How to Look After Your Composite Door

Composite doors have a greater life expectancy than currently any other type of door available on the market. That being said, there are some helpful ways you can look after your composite door to not only keep it looking brand new (so you can keep your neighbours jealous), but also to help it last for longer, bringing an even longer-term result on your investment.

Compared to wooden doors especially, which are actually quite difficult to maintain due to the fact that wood is a porous material and can be partial to warping and rotting if not properly cared for, composite doors are a breeze to look after. Wood must be finished with a treatment product so it continues to fit within the frame and function properly. You must keep up to this treatment over the lifespan of the door which can be a nuisance to stick to. The colour of wooden doors also has a tendency to fade, so again the treatment helps to keep the colour as it should be, for longer. Even when you compare the maintenance of composite doors to uPVC doors which are a lot easier than wooden doors to care for, composite still come out on top. With uPVC doors, you need to use a special cleaning solution to keep the plastic the same colour as the day you bought the door.

Composite doors then, are a winner on the maintenance front, but they also come out on top as an all-rounder as well. Composite doors are specially designed to be ultra-secure, well insulated, stylish, and easy to care for. So let’s get into it, and look at the best way to keep your composite door looking fresh!

Clean Them on a Regular Basis

Due to the variety of materials that composite doors are made up from, it’s actually a lot easier to clean than wooden or UPVC doors. Because of its material make up, you can wash off any dirt or grime with a sponge and soapy water. Dirt and grime can cause a negative effect over time in terms of how the door opens and closes, if left to build up over a sustained period. However, composite doors similarly to the glass parts of UPVC doors and wooden doors should never be cleaned with materials that can damage the integrity of the doors. Avoid using any of the following:

• Scouring pads or other adhesives
• Bleach or solvents
• Abrasive chemical cleaners
• Steam or high-pressure/high temperature cleaning machines or solutions
• You can use the soapy water to clean the glass, handles, letter plates, spy holes, numbers or knockers and then finish off the glass with a glass cleaning solution to buff it up.

Preserve your Door with Maintenance

You don’t have to be a handyman or expert door installer to look after your composite doors, so lubricating the parts of your doors such as the locks, handles, keyholes, hinges every six months is a great way to avoid any sticking of doors, fiddling with the keys in the locks or annoying creaky sounds.

One of the best ways to do this is to spray these areas with a lubricant and give it a wipe down after. One important point to note here is to never use WD-40 or similar products on the locks, handles, keyholes, hinges as these product’s main function is as a cleaner rather than a lubricant, therefore they dry out too quickly and won’t effectively lubricate the area. One of the best products to use is GT85 which is supplied with a small plastic tube so you can get to the exact area you need to add lubricant to. Simply spray the lubricant onto the hinge and then wipe away any excess. This will remove any dirt and grime, whilst also leaving behind a thin layer of lubrication. No more squeaky doors!

For keyholes, you can spray your key with a lubricant to draw out any internal grime then wipe off your key before checking to see if there is any more. Do avoid any oil or graphite powder as this can erode the integrity of your locks and mechanisms.

Help with Maintenance from Bingley Windows & Glass

When you buy doors and/or windows from us, we always let our customers know the best way to maintain and prolong the lifespan of the products. But of course, if you ever need any further help and advice on how to care for and maintain your doors and windows, reach out to us by phone or on social media, we’d be more than happy to help. Contact us on 01535 958 183 or fill out our online enquiry form and we will do our best to answer any questions.

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