A garage’s value isn’t just practical; it also contributes to the overall appearance of your house. Curb appeal can be enhanced or diminished depending on the color and condition of your garage door.
Painting is one of the simplest ways to improve the appearance of your garage door. In this article, you will find helpful tips to make painting your garage door a seamless process, including a step-by-step guide.
How to Paint the Garage Door?
1. Sanding the Old Paint
The first step in painting the garage door is to remove all of the existing paint. If there are multiple layers, use a utility knife or putty knife to carefully scrape off as much paint as possible into a garbage can or tarp for disposal. Once you have removed most of the old layers, wipe down the surface with an ammonia-based cleaner to remove any residual grease or oil built up over time on top of the remaining layers of paint.
2. Cleaning and Priming Garage Door
After removing all of the old paint, clean your garage door thoroughly with soap and water to ensure it’s free from dirt and grime before priming it. To do so, scrub your structure down using a non-abrasive soap and water mixture, rinse it with clean water, and allow it to dry completely. Once your garage door is dry, apply the first layer of primer over the surface. Allow this coat to dry thoroughly before applying additional coats of primer until you have built up about four coats on the structure’s exterior.
3. Painting Your Garage Door
After allowing several hours for your primers to cure, you can begin painting your garage door with acrylic paint designed for outdoor exterior surfaces. This will ensure that your home or business’ new color won’t fade or peel off, even after extended exposure to weather conditions.
4. Making sure surface is clean and dry
Before you begin painting any surface, it is always a good idea to make sure that this surface is clean and thoroughly dried. This will help avoid having dirt or residue appear under your paint. You can use soap and water or an all-purpose cleaner for this purpose. Ensure the area has been cleaned and wiped down before doing anything else.
5. Sanding Surface
If you are attempting to remove old paint from a garage door, you may need to sand it first. Whether you used a chemical stripper or did some light scraping with a putty knife, if there is still some residue on the garage door after cleaning it down, give it another quick pass with medium-grit sandpaper (80-100) and a sanding block. You want to create a rough surface so that the primer and paint stick more readily. After doing this, wipe the door down with a damp cloth to remove any residue from sanding.
6. Applying Primer
Once your garage door has been thoroughly cleaned, apply primer over the whole thing—both sides if applicable. You can use an HVLP sprayer or brush it on using a 2″ brush for smaller areas. Two coats should be sufficient but feel free to apply as many as needed until you achieve full coverage.
7. Painting Your Garage Door
At this point, let your primer cure overnight before applying acrylic paint on top of it in your choice of color(s). Use a 4″ roller and smooth bristled brush for the best application. You can use a paint sprayer for this operation as well, but be sure to move in long horizontal strokes with no overlap (like shingles on a roof), or it will leave marks. Depending on the paint you choose, you may need several coats before achieving the desired color depth.
8. Protecting Your Garage Door Paint Job
Seal your garage door when all of your painting is complete, and you are satisfied with the results. The primer and paint job should be enough for light weather conditions like rain and snow—keep leaves and other debris off your garage door when possible to avoid unnecessary scuffs. However, if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain and sun exposure, you will need to apply a sealant such as urethane or another high-quality outdoor acrylic paint. This should be involved in at least two coats.
9. Applying clear coat
Suppose you live with excessive weather exposure for your garage door (the southern United States, northeast US, and the like). In that case, you may even want to consider applying a clear coat over top of your sealant to add an extra layer of protection from the elements. There are many options in the marketplace—make sure to do some research before choosing one.
10. Maintaining your new garage door paint job
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To ensure that your new garage door paint job stays looking great for years to come, it is best to keep it clean and apply a maintenance coat of paint annually or as needed. You can use the same colors and materials you applied initially (except for your clear coat) to touch up any areas that need touching up, but make sure these are only minor touch-ups as over-painting will not look good.
11. Preventing damage while painting your garage door
If you live in an area with much pollen, bird droppings, salt spray, etc., you may want to invest in a quality garage door paint job. However, even if you do invest in one, you still have to maintain it properly. Areas that receive heavy foot traffic should be sprayed with simple water and vinegar solution about once a month to help prevent damage caused by dirt and grime.
FAQs
This depends on the type of surface you are working with. You may be able to scrape it off lightly, but if not, you may need a chemical stripper or sandpaper. Be sure to use chemicals designed for this purpose because other types can cause problems with your paint job later.
The most important thing is that there is no leftover dust or debris anywhere this includes any mold or mildew stains that have built up in hidden areas. Wiping down your garage door with a damp sponge and soapy water should be sufficient. If you have oil-based stains from things like sap, grease, or bird droppings, you may need to use mineral spirits or paint thinner to remove them.
Just as you did before, make sure your surface is immaculate and dry, and then apply two even coats of clear coat, allowing it to dry between each one thoroughly. Adding too much will make the finish look gummy it should look natural and clear (not shiny).
There are many options available such as decals, stickers, stencils, etc. If you want to attach something that goes all the way across your garage door, paint is not a good option because it will be too difficult to lay it on evenly and smoothly in one go.
