How to Paint uPVC and Composite

Brand new plastic is not ready to paint.

1. 📅 uPVC needs to have been in place and exposed to the weather for at least twelve months before you paint it.
2. 🧪 New uPVC still carries mould-release agents and plasticisers on the surface that stop paint bonding properly.
3. 🌦️ Weathering opens up the surface very slightly and washes those residues away, which is exactly what you want.
4. 🚪 Composite doors do not need to be weathered in the same way — the skin is a different material and can be painted from new once cleaned and keyed.
5. 👀 If in doubt, test an inconspicuous area first and let it cure fully before committing to the whole door.

Dry, still and mild — not baking sun.

1. 🌡️ Aim for a dry day between 10°C and 25°C with no rain forecast for at least six hours after your final coat.
2. ☀️ Avoid painting a surface in direct, strong sunshine — the paint skins over too quickly and you lose your wet edge.
3. 🕐 Follow the shade around the building: paint the sunny elevation early or late in the day.
4. 🌬️ Avoid windy days, which blow dust, pollen and insects straight into wet paint.
5. 🌙 Finish early enough that the last coat is touch dry before evening dew forms.

Dust sheets down, furniture off.

1. 🧺 Lay a dust sheet over the threshold, doorstep and any paving, decking or planting directly beneath the frame.
2. 🔩 Remove the handle, letterplate, knocker, numerals and any escutcheons where you can — it is far quicker than masking them.
3. 🗝️ Keep all screws and fittings together in a labelled bag so refitting is straightforward.
4. 🚪 Decide now whether you are painting one face or both, and whether the door will need to stay open while it dries.
5. 🔒 If you are painting a front door, plan how the house will be secured while the door is open.

Sugar soap, top to bottom.

1. 🧴 Mix sugar soap concentrate as directed and wash the entire surface — frame, sashes, beading, sills and the door slab.
2. 🕳️ Work into the drainage channels, the underside of the sills and the corners where dirt collects.
3. 💪 Use firm pressure on green algae staining at the bottom of frames, which is common on north-facing elevations.
4. ⬇️ Work from the top down so dirty water runs onto surfaces you have yet to clean.
5. 🧼 Wash the rubber seals as well — they hold grime that will transfer back onto the frame later.

No residue, no moisture.

1. 💧 Rinse the whole surface with clean water to remove every trace of sugar soap residue.
2. 🧽 Dry off with a clean microfibre cloth rather than leaving it to air dry, which leaves streaks and mineral spots.
3. 🕳️ Pay attention to water sitting in beading rebates and drainage slots — it will run out later into wet paint.
4. ⏳ Allow at least 30 minutes after rinsing before you sand, longer in cool weather.
5. 👋 Run the back of your hand across the surface — it should feel squeaky and completely dry.

Dull the sheen, do not gouge it.

1. ✨ Sand the whole surface lightly with 320 grit to take the gloss off and give the paint something to grip.
2. 🧽 Use a sanding sponge on the beading, the moulded detail and any woodgrain-effect texture so you follow the profile rather than flattening it.
3. 🪶 Keep the pressure light — you are dulling the sheen, not removing material.
4. 🔍 Check with a torch held parallel to the surface: any remaining shiny patches have not been keyed.
5. 🚫 Do not use a coarse grit or a power sander — deep scratches will telegraph through the finished paint.

Damp microfibre, then dry.

1. 🧽 Wipe the entire surface down with a slightly damp microfibre cloth, rinsing the cloth regularly.
2. 🕳️ Get into the rebates, drainage channels and the underside of the sill where dust settles unseen.
3. 🧻 Follow with a dry microfibre cloth so no moisture is left on the surface.
4. ⏳ Allow the frame to dry fully before masking — around 15 minutes on a mild day.
5. 👀 Inspect in low-angle light for any dust you have missed before you open the tin.

The rubber gaskets matter most.

1. 🛡️ Run premium painter's tape around the glass, tight to the glazing bead, in long continuous lengths.
2. ⚫ Mask the rubber seals and gaskets carefully — paint on a seal will crack, peel and stop the door closing cleanly.
3. 🔩 Mask hinges, the lock body, keeps and any hardware you could not remove.
4. 👆 Press every tape edge down firmly with a filling knife or your thumbnail so paint cannot bleed underneath.
5. 🧺 Check the dust sheet is still covering the threshold before you start painting.

Brush the detail, roll the flats.

1. 🖌️ Cut in all beading, rebates, corners and moulded detail with a synthetic brush, working the paint in rather than flooding it.
2. 🧻 Lay off the flat faces of the frame and door slab with a short pile microfibre roller for an even texture.
3. 📉 Apply a thin, even coat — uPVC & Composite paint is designed to build in two thin coats, not one heavy one.
4. ⬇️ Work top to bottom and keep a wet edge, finishing a whole section before you stop.
5. 💧 Watch vertical faces closely for runs and brush them out immediately.

One hour later, same order.

1. ⏰ Allow at least 1 hour between coats, longer in cool or damp conditions.
2. 👋 Check the first coat is touch dry before you start — it should not feel tacky anywhere.
3. 🖌️ Apply the second coat in exactly the same order: detail first with the brush, flat faces with the roller.
4. 🎯 This is the coat that delivers the depth of colour, so keep it even and avoid going back over paint that has begun to set.
5. 👀 Step back and check the finish in daylight before you call it done.

Sugar soap, both faces if painting both.

1. 🧴 Wash the whole door with sugar soap, working into the panel mouldings, the glazing beads and around the letterplate.
2. 👐 Pay extra attention to the area around the handle and lock, where hand grease builds up heavily.
3. ⬇️ Work top to bottom, then do the door edges and the frame if you are painting that too.
4. 💧 Rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry with a microfibre cloth.
5. ⏳ Allow the door to dry completely before sanding.

320 grit, following the grain texture.

1. ✨ Sand the door lightly with 320 grit to remove the factory sheen.
2. 🪵 Most composite doors have a moulded woodgrain texture — use a sanding sponge and work along the grain direction so the texture is preserved.
3. 🕳️ Use the sponge into the panel mouldings and around the glazing beads where flat paper cannot reach.
4. 🪶 Light pressure only; you are dulling the surface, not reshaping it.
5. 🔍 Check for missed shiny areas with a torch held at a low angle.

Dust off, then tape glass and seals.

1. 🧽 Remove all sanding dust with a slightly damp microfibre cloth, then dry the surface.
2. 🛡️ Mask the glazing, the glazing beads if you are leaving them, and every rubber seal around the door and frame.
3. 🔩 Mask or remove the letterplate, handle, knocker and numerals.
4. 🧺 Lay the dust sheet across the threshold and doorstep.
5. 👆 Press all tape edges down firmly to prevent bleed.

Mouldings first, then the flat panels.

1. 🖌️ Brush the panel mouldings, glazing beads and any recessed detail first with a synthetic brush.
2. 🧻 Roll the flat panels and the stiles and rails with a short pile microfibre roller, laying off in one direction.
3. 📉 Keep the coat thin and even — two thin coats always beat one heavy one.
4. 🚪 Do not forget the door edges, particularly the hinge and lock edges.
5. 💧 Check for runs where the flat faces meet the mouldings and brush them out straight away.

After 1 hour, in the same order.

1. ⏰ Leave at least 1 hour between coats and confirm the first coat is touch dry.
2. 🖌️ Repeat the same sequence — mouldings and detail with the brush, flat faces with the roller.
3. 🎯 Keep the roller lightly loaded and lay off in a single direction for an even sheen.
4. 👀 Inspect the finished door in daylight from an angle before you stop.
5. 🚪 Leave the door open and undisturbed once the final coat is on.

While the paint is still fresh.

1. 🩹 Peel the tape away while the final coat is still slightly soft, pulling back on itself at a shallow angle.
2. ⚫ Take the tape off the rubber seals first so no paint film bridges the gasket and the frame.
3. 🔪 If any paint has bridged onto a seal, part it carefully with a sharp blade rather than tearing it.
4. 🪟 Leave any stray paint on the glass until it is fully hard, then remove it with a glass scraper blade.
5. 🔩 Refit hardware only once the paint is fully touch dry.

Stop the fresh paint sticking to the seals.

1. 🚪 Leave the door open for at least 4 hours after the final coat, and longer if conditions are cool or damp.
2. ⚫ Closing a freshly painted door presses the paint film against the rubber seals, where it can stick and tear.
3. 🔒 If the door must be closed for security, wait as long as you possibly can and close it gently.
4. 🌙 Try to finish early enough in the day that the paint is dry before evening dew.
5. 🪟 The same applies to opening windows — leave them ajar rather than shut on wet paint.

7 days before cleaning or heavy use.

1. ⏳ The paint is touch dry within an hour but takes 7 days to reach full hardness.
2. 🧽 Do not clean or wipe the surface during that period — a damp microfibre cloth is all it will ever need afterwards.
3. 🚫 Avoid chemical cleaners, abrasive pads and pressure washers, now and in the future.
4. 🔩 Avoid taping anything to the surface, including seasonal decorations, until it is fully cured.
5. 🏡 Then stand back — a repainted front door changes the whole face of a house.