Methods of finishing entrance door slopes: what and how to use?

Stone

Synonymous with reliability and durability. Such slopes will last the entire service life of the door and even longer. Artificial stone is cheaper and easier to lay, natural stone is more beautiful, more unusual. Brick or its imitation can also be used as stone.

Advantages of stone door slopes:

• Presentable appearance.
• Durability.
• Resistance to mechanical impacts.
• Saving effort and time on surface preparation (careful leveling is not necessary).
• Practical (easy to wash and clean).

Disadvantages of stone for slopes:

• Relative high cost (in comparison, for example, with plastic or clapboard).
• Limited use (does not fit into all styles).

Instructions for framing door frame slopes with stone or decorative brick:

1. Clean the surface, apply a penetrating primer.
2. Mark the guides for the first row using a level. Laying starts from the bottom.
3. Apply tile adhesive with a notched trowel.
4. Lay the first row of artificial or natural stone, pressing lightly on the tiles.
5. Lay subsequent rows, inserting spacers between them if necessary.
6. After complete drying, make jointing.

The photo shows artificial stone on door slopes

Wood

The second most popular natural way of finishing slopes from the inside after stone is wood. Wooden siding, clapboard, furniture board, slats, etc. are used as the source material.

Advantages of slopes made of natural wood:

• Environmental friendliness. Wood is absolutely safe, will not spoil the microclimate in the apartment.
• Ease of processing. Simple tools are enough for cutting – a hand saw or an inexpensive jigsaw.
• Aesthetic appearance. Even the cheapest natural pine usually looks better than the imitation.

The disadvantages include complex preparation: the wood must be sanded, covered with a protective impregnation, varnish or paint. This takes a lot of time and requires additional costs.

To make slopes of the entrance door from the clapboard, follow the instructions:

1. Clean the surface from the old coating.
2. Along the perimeter, fasten the guides from the timber to the wall with dowels, align them in the plane.
3. Saw decorative strips of the required size.
4. Gradually attach them to the bars with self-tapping screws.
5. Cover the internal corners and external edges with special corners.

Look at inspiring ideas for interior decoration with wood.

The photo shows a wooden hallway trim

PVC panels

Plastic is the easiest way to make slopes on the front door with your own hands. They are inexpensive, have a huge choice of colors, can be attached to a sealant or a frame, and both methods do not require perfectly aligned walls – the main thing is to seal the main large holes.

Unfortunately, this finishing material also has its downsides:

• Insufficiency to mechanical damage. The panel is easy to break through and cannot be restored – you will only have to change it.
• Cheap appearance. Can spoil the overall impression of the interior.
• Unnaturalness. Low-quality PVC can emit dangerous formaldehyde.

Anyone can handle finishing slopes with PVC:

1. Attach slats about 2 cm thick and 4-5 cm wide perpendicular to the concrete base. You will need a drill or a hammer drill, dowels.
2. Use a tape measure to measure the top panels (lintels).
3. Cut the panels to the required size.
4. Install in the required place, secure with a stapler to the bars.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the sides.
6. Decorate the joints from the inside and outside using special corners.

MDF panels

Medium-density fiberboard is suitable not only for making furniture, but also as a finishing material. Slopes made of MDF are not much different from wooden ones, but they are easier and faster to make.

Panels and slabs are used on slopes in doorways. Advantages of the material:

• Low price. It costs more than plastic, but is still considered a budget option.
• Easy to install. Unlike wood, MDF does not require preparation before or after installation – the panels are ready for use.
• Large assortment. Among the designs, imitation wood is the leader, but there are also plain matte or glossy panels.
• Easy to maintain. The surface does not absorb dirt, it is easy to wash.

Disadvantages:

• Relatively low strength. Damaged by accidental impact.
• Low water and fire resistance.

There are several ways to make slopes on an entrance door made of wood fiberboard:

1. Installation with suitable glue or foam.
2. Installation on a frame made of bars or a metal profile.
3. Double fastening with polyurethane foam and strips (used for deep doorways).

One of the options for step-by-step finishing of door slopes can be seen in the video:

Decorative plaster

This option for ennobling a doorway is usually used if at least one wall with a door is covered with plaster – so the slopes will simply be an extension of the wall.

Advantages of plastering:

• Environmentally friendly. The composition of the mixtures is usually completely natural.
• A variety of colors, textures.
• Durability.
• Easy to care for.
• High resistance to mechanical damage.

This material has practically no disadvantages, except that to achieve a high-quality result you need to get used to the application process.

Stages of finishing doorway slopes:

1. Level the wall with ordinary plaster. For materials that are applied in a thin layer, a base and finishing layer are also required.
2. Dilute the dry mixture to the consistency of sour cream or mix the ready-made solution.
3. Work in small areas, throwing the plaster and distributing it with a trowel.
4. Give the necessary texture.

Study examples of hallway finishing with decorative plaster.

The photo shows decorative plaster under concrete

Tiles

Ceramic tiles around the entrance door are used both independently and as an extension of the wall decoration in the apartment.

The advantages of tiles are obvious:

• Long service life.
• Resistance to any impact.
• Environmentally friendly.
• A wide range of designs.
• Easy to maintain.

The only disadvantage is the labor-intensive process of cladding, but if you already have the necessary skills, it will not be difficult to improve the entrance door. For work, use porcelain stoneware, wall tiles or even mosaics.

Advice! If there is already a smooth coating on the slopes, but it does not fit into the design, it is not necessary to dismantle it. Buy a mosaic on an adhesive base – it sticks quickly and holds well on any surface.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the surface: clean, level, prime.
2. Mix the glue or open the ready-made one.
3. Apply glue to the tile with a notched trowel, attach to the wall and press. You should start from the bottom corner.
4. Repeat until you have finished the entire opening.

Use a circular saw or a special knife to trim. Cover the corners with ceramic profiles.

Drywall

This solution is more of a preparatory stage than a finishing one: drywall is used to quickly and easily level walls, prepare them for further painting, applying decorative plaster, wallpapering or tiling.

All you need: a sheet of drywall, mounting foam (or a special reinforcing mixture), a construction gun, as well as a level, ruler and pencil.

1. Preparation: clean the surface from dirt and dust.
2. Marking: measure each slope at three points so that it is a continuation of the adjoining wall. Transfer the data to the plasterboard.
3. Cutting: cut out the elements along the applied lines.
4. Installation: apply foam to the wall or reinforcing glue to the plasterboard sheet, apply to the desired place using a level.

When the sheets have set, all that remains is to plaster the joints and apply a thin layer of finishing putty: the slopes are ready for further decoration!

Additional elements

For those who do not want to invent something, there is a ready-made solution: extensions and casings. They are sold in the same places as the doors themselves or in construction stores. In essence, the extensions are MDF strips, so they are attached in the same way as panels: to foam, a frame, or both.

The main advantage of extensions is that they are selected precisely to match the color of the door and trim: the door structure will look integral and harmonious. The extensions look especially good in shallow openings, but even if the door is recessed by 20-50 cm, the slopes can be decorated with these ready-made strips.

Laminate

Laminated flooring has long been used not only on the floor: it is used to decorate walls, ceilings, countertops and, of course, slopes! In terms of ease of installation, laminate is on par with extensions and MDF panels.

Its advantages:

• Decorative. The beautiful texture of wood or tiles looks much better than on plastic elements.
• Affordability. There is something for every taste and budget in stores.
• Practicality. It is permissible not only to wipe the slopes, but to wash them with water!

There are practically no downsides to this solution, except for the need to level the wall before installation. In some cases, lathing may be required.

We suggest watching a video instruction on fixing laminate to slopes using liquid nails:

Paint

The easiest and cheapest way is to simply paint the slopes! They can be easily repainted later, and if you choose a practical washable composition, you will never have problems with the maintenance of the entrance group.

The paint can be tinted in any color: make the frame an extension of the wall or deliberately highlight it against the general background. Another advantage is saving on door frames.

The only disadvantage is the mandatory preparation of the surface: slopes should be perfectly smooth (it is better to use plasterboard), corners and joints – even, clear.

Let’s start painting:

1. Prepare a tray, roller, brush for working hard-to-reach places.
2. Use masking tape to protect all adjacent areas that do not need to be painted.
3. Stir the paint, pour a little into the tray, get to work.
4. Apply 2-4 layers until the desired result is achieved.

The photo shows painted walls and slopes in the hallway

Beautiful examples for inspiration

The entrance door can be not only as we have listed above. One of the unusual options for its framing is soft panels. If space allows, why not make the entrance soft and cozy?

MDF and wood are also used differently: most often it is smooth, but to give more expressiveness, choose the option with moldings.

And finally, to make the overall design of the room look harmonious, Make the entrance door match other elements in the hallway. In the photo, for example, you can see a metal frame: the same metal is used for the console legs and cabinet handles.

The photo shows a hallway with white walls

Finally, let us remind you once again what material is suitable for slopes: practical, durable, easy to install. You will definitely find a suitable one among those listed above.