Can You Paint A Garage Door

Painting a garage door will add instant kerb appeal to your dwelling. New paint will also atmospheric condition protect your garage door and add a few more years earlier you need to supercede it.

Whatsoever competent DIYer will be able to have on the chore, you lot just need to make sure that you become your prep done and choose the right paint.

It won't take more than a day or 2 to pigment a garage door but the weather atmospheric condition demand to be correct. Likewise cold, too hot or also wet and yous won't get the best results. And so make certain to plan ahead.

Here'southward everything you need to know from your essential tool kit to applying the paint.

(More than: All-time Garage Doors)

How Much Does Painting a Garage Door Toll?

The price will vary depending on the size of the door and if you demand to purchase any gear such as brushes and rollers etc.

A typical unmarried garage door is 6ft 6in 10 7ft (approximately 45 sq ft), and a double door will be around 14 ft 10 7ft (approximately 98 sq ft). You will need approximately 0.5 litre for ane glaze of pigment on a single door and ane litre for a double door.

Paint for a single garage door with a primer and two coats would cost you effectually £fifty, plus any materials if needed, totalling approximately £70. Double the price for a double door.

The pros charge effectually £15-20 an hour plus paint. And so expect to pay around £120+ for a single door with little or no prep needed, and around £200+ for a single garage door with prep and a primer and two coats.

You Will Need

Brush
Roller
Paint
Dust sheets
Paint scraper
Sponge
Saccharide lather
Masking tape or painters tape
Sandpaper
Filler
Putty Knife

Choosing the Right Paint for Painting a Garage Door

Paint a garage door - step by step guide — (Epitome credit: Getty Images)

Garage doors can exist fabricated from a range different materials:

forest
metal
GRP (drinking glass reinforced polyester)
PVCu.

Wood and metal garage doors are the common option for painting, while PVCu doors aren't manufactured with the intention of being painted only can exist. The aforementioned applies to GPR doors; it's a task best left to the professionals.

Bare forest doors should start with a wood primer and be finished with exterior woods paint like Ronseal 10 Year Weatherproof Exterior Wood Paint. Previously painted doors only needed exterior wood paint. Alternatively, if you lot want to continue a natural forest end try a varnish such as Ronseal Exterior Yacht Varnish.

Skillful Tip

When choosing a colour for your garage door consider taking a color that is already beingness used on the exterior of your dwelling house. If you take grey windows, eaves or fascia try painting your garage door grey. This volition requite a much more than cohesive look.

Bare metal garage doors volition demand a specialist primer such as Hammerite Special Metals Primer to become the all-time finish. And so utilise a specialist metallic pigment with rust inhibitors to finish off the door.

Hammerite does a broad range of metal paints, effort Hammerite Directly to Rust Metal Paint for a gloss terminate. Alternatively, try Hammerite Garage Door Pigment or Rust-Oleum Universal Pigment.

For a PVCu door try Dulux Weathershield Multisurface Pigment. The manufacturer says yous don't need a primer, merely for a ameliorate finish we suggest using one such as Zinsser 123 Bulls Centre Primer/Sealer.

Painting a Garage Door — (Image credit: Straight Doors)

Training

Footstep ane. Clean the Area

Earlier yous start cleaning, decide if you need to remove your garage door to go the finish you want. Typically you won't, but if your door is easy to remove - and yous don't need it for security reasons - it can be an option. Just, if unsure, do not remove it.

Before whatsoever paint is put on your garage door, it needs to be cleaned. First, castor over the door to remove whatsoever dirt, grit and cobwebs. Don't forget to include the frame if y'all are going to paint this.

Also, sweep effectually the area past the bottom of the garage door. This is to assistance ensure that no dirt or dust on the footing gets on your wet paint.

Pace 2: Fill and Sand Any Cracks or Dents

If your door has flaking pigment or rust spots, use a paint scraper to remove the worst of it. Now fill in whatever cracks or dents. If you have a wooden door, use an appropriate exterior filler - Everbuild Loftier Performance Wood Filler is a good choice and information technology sets rock hard.

If you have a dent in a metal door, offset sand with the area for extra adhesion. A fourscore-120 grit sandpaper is skillful for this. Now make full with a suitable outside filler - Big Boy Metal Filler is a adept pick. Sand down the filler with 120 grit sandpaper and a lighter 150-180 dust to alloy the edges.

The next step is to give the consummate door a sand. Use a medium class sandpaper to smooth out the surface and go rid of whatsoever rust spots if you have a metal door.

Use an electrical hand sander - if you accept ane - to speed upwardly the process. If you are painting the garage door frame, don't forget to repair and sand as y'all would the door.

Painting Garage Doors - prep — (Image credit: Perfect Solution Garage Doors)

Step 3: Reclean and Cover Any Door Furniture

Once the door has been prepped it will need a final wash to remove any debris, clay and grease. First castor down or vacuum to remove all loose cloth. At present wash down with warm soapy h2o (washing up liquid will do).

If y'all accept any stubborn stains that need a little more elbow grease, invest in some carbohydrate soap. Hose down the door and await for the door to dry.

Finally, embrace any garage door article of furniture such as door runners - typically up and over doors - and door handles with masking tape. Remove door handles if possible.

Now lay down whatsoever grit sheets. If you are spraying the frame and door you will need to embrace the wall with plastic sheets or cardboard. Cover at least 12 inches from the frame/door.

Application

Step 4. Apply a Primer

If your garage door is bare wood, blank metal or PVCu, so the first coat should exist a primer. This tin can be applied with a brush and a roller. Depending on the paint, drying time can range from i to eight hours.

Footstep 5. Pigment the Frame

We recommend that you start by painting the frame beginning.

Use a brush for this and cheque the finish when dry. If needed, give it a quick sand over with a fine-grit 220 sandpaper.

Pace 6. Paint the Garage Doors

The next step is to paint the door itself. Kickoff by using a brush on the thin edges of the garage door. Garage doors have a large surface surface area so a 9-inch roller is a adept option - use a foam roller for a smooth terminate.

If your door has panels, insets or glass, then you will need a brush besides. Probably a 2-four inch castor to get into the console edges. Use masking tape and newspaper to protect any drinking glass.

Yous don't want to get paint drips on an area yous take already painted, so make sure you start in a top corner. And so piece of work your way across and then down, across, down and across etc, until you lot get to the lesser of the door.

Practise in 12-inch wide sections. As e'er, when painting large areas, do not apply too much paint in one get equally this volition crusade runs.

Many paints claim that you only demand a single topcoat. Take a await later on the first topcoat has dried and brand a judgement call.

If you are happy, y'all can get out it, just adding a second volition give a better finish and offering meliorate protection against the weather. The same principles apply if you are painting a door or using a varnish.

Tin can I spray pigment a garage door?

Using an electrical spray gun will give a lovely smooth end - much similar a car. You lot will need to employ a base glaze, and at least two topcoat coats, and you lot volition need to comprehend the brickwork around the garage door. So a bit more prep work is required.

Runs can hands occur, specially if you are new to the fine art of pigment spraying. Yous volition demand to apply several sparse coats, which makes paint spraying a footling more fourth dimension-consuming. If you are fix on having your door sprayed, it might be a good time to telephone call in a professional. Bank check local tradespeople for prices, but a crude guide is £200 for a standard door.

Tin I add a 2d colour?

Typically a garage door is one colour and this keeps it simple. But, you may want to add another colour or 2. For example, yous may want to pigment panels on your white garage door a darker colour. A elementary rule is to add the lightest shade first such every bit white. In one case dry, you tin can mask off all areas not to be painted the darker colour and paint.

If information technology's a dark door and you want calorie-free panels, paint the night areas but do not pigment the areas you lot desire to paint the lighter color. When the paint is completely dry, mask off the areas you lot aren't going to paint with tape and newspaper or plastic sheets to protect and apply the 2d color.

Typically, it will take more coats to fully cover the dark color with the low-cal. Make sure the paint is fully dry before applying another coat and rub down with fine sandpaper in-between coats for a smoother finish.

Introducing a second colour will hateful that painting the door volition take almost twice as long as painting a single colour.

Maintenance

How to Touch-up Paint Chips

A newly painted garage door will demand a piddling maintenance to proceed information technology looking equally good every bit new. As fourth dimension passes a door can get a knock that chips the paint or, as it weathers paint can start to peel.

To repaint an expanse - this applies in general to all types of garage doors - showtime remove any debris and so sand down the area and clean.

Then paint as before and recall to add a primer if its blank woods/metal.

Dab on paint with a small castor and smooth out with light strokes. If needed gently rub downwardly with a fine grit sandpaper, 220-320, and add a second coat when the first one is dry.

How to Clean Your Painted Garage Door

To go along a garage door looking fresh you need to clean it regularly. Ideally every six months. Get-go, clean off with a brush and wash down with a garden hose to get rid of loose dirt and debris.

Next, get a bucket of warm water with a squeeze of washing up liquid and wash downwards the door with a sponge. Rinse off with a garden hose (not a force per unit area washer) and get out to dry. Retrieve to clean the frame and whatever weather condition strips.

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