With a background in dentistry, a detour through early childhood education — and even a stint as a professional clown — Katre Pedai’s path to Surface Repair at Polygon is anything but ordinary. Her story is a reminder that the skills we collect along the way can add up to something more meaningful than we ever expected.

Katre, who is originally from Estonia, spent over ten years as a dental technician — perfecting crowns, bridges, and veneers with exceptional precision.

Eight years ago, she relocated to Norway to join her husband, who was already living there. With her skills in hand and a new chapter ahead, she began building a life in a new country. But after a few years and the birth of their two children, life took a new turn.

“When the lab I worked in closed, I didn’t want to travel into Oslo every day. I needed something closer to home,” she says.

She turned to work in a kindergarten — a completely different environment, but one that offered something equally important: connection. “That’s where I really learned to speak Norwegian. I had no choice but to express myself. It helped me grow so much.”

Still, Katre felt something was missing. “I loved the kids, but I missed working with my hands, using my creativity. I wanted to build something again.”

A job posting that sparked a new direction

Scrolling through job ads one day, Katre saw something unexpected: a position for a Surface Repair technician at Polygon. The title didn’t mean much, but one detail stood out.

“They were specifically looking for dental technicians. That was so unusual — it made me stop and read more.”

The ad featured photos of surfaces being repaired — cooking tops, doors, bathtubs — and emphasized the need for detail-oriented, hands-on work. “At first, I didn’t understand why anyone would fix something that looked so old. But the more I read, the more curious I got.”

Katre applied, sending in not just her CV, but a creative portfolio — dental work, face paintings, hand-painted caps, sewn costumes. “I just included everything I’ve ever made,” she laughs.

What might have looked unconventional on paper turned out to be the perfect mix.

Learning the art of repair

Katre’s onboarding began with two weeks of intensive training at Polygon’s Surface Repair training center in the UK, alongside colleagues from Norway and Sweden.

“That was when it all clicked,” she says. “We were given damaged samples to repair, and I immediately wanted to do more. I got into a rhythm quickly and ended up completing more samples than expected in those first sessions.”

Her natural talent for detail and color matching stood out. Even her trainers were surprised by how quickly she adapted. “They told me these samples were usually for people with months of experience, but it felt instinctive to me.”

Spray-painting was a completely new skill — and Katre embraced it with enthusiasm. “Now I experiment with different tools — brushwork, layering, fine detailing. It’s creative work, and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

With her confidence growing, Katre was ready to take on her first real-world repairs — and one of her early assignments would leave a lasting impression. She was also stepping into new territory — as one of the very first Surface Repair technicians in Norway, helping to lay the foundation for the service in a completely new market.

When experience was proven wrong

One repair in particular made a lasting impact. An elderly couple had contacted Polygon after their TV exploded, leaving deep burn marks on their floor. The husband, who had worked with flooring for 50 years, was doubtful. “He told us straight away: ‘This can’t be fixed.’”

But Katre and her colleague asked to try.

“They checked in on us now and then, just watching. By the end of the day, the floor looked completely restored. The damage was invisible. He couldn’t believe it.”

That moment encapsulates what Surface Repair is about: not just fixing surfaces, but changing perceptions.

Sustainability starts with one less replacement

Beyond customer satisfaction, Surface Repair is gaining traction for its sustainability benefits.

“In most cases, the waste we produce from a job fits in a small plastic bag,” Katre explains. “When you compare that to replacing an entire floor or kitchen unit, it’s a huge difference — in cost, disruption, and carbon footprint.”

Polygon’s Oslo office now features a dedicated showroom where insurance partners can view real examples of Surface Repair, including pieces that are unrepaired, mid-repair, and fully restored. “It helps people understand what we do. Sometimes we even hide the damage and challenge them to find it.”

From clown to surface artist

Outside of work, Katre’s creativity takes other shapes — literally. She’s also a professional clown and balloon artist, a role she began after borrowing a friend’s face paint kit for her niece’s birthday — a simple gesture that eventually led to years of entertaining as a clown, painting faces and twisting balloon animals at children’s parties.

That playful spirit occasionally follows her to work. During one visit to a customer’s home, a young child sat behind a glass door, watching her intently. ‘He was so fascinated,’ Katre recalls. ‘That same evening, I packed my balloon pump and a bag of balloons into the car. I thought — next time, I’ll be ready.’

Since then, she’s kept them with her, just in case. At one insurance presentation, she even hung a red balloon dog above the display of repaired worktops. ‘It made people smile — and they remembered us. That matters.’

Opening the door for others

Today, Katre is one of four Surface Repair technicians in Norway — and already mentoring new colleagues.

“We all come from different backgrounds — it’s really enriching,” she says. “We support each other, share photos of our work, ask for feedback. It’s a team that learns together.”

She also hopes the Surface Repair service line will help bring more women into Polygon. “Right now, I’m the only woman on the team,” she says. “Polygon as a company has traditionally been male-dominated, but I think this type of work — where creativity, detail, and a steady hand matter — could really appeal to more women.” To help broaden the talent pool, she’s even suggested referencing roles like nail technicians in future job ads — a field that also demand precision, patience, and a strong sense of aesthetics.

The Norwegian team is already proving what's possible. As one of the first countries to launch Surface Repair, it’s become a successful testbed for introducing the service — with other countries now preparing to follow.

Where it all comes together

Katre’s journey — from dental labs to kindergartens to homes across Norway — is proof that skills don’t expire. They evolve.

And now, she’s found a role that lets her use all of them: hands-on craftsmanship, creativity, communication, and curiosity. What’s more — she’s proud of what she does.

“At first, I used to come home and show my husband what I’d repaired,” she says. “After a while, he’d seen enough kitchen doors,” she laughs. Now, she shares her work with her seven-year-old — and he’s still impressed.

That sense of pride and progress is what keeps her going. “I’m still learning every day,” she says. “There’s always something new to figure out — and that’s what makes it exciting.”