Self-adhesive Film For Doors: Types, Advantages And Disadvantages, As Well As How To Apply Correctly

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Self-adhesive film for doors: types, advantages and disadvantages, application technology

Modern materials have become part of our life. Now we cannot imagine how we could do without scotch tape, stretch film and other useful inventions. There is no longer any need to change doors that have lost their attractiveness and presentable appearance, because there is an opportunity to decorate them with self-adhesive foil. This will not require large financial investments, but it will radically transform the interior.

Content

• 1 Varieties of self-adhesive foil for doors
• 2 Advantages and disadvantages of self-adhesive material

• 3 How to properly cover the door with self-adhesive film

  • 3.1 Surface preparation of doors for applying self-adhesive foil

  • 3.2 Applying the self-adhesive tape

    3.2.1 Video: Applying self-adhesive tape to difficult surfaces

  • 3.3 Video: pasting the doors with self-adhesive
• 4 Consumer feedback on self-adhesive film

Varieties of self-adhesive films for doors

Self-adhesive film, or, as it is called in the common people, self-adhesive, is a multi-layer roll material designed for pasting various hard surfaces:

• wooden;
• plastic;
• glass;
• metal;
• Particleboard, DSP, MDF, etc.

Self-adhesive films are used for pasting various surfaces

The film has excellent flexibility and elasticity, allowing it to be bent in any direction, precisely following the contour of the pasted object. Self-adhesive consists of two main layers, one of which is decorative with various patterns and patterns (more than 500), and the second is sticky adhesive for fixing the material on the surface of the door leaf. The top layer is covered with a protective polyester compound, which ensures the resistance of the film material to mechanical stress, and also gives it a special shine. The lower adhesive surface is protected from sticking by a backing made of strong and thin kraft paper with markings for ease of use. A water-based or solvent-based adhesive is made from dispersion acrylate, silicone rubber, natural rubber and other elastomers.

Self-adhesive film consists of two main layers and a backing

Polyvinylchloride films used for pasting doors differ in the structure of the door leaf:

• Single layer. For the production of such material, multicomponent complex mixtures of PVC resin and various additives (pigments, plasticizers, stabilizers, etc.) are used. The plastic mass, which is formed by mixing the components, is formed into a web by extrusion or by heating with pulling through hot rollers. The resulting homogeneous film has good elasticity and flexibility. The physicochemical characteristics and hardness of the material are determined by the properties of the added components.
• Two-layer. These films are made up of two separate layers: base and cover. On the base, for which the fabric or paper is taken, a cover is applied, consisting of polyvinyl chloride resin in various combinations of components (it is this layer that makes it possible to give the final canvas relief and volume). Application takes place by extrusion, caching or molding (calender, alluvial). Two-layer film sheets are easier to apply as they are more flexible but less durable.

According to the type of surface of the outer side of the product, on which compatibility with the surrounding interior depends, self-adhesive is divided into the following types:

• matte - suitable for well-lit rooms;
• glossy - can be used in not too bright lighting;
• mirror - visually increases the volume, is appropriate in any situation;
• transparent - more often used to cover glass surfaces;
• holographic - the original sparkling iridescent effect allows you to use it in any room.

On sale you can see films of a variety of colors and textures

The outer surface of self-adhesive foil canvases can be designed in a variety of ways. Two groups are very conditionally distinguished:

• Standard execution, including monophonic options and all kinds of imitations:

  • natural valuable wood species (veneer);
  • brickwork;
  • processed and untreated natural stone;
  • various fabrics (canvas, tapestry, etc.);
  • mosaics and tiles;
  • children's and fairy tales, etc.

• Special execution. Represents unusual coatings:

  • under velvet or velor;
  • metallics (silver, gold, etc.);
  • Cork tree;
  • black or white film for painting, images on which can be applied and erased many times.

There are even self-adhesive films on which you can paint

Advantages and disadvantages of self-adhesive material

Self-adhesive is a beautiful and versatile material. Its undoubted advantages include the following qualities:

• a huge variety of colors and textures;
• immunity to temperature extremes;
• democratic and affordable cost;
• versatility - the ability to apply film cladding on various materials;
• high wear resistance;
• moisture resistance;
• UV resistance (excluding the cheapest);
• ease of care - the product is easy to clean using any non-abrasive detergents;
• durability;
• strength;
• ease of installation and the possibility of self-application.

The main advantage of the self-adhesive film is the possibility of self-application

There are not so many disadvantages of self-adhesive, but still they are:

• one-time use - it is impossible to re-stick the film;
• the need for thorough preliminary surface preparation before pasting;
• the inability to disguise defects on the door leaf (chips, deep scratches, dents, etc.), which will remain noticeable without restoration work;
• low maintainability;
• the need for strict adherence to the technology - if the gluing is done carelessly and poorly, the coating will quickly come off.

Self-adhesive decorative foil is a pleasure to work with. It is glued very easily and quickly. When we just moved to a new house and there was not much money for furniture, we had to quickly make a bookcase. The shelves were made from what was currently available. It turned out to be a cement-bonded particleboard (CSP), which was completely unpresentable gray and did not fit the existing interior. It was then that self-adhesive with oak decor came in handy. I pasted it over the shelves, and they looked like wood.

How to properly cover the door with self-adhesive film

It is not difficult to apply self-adhesive on your own; this does not require the involvement of specialists. First you need to organize a workplace. It is best to put the door removed from its hinges horizontally on a flat surface (workbench, table or stools), then remove all accessories (latch, hinges, handle, latch, lock, etc.) and glass insert (if any) from it.

Before pasting, the door is dismantled and all fittings are removed from it

To carry out the pasting work, you will need the following tools and auxiliary materials:

• measuring devices (tape measure, ruler);
• for marking - a marker, felt-tip pen, pencils, etc.
• scissors or a sharp knife (clerical can be used);
• rubber or plastic spatula for smoothing the film;
• spray and water;
• building hair dryer for processing complex decorative elements and corners;
• sander or drill with a special nozzle for grinding, sandpaper for cleaning;
• primer (wallpaper glue is allowed), putty;
• solvent for removing old paint;
• building corner;
• degreaser;
• brush and metal spatula.

Door surface preparation for self-adhesive foil application

It is extremely important to qualitatively prepare the surface of the door leaf before pasting, otherwise the coating will form in bubbles and will not last long. All irregularities will need to be removed, since they will be very noticeable under a thin film.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. The surface is cleaned of dirt and old paintwork. If the paint is cracked and peeling, then it is completely removed using a grinder, emery or a drill with a grinding attachment. You can use a thinner or special paint strippers. The old paint coat is removed with a metal spatula if heated with a hair dryer.

   

   Before pasting, the door leaf must be sanded, the old coating removed

2. A tightly closing door must be trimmed with a plane in the right places, taking into account the thickness of the film (0.3–0.5 mm). Otherwise, the closure will be too tight, which will lead to abrasion of the film coating.

3. Thoroughly clean the surface with ordinary sandpaper. First, use coarse-grained sandpaper, then go through it again with paper with a fine abrasive.

   

   If the coating on the door is intact, then it is not necessary to completely remove it, one grinding is enough

4. Dents, cracks, large and deep scratches, gouges, chips and other defects are covered with putty.

   

   All scratches, potholes and other defects must be covered with putty

5. Fine grinding is repeated.
6. Remove dust and dirt from the surface to be treated with a damp cloth or sponge. Degreasing is carried out with any special agent or plain soapy water.

7. An acrylic primer is applied to a clean and perfectly leveled surface.

   

   The last preparatory step is applying a primer

If you are going to paste over a smooth surface without defects (for example, a tabletop), then you can do with a simple cleaning and degreasing of the work area.

Self-adhesive foil application

To start pasting only after the end of the preparatory stage and complete drying of the primer. As a rule, the manufacturer encloses precise instructions for the correct application of the film coating with his products. The technology is as follows:

1. First, make the markup. Having previously taken measurements from the door, they are applied to the wrong side of the film material, where there is an auxiliary dimensional centimeter grid. The ends are taken into account and a margin of 2.5-3 cm is left.

2. Carefully and evenly cut out marked parts with a sharp tool.

   

   Cutting is done with a sharp tool

3. First, the ends of the door are pasted over, bending the film with an overlap of 1.5-2 cm onto the canvas.
4. The application of the main, largest, element begins from the top of the door leaf.

5. Separating a few centimeters (no more than 5–7 cm) of the protective paper, the edge of the self-adhesive with an overlap is glued to the upper end of the door leaf (so the seam will not be visible later).

   

   Pasting starts from the upper edge of the door

6. Little by little, the backing is removed, while simultaneously pressing the film material to the door leaf, smoothing from the center to the edges and expelling the air bubbles that form with a rubber or soft plastic spatula.

7. If the formation of a bubble could not be avoided, then it is immediately pierced with a sharp needle, the air is squeezed out of it, then the film is firmly pressed and smoothed.

   

   Air bubbles must be removed in a timely manner

8. Difficult places (protrusions and corners) are pasted over by heating the film with a construction hairdryer. To do this, in places of bends, the film material is stretched and heated with hot air, then pressed tightly and held until it cools down.

   

   When processing difficult places, you can use a hairdryer

9. Reliable fixation of self-adhesive in places of bending on the end part of the door leaf can be achieved using a heated iron. Iron the coating through paper or cloth.
10. Excess material is cut off with a clerical knife.
11. Sometimes the self-adhesive on top is additionally coated with a protective varnish.
12. Cuts are made for the handles and the door hardware is returned to its place.
13. The door is hung back, its free running is checked.

To facilitate pasting, you can spray the door leaf with water from a spray

Video: applying self-adhesive film to complex surfaces

It is necessary to work with a self-adhesive film very carefully, because it is unlikely that it will be possible to tear off the unsuccessfully glued piece and glue it again. My first experience was not very successful. The coating wrinkled in the corners and did not want to adhere completely to the surface, this was prevented by the dust left during the preparation of the base. But after a couple of spoiled panels, things went better.

Video: pasting the doors with self-adhesive

Consumer feedback on self-adhesive film

Self-adhesive tape is an excellent material that allows you to quickly carry out restoration work and completely change the appearance of the door. In order for a product to serve for a long time without losing its attractiveness, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the technology of performing work on applying a film coating recommended by the manufacturer.