A chipped composite door is one of those repairs that homeowners often put off — it is visible every day but replacing the whole door seems disproportionate for a single chip. The solution is professional on-site composite door chip repair: the chip is filled, colour-matched and polished in 2–3 hours, at a fraction of door replacement cost.

What Is a Composite Door Made Of?

Understanding the material helps set expectations for repair.

Most composite doors have a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) outer skin over a polyurethane foam core. The GRP skin is moulded in a factory to replicate the texture of a painted timber door — the grain lines and panel detail you see are moulded into the GRP, not real wood.

The surface is then painted in the factory in the chosen colour, typically using a two-pack polyurethane paint system.

When a composite door chips, the damage is typically to the GRP skin and paint layers — not the foam core. This is surface damage and it is repairable.

Why Composite Doors Chip

Impact from tools during building work — builders, joiners, plumbers and other trades working near the front door regularly chip composite doors with tools and materials.
Vehicles and bicycles — a bicycle handlebar making contact, a car door opening into the door, a wheelie bin blowing against it.
Key scratches — dragging a key across the door surface, usually by accident in poor light.
Normal use — over time, impact from bags, pushchairs, children’s toys and general use creates chips and marks.

The Repair Process

Assessment — the technician examines the chip in natural light, assessing depth, size and location.
Colour matching — composite doors come in hundreds of colours from dozens of manufacturers. Standard RAL colours (RAL 7016 anthracite grey, RAL 9005 jet black, RAL 6009 fir green, RAL 3003 ruby red) are all well-stocked in our colour library. Non-standard colours require custom mixing from the physical door colour.
Preparation — the chip area is cleaned and prepared. Any loose GRP at the chip edges is stabilised.
Filling — repair compound applied in layers, building up to the correct height without overfilling.
Shaping — once cured, the repair is shaped flush with the surrounding door surface and the GRP grain texture is replicated.
Finishing — painted and polished to match the surrounding colour and sheen level.

What Results to Expect

On standard RAL colours — anthracite, black, white, red, green — results are typically very good. The paint colour and gloss level are well-matched and the repair is not visible at normal viewing distance.

The most common limitation is the texture matching — the moulded GRP grain on composite doors is a specific texture that requires skill to replicate through a repair area. An experienced technician achieves a convincing match.

On unusual or bespoke colours, or on very large damaged areas, we discuss realistic expectations before proceeding.

How Much Does It Cost?

Single chip repair: £100–£200
Key scratch repair: £100–£225 (price depends on length)
Multiple chips in one visit: reduced rate
Full door respray (colour change or fade restoration): £275–£450

Compare to a new composite door installed: £900–£2,500. A chip repair saves 85–95%.

Frequently Asked Questions

My door colour is unusual — can you still match it?
Probably yes. Send photos in good natural light. We custom-mix colours when standard library matches are not sufficient.
The chip is in a prominent place — will it really be invisible?
On standard RAL colours, yes at normal viewing distance. We discuss expectations honestly for every repair.
Can you repair the glass panels as well?
Chips at the edge of glass units are repairable. Cracked glass requires glass replacement — we can advise on this separately.
How long does the repair take?
Typically 2–3 hours on-site.