Many people who have never had the opportunity to make repairs in their apartment on their own do not know what the platbands for interior doors are. Roughly speaking, this term refers to the boards on which the perimeter of the doorway is studded. The correct operation of the door itself does not depend on their presence (absence), since they perform a purely decorative function. They cover with themselves the gaps between the door slave and the wall, fasteners and construction foam. Without platbands at the door, any apartment will not only look untidy, but will resemble the place of residence of people with low social awareness. Installation of platbands is quite simple. Even a person who has never done carpentry in his life will cope. The main thing is to be able to hold a hammer in your hands, and also use a drill and a screwdriver. But since the installation of platbands on the interior doors is carried out at the end of all repair and finishing works, special requirements are made to its quality.
Existing types of platbands and their features
Most often, linear moldings (such products have a large length and a small cross section) are used as decoration for openings, the platbands of which are wood, plastic or MDF. Experienced decorators always use platbands made of MDF or polyvinyl chloride, as these materials have proven themselves when used in conditions of frequent changes in temperature and high humidity. This property is especially relevant for our latitudes and conditions. Such door trims are used in the decoration of bathrooms and even steam rooms.
The standard platband has a width of 7 centimeters, a length of 2 meters 10 centimeters. The standard thickness of the clypeus is 1 centimeter.
Tools for work
In order not to be distracted from work, it is necessary to prepare tools in advance. Need a tape measure, a pencil, a miter box, a hacksaw for metal or sawed wood with a small tooth, construction nails, a self-tapping screw, a drill or a screwdriver with a set of bits, adhesive tape.
How to install wooden platbands
The most correct way to fix such platbands is to plant them on liquid nails. But it is also permissible to use thin nails with a hidden hat. If you use the usual construction nails, then the hat will be striking, which will negatively affect the entire interior. Some people cut their hats with pliers. Another option is to use a special construction gun that shoots not with paper clips, but with studs without hats. But if for one reason or another none of the above options is suitable, then they resort to the following method: the nail caps are recessed in the wood, and the formed recess is sealed with putty in the same tone as the wood. Instead of putty, you can use a wax pencil.
Each of the fixing methods requires certain skills from the executor of the work, or at least conscientious execution of each operation. The use of adhesives can result in great troubles in the future, when it becomes necessary to dismantle the casing for laying a telephone or fiber-optic cable, or for other work.
The use of so-called liquid nails is justified only when the walls in the apartment are leveled. Otherwise, a wide gap will remain between the platband on the door and the wall, and the size of the gap will change around the perimeter, which especially hurts the eye and emphasizes the negligence of the repair, and at the same time spoils the owner's reputation in the eyes of his guests.
When buying wooden platbands in a store, you first need to pay attention to the presence of extraneous spots. Blue spots appear as a result of a violation of the technological process of drying wood. Such a platband is best set aside.
Features platbands from MDF
Supporters of natural materials prefer to use wood in the decoration of the apartment. At the same time, modern artificial materials can give a natural head start on almost all indicators. So, externally the platbands on the MDF door are difficult to distinguish from natural platbands made of wood. However, they are not inferior to the latter in terms of environmental friendliness and operational characteristics. In addition, often, they are cheaper than wooden counterparts. All this in a complex and determines the great popularity of this material among the population.
Installation of platbands on the door is carried out in a slightly different way. You can not punch through holes, it is best to use glue. It is recommended to use glue when installing on interior doors, since the entrance doors are subject to the influence of the atmosphere and frequent temperature changes, which negatively affects the adhesive connection. In addition, work with glue is classified as complex, and it is difficult for an inexperienced person to glue surfaces on a high-quality basis. Also, such work is associated with the risk of poisoning by volatile substances and toxic fumes.
Unlike wooden platbands on a door, you cannot use nails when working with MDF. This is due to the characteristics of the material. If you neglect this recommendation, then the service life of platbands will be significantly reduced.
Plastic door trim
The purchase of such platbands will cost the least. But experienced craftsmen do not recommend taking them for a number of reasons. So, plastic is of very different quality. And even if you ask the seller for a certificate confirming the quality of the products, this still does not guarantee that the material is really safe and of good quality. Today, unfortunately, faking any documents is quite simple. Many owners complain of persistent unpleasant odor emitted by plastic trim on the door. In addition, such platbands are difficult to remove and replace if necessary. It’s easier to peel them and replace them with new ones.
Installation of rectangular flat platbands on the door: docking
The docking angle in most cases is 45 degrees. But sometimes designers choose other values to make the interior of the room special and unique.
Sometimes the ends of the platbands are regular rectangles. In this case, it is very easy to dock them, and even a beginner will cope with this task. But in order to dock the platbands at an angle, it will take a lot of time. Although the task is also quite feasible. The main difficulty is to trim the wooden platbands on the door correctly and maintain the given angle.
A protective coating must be applied to the cut surface (paint or varnish).
How to install embossed platbands
In the case when the front surface of the decorative element is a curved plane (can be complex carved), the platbands on the door require special attention when installing them.
So, you need to trim the ends for docking at an angle of 45 degrees. No more, no less. Otherwise, the docking will not be provided, and noticeable gaps will appear between the platbands. The appearance of the entire apartment will be seriously affected.
The most accurate cutting angle can be obtained on a special machine. But only masters can boast of such equipment, for whom the installation of doors and trim is the main source of income. A simple layman can rent such a machine. Then all sizes of door platbands will be sustained. You can also get a fairly accurate value of the angle using a manual miter box and a hacksaw for metal (such a hacksaw has shallow teeth that will not tear out the wood fibers).
Preparing the doorway for the installation of platbands
First of all, you need to eliminate everything that will interfere with the tight fit of the platbands on the door. How to fix them if building foam protrudes outwards, with which cracks were closed. Therefore, you need to take a construction knife and carefully cut off excess foam and other materials that will interfere with the installation of platbands.
After cleaning, the difference between the level of the door frame and the surface of the wall is checked. If the frame sticks out a little - then this is not scary. But if it is pressed, you will probably have to nail the bar.
The right and left platbands on the front door must be exactly the same in length. Therefore, before starting installation, it is necessary to cut them into one size.
General fitting
Before picking up a hammer and nails, you must first plan everything again, attach a platband, and check whether there will be anything to interfere with opening the door. Door hinges should not interfere with the installation of platbands. Platbands are applied to the front door, after which the top of the corner is placed on them. It should be taken with a margin, since in the process of work it is not always possible to make an incision exactly according to the marking: the wood slides when working with a saw (with manual sawing), or from vibration of the machine.
Side trim processing
First of all, you need to prepare the racks (or vertical bars). And then - the crossbar. The level of the top of the corner obtained by cutting is marked with a pencil. This stage should be taken very carefully, since the success of the entire operation to install the platbands on the front door depends on how faithfully it is completed. In particular, you should pay attention to how smooth floors in the apartment. If the concrete screed is poured, then no problems at this stage will arise. If the apartment has old wooden floors, it is necessary to take into account possible differences when marking platbands. In this regard, it is recommended to label each element so that the difference of several millimeters does not play a cruel joke, and that the design is neat and even.
Vertical bar preparation
The cut line should be neat and even, without torn fibers. It is very important to maintain an angle of exactly 45 degrees, otherwise the platbands will form gaps at the ends.
In order for the cut line to be neat, you do not need to put much pressure on the saw during operation. This applies to both hand tools and circular saws on the machine.
Crossbar preparation (horizontal platband)
The upper crossbar must be cut off on both sides at an angle of 45 degrees. Despite the apparent simplicity, such an operation is very difficult to perform the first time and get into the overall size. Platbands on the door (vertical) are attached to the frame, and a horizontal platband is placed on them. Now you can accurately mark the place of cut, without fear that the resulting length will be very short.