One of the most popular reasons customers use Polytrol colour restoring oil, is to revive their composite front door.
We have heard some people being quoted hundreds of pounds for a new door, only to give Polytrol a go and be completely impressed and shocked by the results – not to mention relieved that they saved tones of cash!
So, how do you revive a composite front door with Polytrol? Follow our 3 step guide below and your door could be looking as good as new in less than half an hour!
Step 1. Prepare the surface
As we always, say, “fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.” Before applying Polytrol you must remove any dirt, grease, grime or mildew from it.
Simple dirt can be removed with warm, soapy water then rinsing thoroughly. If there is any mildew or mould, this can easily be treated with a 50:50 bleach and water solution. Just scrub the mixture on to the door, leave it to work for 10-15 minutes and then rinse it off.
If there is any wax or polish on the door, you will also need to remove this first. This is because Polytrol works by penetrating deep into the surface to restore the dried out pigments. If there is any wax, polish etc on the surface, this will create a barrier and the Polytrol will not be able to get through to the pigments. This will result in nothing happening at best and being patchy at worst.
After cleaning, leave the door to dry for 24 hours. This make take longer depending on the weather and humidity levels, so please make sure that your door is completely dry before moving on to the next step.
Step 2. Apply the Polytrol
Once your door is dry, liberally apply Polytrol with a brush or lint-free cloth (or spray onto the door if you are using our spray can version) and then leave it to work for 10-20 minutes at most.
Before it starts to become tacky, wipe off any excess with a clean, lint-free cloth. If you would like to achieve a shiny finish, buff the surface with a lint-free polishing cloth.
In some cases, the surface may be so dry that it requires more Polytrol. If this is the case, you can repeat the procedure, again leaving the Polytrol to work for a maximum time of 20 mins. Remember to remove the excess after this time too.
Then, simply leave to dry.
Note: If you are applying Polytrol to a surface that will take you longer than 20 mins to complete, you will need to work in areas that can be completed within this time-frame.
Step 3. Clean up
After finishing, clean the brush with white spirits.
Gallery
Important info
- Make sure the treated surface is clean and dry before you begin.
- Do not use Polytrol on white surfaces, it will not work as Polytrol is designed to restore pigments which white lacks.
- Do not leave Polytrol on the treated surface for any longer than 20 mins.
- Do not apply in direct sunlight or on to hot surfaces.
- Do not allow the excess to dry and create a film – always remove the excess Polytrol whilst it is still wet.
Further Reading
Polytrol is also great for a wide range of other uses, including brightening faded car bumpers and even reviving the gelcoat on your boat! For further information on Polytrol, as well as other projects it has been used on, take a look at some other Polytrol related blog posts below:
- Polytrol FAQ’s
- Polytrol Used To Revive a 1996 Ifor Williams Horsebox
- Narrowboat revived with Polytrol
- Faded car bumper restored with Polytrol
We hope you found this post on how to revive a composite front door helpful. If you have any other advice or top tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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About Owatrol Team
Our team are ready and willing to support you with your requirements whether it is protecting your newly laid deck or renovating a luxury yacht, whatever the application Owatrol has the solution you are looking for.
Hi, we moved to our present house 3 years ago. It has a navy blue composite door which is sadly showing a multitude of shades now due to the effect of the sun. Do you think Polytrol is a suitable product to revive the door?
Many thanks,
Nigel
Hi Nigel,
Yes, Polytrol would be perfectly suitable for your navy blue composite front door.
We like to recommend our customers purchase a sample pot and test it. You can find the sample size here: https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/polytrol/
I hope this was helpful.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Hi
I have a rosewood coloured composite door with a upvc frame. The frame remains in excellent condition but the door seem to have paid the price of south facing and is now looking in a sorry state. I purchased your Polytrol but realised with removing the flaking it would not do the job. This is a 4 panel door with a glazed portion at the top. On one of the lower panes I have managed to scrape off ,a fair amount with
my ‘thumb nail’ . However this way would be impossible over the whole surface. I have searched the net and see there are others experiencing the same problem. I see that you suggested , maybe, sanding but this would surely have an impact on the coloured surface. It is known that these doors South Facing ( with no porch ) do have a problem with degrading. I moved into the property about 3 years ago and it has only come to light after the heatwave we in past months. I would certainly not recommend buying another composite door unless the company offered a 10 year warranty to cover this problem .any ideas ??
Hi Tony,
I’m afraid Polytrol will do nothing if the door is flaking its original coating off. Polytrol will only recover a faded surface in good condition. We usually recommend going back to where you originally purchased the door and speaking with them directly, however, from experience we understand that it is rare for this problem to be resolved in this way. Sadly it comes down to the poor quality of the doors.
I hope this was of some help.
All the best,
The Owatrol team
Thanks for reply . No luck with the door manufacturer . Composite doors that face due south should not be fitted at all unless there is a porch over. If anyone is thinking of purchasing these door should consider my experience …Buyers Beware . I’m sure the salesman will not inform you of sun scorch ‘blistering’ , I realise that last August’s heatwave was extreme but in future years we may have to expect it . This door was £700 which as a tradesman I fitted myself., so not a cheapy . Before I remove, i am going to reposition (to east facing) sand it and paint it before I discard it , altogether.
I’m sorry to hear that Tony. Apologies that we could not be of more help.
Best of luck for the future.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
I have a composite door which has yellow run marks running down the inside, the colour on the inside is white. I have tried everything to remove the marks including white spirits but nothing seems to work. Would Polytrol work for this?
Hi Jeanette,
I am afraid Polytrol would not work for this purpose as Polytrol is a colour restoring oil. You would most likely need to use a stripping product to remove them.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Can you use this on white plastic frames .
Hi there Mitch,
No, I am afraid Polytrol will not work on any type of white coloured surface.
Apologies we could not be of more help.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Hi I got a cement driveway down last year there was sealant put over cement my red composite door has residue on bottom from this there are white patches will Polytrol work on door
Hi Terry,
Polytrol re-wets and revives pigments on surfaces that have become faded due to weathering, pollution and UV rays, so if the pigments have been completely removed via a chemical of some sort it is unlikely to work as there are no pigments for the Polytrol to work with.
You could always purchase a sample pot which is £5 for 100ml with free delivery and test it on a small area to see if it would work?
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Hi
Have used Polytrol on dark blue composite front door, it did a good job ,but a year later it appears to be fading again now so do we re apply or get the door professionally spray painted as it faces south and gets very hot when the sun is on it mThankyou
Hi there Malcolm,
Depending on how much sun and weather the door is exposed to, it is possible for Polytrol to only last around 12 months in extreme circumstances.
As far as getting the door spray painted, as the process of using Polytrol only takes around 20 – 30 mins, you may find that applying a coat of Polytrol every 12 months much quicker, cheaper and easier to do. There is also the possibility that you will end up with the same problem of fading even with a new coat of paint as the door seems to be exposed to high levels of UV.
I hope this was helpful, please feel free to contact us again should you require further assistance.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Hi there. Your product was recommended to me by a friend who had great results with it.
I have just used it on my composite front door however, and it doesn’t seem to have made any difference to the faded colour. I cleaned and dried the surface and applied the product using a cloth. I left it for on 20 minutes. Is it possible that I didn’t apply enough?
Also, should I see a difference straight away once the product is applied or does it take time for the change in colour to happen? Many thanks!
Hi there Lou,
Sorry to hear you have not had the best experience with Polytrol. There are a few reasons as to why this may have happened:
– The surface might not have been clean enough / the cleaning solution might not have been thoroughly rinsed off and so the product was unable to get into the surface.
– The surface may have still been wet after cleaning (the surface should be left to fully dry for 24 hours before application of Polytrol).
– You may have applied too little.
– You may have not left it on long enough (although you did mention you left it for 20 minutes so this sounds unlikely).
– You may have removed too much of the excess after leaving it to work.
– The colour may be too badly faded to restore (it is possible that the pigments become so faded and damaged that Polytrol will not be able to restore them).
You should notice the difference in colour almost immediately after application. If you have enough product left it is safe to repeat the application should you wish to try.
I hope this was helpful Lou, please feel free to give us a call to discuss further if you have any more questions: 01582 592707
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
Hello – can you advise how much polytrol I need to buy to restore a faded composite front door please
Hi there Lynda,
We would recommend purchasing the 250ml spray can for the size of a composite front door. Or if you would prefer a tin instead, the 0.5L will be more than enough.
I hope this was helpful.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
I have bought some Owatrol for our faded black composite door – but I need to check how long it takes to dry once applied as obviously we will need to close our door afterwards but I don’t want it to stick to the frame.
Hi there Anita,
Once you have applied the Polytrol oil, left it to work and removed the excess, it should only take a few hours for it to be dry enough to close.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team