How to revive a composite front door

Nothing makes us more excited than to hear about a customer’s experience with one of our products.

Polytrol colour restorer is one of our top selling products and with images like the one’s you will see in this post, it’s easy to see why!

What is Polytrol?

Owatrol Polytrol is a colour restorer for surfaces that have become dull or faded due to exposure to sunlight, rain and pollution. It can also be used on tarnished metals to help bring back the shine whilst also offering long-term protection from corrosion.

Paul from Dunne & Sorted recently got in touch with us enquiring about a product he could use to restore the colour to a customer’s faded composite door.

We, of course, recommended that he use Polytrol.

After he had completed the project, he sent us over some before and after pictures along with some instructions on what he did to create the finished look.

We are sure you will agree that transformation is like night and day! The door looks as good as new!

Step 1. Preparing the surface

Before you get stuck in with applying the Polytrol, you must remove any dirt, grease, grime or mildew from the surface.

Things such as dirt and dander can quickly and easily be removed with a mixture of warm, soapy water and a thorough rinse. However, for anything more than this and especially if there is any mildew or mould present, this should be removed and treated with a 50:50 bleach and water solution. Simply scrub the mixture on to the door, leave to work for around 10-15 minutes and then thoroughly rinse.

Please note: If there is any previous coating, wax, polish etc. on the door, this will need to be removed first as well. This is because Polytrol works by penetrating deep into the surface to saturate and rehydrate dried out pigments. Therefore, if there is any wax, polish etc. on the door, this will create a barrier which Polytrol will not be able to get through. This will result in a few things – from nothing happening, at best, to being patchy, at worst.

After the door has been thoroughly cleaned, leave it to dry for 24 hours. It could take longer to fully dry depending on the weather and levels of humidity but please make sure that your door is completely dry before moving on to the application step.

Step 2. Application of the Polytrol

Once the door is fully dry, apply Polytrol liberally with a brush or lint-free cloth (or spray onto the door if you are using the spray can). Then, simply leave it to work for 10-20 minutes at most.

Before the surface starts to become tacky, be sure to wipe off any excess with a clean, lint-free cloth. If you would like to achieve a shiny finish, you can now buff the surface with a lint-free polishing cloth.

In some cases, the surface may have dried out considerably and therefore it may require another application of Polytrol. If you believe this to be the case, you can repeat the application again, leaving it to work, again, for a maximum time of 20 mins. Remember to remove the excess after this time as well.

Then, simply leave the door to dry.

Please note: If you are applying Polytrol to a larger surface that will take you longer than 20 mins to complete, you should work in areas that can be completed within this time-frame.

Step 3. Clean up

After you have finished, simply clean the brush with white spirits.

Important info

• Make sure the door is clean and fully dry before you begin.
• Do not use Polytrol on white surfaces. Polytrol is designed to restore pigments which white surfaces lacks.
• Do not leave Polytrol on the surface you are treating 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.

What else can I use Polytrol on?

Polytrol can also be used on car bumpers, garden furniture, metal, tiles, brickwork and even the gelcoat on your boat!

It is also available in a very handy 250ml spray can which is excellent for getting into any small or difficult to reach areas.

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We hope you found this post helpful. If you have any other tips, tricks or advice, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

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