be hidden under the rollers.

The principles of door trim from the inside are the same as for exterior design.

As of the summer of 2017, sheathe with dermantine wooden door in a summer house in the country it cost me 1600 rubles. It could have been cheaper, but I took a set for 600 rubles: foam rubber 0.7x2.1 m, thickness 10 mm, leatherette 1.05x2.1 m, 50 nails and 10 meters of fishing line. Another 1000 rubles - birch plywood 1.22x2.44, thickness 9 mm. We managed with a neighbor in about five hours (with smoke breaks, lunch and afternoon rest).

Decorative door upholstery

Facing the front door with dermantine allows you to decorate it additionally with the help of a decorative banner. It can be done by stretching a wire or cord between decorative nails, or you can use furniture buttons. They consist of two parts - a metal base with a thread and a decorative cap.

Along with the buttons, you will need one-sided frame profiles to stretch the leatherette fabric on the door. The profiles are cut according to the dimensions of the door leaf.

This method of upholstery is called "carriage screed".

  1. Markings are made on the door leaf: with the help of a square and a tape measure, the canvas is divided into 4 parts, the places where the buttons will be attached are marked.
  2. One-sided frame profiles are being prepared, into which dermantine will be filled.

    "Carriage coupler" of the door requires a large number Supplies

  3. Mounting glue is applied to those places where the buttons will be located. Threaded button details are attached to it.
  4. Profiles are glued around the perimeter of the door.
  5. Holes are cut out in the sheet of insulation and dermantin, corresponding to the buttons glued to the door leaf.

    The holes in the seals must match the markings on the door leaf

  6. The insulation is attached between the profiles, dermantin is pulled from above. Its edges are tucked under the profiles around the perimeter of the door.
  7. The upper (decorative) parts of the buttons are screwed over the dermantine,

    Buttons must be fastened as securely as possible.

This upholstery option is suitable for both internal and external sides of the door.

The appearance of the door with a "carriage coupler"

This is a labor-intensive option and it is more expensive than a simple door trim, so the door itself with a “coach tie” should be, if not new, then well-preserved.

Video: variant of the "carriage coupler" of the door

This method involves planning the entire upholstery process and testing the method on a breadboard. That is, it is better for a beginner to model the entire sequence of actions on the “training ground” before upholstery: pieces of wood, insulation and leatherette.

Tiled door upholstery

Another option to decorate a door lined with dermantine is called tiled. The essence of the method is that the door is sheathed with pieces of leatherette traditionally in the form of rhombuses) of the same size. In this case, you can use a coating of different colors.

Marking is best done not with a felt-tip pen, but with a simple pencil.

  • A heater is placed on top with holes cut out at the locations of the buttons. The insulation is fixed with a construction stapler around the perimeter of the door leaf.

    The holes in the insulation should match the markings of the door leaf as closely as possible.

  • Leatherette is cut into identical rhombuses, slightly larger in size than those marked on the door. Excess material will be folded around the perimeter of the fragment. The corner of the diamond that overlaps the previous diamond is cut out. The joints of the rhombuses correspond to the lower parts of the furniture buttons placed on the door.

    This process will take much longer, but the result will justify the effort.

  • The fastening of the diamonds starts from the edge of the door.
  • The technology consists in the fact that the corners of the rhombus are fastened with a stapler, then a button is screwed on. The corners of the diamonds should be where the buttonhole protrudes. Rhombuses are placed on the insulation at the marking points, the cut corner should be on top. The bottom corner is fastened with a stapler, screwed onto the top top part buttons.

    • But if you still don’t want to complicate the process, then quite decent results can be achieved without frills.

    Video: a simple way to trim and insulate the front door

    In conclusion, we can add that leatherette has not just been one of the main materials for door cladding for many years. It is economical, it is easy to use when facing and insulating doors, it is easy to replace if necessary.

    (detailed video instruction for self-upholstery of the door, see the bottom of the page)

    In this guide, we will tell you how to sheathe the front door yourself.
    For this you will need:
    1. Viniliskin (dermantin, artificial leather, leatherette, PVC film, vinyl artificial leather, leatherette). Viniliskin is sold by cut, the width, as a rule, is in the range from 110 centimeters to 140 centimeters. If you have a standard metal door, then for its upholstery a piece of matter will be enough, the dimensions of which are 10-15 centimeters larger. If your door is wooden, then you need to take into account that in addition to sheathing the main door leaf, it will be necessary to make rollers, for which strips of leatherette 12-15 centimeters wide are used. In total, we need three strips with a length equal to the height of the door.
    2. Lining. For these purposes, you can use foam rubber with a thickness of 10-20 mm. If you need enhanced thermal insulation and then turn your attention to a material such as isolon. This is enough effective material which is used in the automotive industry. Although it is much more expensive than foam rubber, its thermal conductivity properties exceed those of foam rubber by several times. Foam rubber is sold in sheets measuring two meters, which is just right for high-quality door upholstery.
    3. . Usually, special furniture nails with a wide head are used. The color scheme consists of shades of gold, silver, bronze and copper. We recommend that you choose the color of the nails that matches the color of the locks and handles. Thus, your door will look quite harmonious. Also in the construction markets you can find nails, the caps of which are tied with vinyl leather. You can choose for yourself nails that match in texture and color with the selected material, or vice versa - play in contrast.
    4. . It will be needed if you have an iron door that does not have holes for nails. For our purposes, the “Universal Moment” is well suited. For pasting one side of the upholstery, a 100 ml tube is enough.
    5. Tools.
    1) Construction stapler and staples with a leg length of 8-10 mm.
    2) Hammer.
    3) Scissors.
    4) Knife (you can use a regular clerical knife with interchangeable blades).
    5) Screwdrivers.
    6) Pliers.
    7) Brush (for sheathing a metal door).
    After you have made sure that all of the above items are available, we proceed directly to the process of upholstery of the front door. First of all, it is necessary to dismantle all the locks, the peephole and get rid of the old trim (if you need to reupholster the door). Here we will not describe this action, but immediately begin the story of the main thing. It is not at all necessary to remove the door from the hinges, as many advise. similar instructions. So, we will divide our guide into three parts: upholstery of the inside, upholstery of the outside, and pasting of a metal door. But remember: the door upholstery instructions give only general recommendations and do not take into account the features of a particular door. At some points, you may have to turn on your ingenuity.

    How to upholster a wooden door with your own hands

    Consider the situation when the door opens into the apartment. In order to beautifully upholster a wooden door yourself, it is advisable to start by making a roller that will visually close the gap between the door frame and the door itself, and in some cases, fit snugly against the frame itself (this depends on the design and profile of the platbands). First, we take one strip of leatherette and use a stapler to nail it with the front side to the door surface so that it goes onto the door by about 3-4 cm. If a padlock is installed on your door, it is better to start nailing the roller from it. If all the locks are mortise, then start upholstering the door from the upper corner of the hinge side. Having thus upholstered the entire perimeter of the door with strips of leatherette, we proceed to laying the foam rubber. First, it must be cut into strips 8-10 cm wide. We fix them with a stapler on the door leaf, turn and nail the material so that the resulting roller protrudes 1-3 cm, depending on the relative location of the door and trim. The roller is ready.

    Next, we measure the resulting distance between the inner edges of the roller and cut out the foam rubber, subtracting one centimeter from each side from these dimensions. We fix it with a stapler on the door leaf. The final part remains - to upholster the main surface of the wooden door. We take a piece of dermantine around the corner, tuck the edges by 5-6 cm, lay it in the corner of the door so that the material goes slightly onto the roller and nail a decorative nail with a hammer, stepping back from the edges about 5-7 mm. Then we take the second upper corner of the material, also tuck it in and, pulling it a little, hammer in the second nail. Next, you need to check whether the piece of leatherette lay flat relative to the surface of the door leaf. To do this, in the middle of the door, slightly pressing, we draw our hand from the top to the very bottom and, holding it with one hand, with the other we apply the lower corners of the matter to the edges of the door, smoothing them from the center. Accordingly, both on the left and on the right, the distance to the edges of the leatherette should be the same. After making sure that the start is right, we continue the upholstery of the door. We nail the upper edge, making the distance between the nails 10-12 cm. Then we begin to do the same with any side, tucking the artificial leather at an equal distance along the entire length and slightly, but not much, pulling it. It is important here not to overtighten, otherwise at the output you will get something like a pleated skirt. Fixing this won't be easy, as you'll have to rip out the already hammered nails, and there's a good chance you'll accidentally damage the upholstery and leave nail marks anyway. Having reached the bottom, proceed to the second side. Lastly, we fix the lower edge of the upholstery material, having previously calculated the future distance between the nails so that it is the same along the entire underside of the door. Everything! The door is upholstered. It remains to install locks and a peephole. Upholstering a wooden door with your own hands is quite difficult for an unprepared person, so many companies offer their own.

    How to sheathe the outside of a wooden door yourself

    The outer side of the wooden door should be upholstered with leatherette in a slightly different way. The first step is to close the door tightly and draw a projection of the door frame on the door leaf itself with a pencil. In other words, draw lines around the entire perimeter with a pencil. The outline of the future door skin will be obtained, and the remaining indentation is needed for the so-called “quarter” of the door. If the door is installed professionally and the locks are properly adjusted, then the door leaf should fit snugly against the frame and, if, during upholstery, we bring dermantine beyond the line, then in the end the door simply will not close. Now we nail the bottom of the insulating roller. We fix it on the door so that in its closed position it fits snugly against the threshold. To do this, we already have a delineated border at the bottom. If the lower roller is nailed to the very threshold, then over time it will rub off from constant touching with your feet. Next, we fix the lining material with an indent from the line of 1 cm. And, similarly to the previous paragraph, we nail the main piece of vinyl leather. Now you need to make a heat-insulating roller on the right, on the left and at the top. In this case, it will be mounted on the door frame. It is made almost similarly to the inner roller, only it is desirable to fill it with a large amount of foam rubber. On the hinge side, we place it flush with the jamb, and on the upper and lock sides, we extend it by about 3-5 mm, depending on the size of the gaps between the door leaf and the frame. If the roller is made too large, the door will close hard, with effort. If the roller turns out to be small in size, it will not perform its main function - sealing the opening. Therefore, it is important to catch the "golden mean" here. In conclusion, we nail the remaining lower edge of the skin and install the peephole, handle and locks. Don't rush to this stage. As the saying goes, measure twice, cut once. Make cuts in the upholstery for locks and handles with care, do not cut off the excess. It will be a shame at the very end of the process to screw up all the work done. Now you know how to sheathe the outside of a wooden door yourself. This will significantly increase its insulating properties, as well as increase the sound insulation of the front door.

    How to upholster a metal door with dermantine yourself


    We take a tube with and a brush and coat the entire perimeter of the metal door. Then we apply a sheet of foam rubber and, lightly pressing on it, glue it. Next, with a clerical knife, we cut the foam rubber exactly along the profile of the metal sheet. If the blade is sharp, this procedure will be quite easy and pleasant. Now we apply glue to the upper end of the door (if it is the inside) or on the back of the upper flashing (if it is the outside). When using glue, be sure to follow the instructions for use! Then we glue dermantin and, similarly to the method above, we check the uniformity of its distribution. Then we glue the leatherette from the side of the loops. And then - and from the lock side, pulling right hand with a slight effort, and with the left - driving off excess dermantin. So, the bottom edge remains. Applying glue on this side of the metal door is the most difficult. There are situations when the gap between the lower edge of the iron door and the floor is only two or three millimeters. If you are unable to glue the leatherette underneath, you will have to remove the door from its hinges. In this way, you can make your task much easier. When the fabric is glued on all four sides, with a clerical knife, carefully cut off the excess at the corner at the junction of the end and the flashing (porch), put a peephole, door handles and locks. As you can see, it is quite possible to upholster a metal door yourself. Try it - and sooner or later you will succeed!