When you start talking about the upholstery of the front doors with dermantine (more correctly, with dermatin, but this is the case when the spelling and pronunciation have prevailed over the correct one), you can hear in response that this is a decision from the last century, the material is ugly and impractical. But this can only be stated by those who do not know that manufacturers of building materials have developed and introduced to the market a whole line of dermantine canvases with beautiful texture under the skin in various color shades.
As a result, new upholstery materials are gaining more and more popularity every year - door trim with dermantine with your own hands 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 Dermatine Canvases
The classic definition of dermatine says that it is a rolled material based on a woven fabric of cotton thread, on the surface of which a layer of colored nitrocellulose is applied. Manufacturers of materials took into account previous shortcomings and decided to replace the woven base with a porous polyvinyl chloride film.
The surface was covered with polyester, polyurethane or a mixture of leather fibers with latex chips. In the first two cases, the new dermantines were called ecoskin, and in the latter case, using the mixture, recycled skin.
As a result, practically new materials were obtained that differ:
- elasticity;
- wear resistance;
- breathability;
- strength;
- affordable cost.
Tactile sensations practically do not allow to distinguish synthetic materials from well-made genuine leather. But the main aesthetic advantage of new dermatins is the ability to stain in any color and create a beautiful surface texture. The price of the canvas depends on the constituent components and ranges from 500 to 1,500 rubles / m2.
Pros and Cons of Dermantin
The consumer properties of the new rolled materials for tightening the front doors and other household purposes even surpass genuine leather in a number of ways. 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:
- the impossibility of repair in the event of mechanical damage or a cut - a complete hauling of the entire coating will be required;
- all types of new dermantines are capable of maintaining 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 trim with dermantine
If you strictly follow the order of work, prepare all the necessary tools and use high-quality materials, then any man will be able to properly drape the door with dermantine independently. For upholstery, you will need the following:
- rolled leather substitute;
- insulation in the form of thin sheet foam rubber or isolon;
- decorative nails for wooden doors, and self-tapping screws for metal;
- polymer glue and brush for single 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, a screwdriver is required, without which it is impossible to tighten the screws.
Door trim instructions
The full scope of work on covering the front door with dermantine includes the following steps:
- preparatory activities;
- manufacture and fastening of the roller;
- surface upholstery;
- decoration;
- final work.
The total duration, even for the layman, usually does not exceed 8 hours.
Preparatory stage
Before upholstering the door with dermantine, they carry out preparatory work, which includes:
- dismantle of locks, handles and eye;
- removing the door leaf from the hinges, laying it on a stand;
- inspection inspection of the condition of the box and repair if necessary;
- removal of old upholstery, if any;
- inspection of the door for its integrity and verification of geometry;
- cleaning and degreasing the door leaf on both sides;
- staining or coating with a protective composition;
- insulation cutting according to the size of the door;
- cutting dermatin with a lap of 100-150 mm;
- development of pattern decor schemes;
- laying of dermatin and its fixing;
- production of rollers.
Rollers are called dermantine tubes with insulation located along the edge, which cover the gap between the canvas and the box, and also serve as a decorative element. Depending on the direction of the door opening, they can be fixed on the box or door leaf.
Production 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 hinges do not close with this decor.
For the manufacture of a roller, dermantine strips with a width of 100-150 mm are required. They can be taken from the scraps that remain after the cutting of the main material. The length of the roller should take into account the possibility of a small overlap to form beautiful angles.
Nail or screw the prepared strips along the edge of the door or door leaf with your own screws. Put the insulation on the strip, cover it with dermantine and connect the seam with quick-drying polymer glue.
As a result, the fixed roller should protrude beyond the edge of the door leaf or duct by no more than 30 mm.
Classic upholstery technology
This is the easiest way to sheathe the door with dermantine with your own hands. The design of the canvas can be wooden or metal. This factor implies significant differences in performance.
For finishing a wooden door leaf:
- lay a heater between the stuffed rollers and fix it with a stapler or glue;
- Tuck the dermatine fabric around the edges and spread it on the surface so that it comes under the rollers;
- fix the dermatin with decorative nails on one long side, at a distance of 5-7 mm from the edge of the roller, with a mounting step of 100-120 mm;
- after that, at the same distances, hammer in the nails on the upper and lower sides, and then on the remaining edge.
In the laid and fixed cloth, cut openings for the elements of locks and accessories. Installation locations are easy to touch. The process of decorating the surface will be discussed later.
When tightening a metal sheet: it is impossible to hammer nails and therefore special self-tapping screws are used, which are screwed in with a screwdriver or low-speed drill. Moreover, they are twisted at points marked on a pre-compiled diagram of the wire clamp decor.
But first, the insulation, and on top of it and the dermatine, are temporarily fixed with glue. The process of decoration completes the work and fixes the canvas completely.
Carriage upholstery
The idea of a carriage technology is that the insulation and dermantine upholstery are fixed on a plywood sheet with a thickness of at least 10 mm and exactly matching the size of the door leaf.
In the plywood sheet, holes are drilled in accordance with the intended pattern of the surface decor. Usually this is a continuous division into rhombuses or squares, although other finishing options are allowed.
After that, a heater is glued to the surface of the plywood sheet, in which recesses corresponding to the marking of the holes in the wooden sheet are also selected using soft crowns using soft materials.
The dermantine sheet is fixed (sewn) step by step with brass wire or cord, which are passed from both sides and draw the upholstery to the plywood sheet without nails. The plywood sheet itself is fixed using long self-tapping screws twisted from the back of the door leaf.
Upholstery Decor Options
On the surface of doors upholstered with dermantine, in most cases, the presence of decor is provided. There is a huge variety of decoration options and the choice depends on your taste and imagination. The only thing to consider is a wire, cord or just decorative nails provide additional fastening of the canvas on the surface. Below are some options for this finish.
To perform the decor, markings are made, at the points of which nails are hammered in 1/3. After that, a wire or cord is pulled over them, the nails are finished to the end, creating a relief pattern due to the cord tension.
What else can upholstery the front door
When answering the question of how to upholstery a door instead of dermantine, then among the popular materials, you can specify:
- vinyl leather - composition on a vinyl basis;
- natural skin;
- special upholstery fabrics, according to the type of materials for car interior decoration.
Metal doors are often trimmed with plastic and wood panels. However, it should be noted that all these materials are much more expensive than dermatin.
Further upholstery
The surface of the upholstery, covered with polyester, polyurethane or a mixture of leather fibers with latex chips, is easily washed with a soap solution. It is allowed to use chemical detergents. However, to avoid discoloration, first test the detergent composition on trimmed upholstery material.
With the appearance of abrasion and a change in the color of the material, these places can be easily tinted. The most important thing is to accurately guess the color cast. To do this, contact a specialized workshop and bring back a sample of the remaining and saved scraps.
Modern dermatins are a strong and durable material that usually does not require additional care, except for cleaning from dust and dirt.