Garage Door Painting: Everything You Need to Know About Painting Your Garage Door
When a homeowner like you considers painting their garage door, a lot of questions pop up. Is it worth it? Should I paint my garage door, or should I replace it? What colour should I paint it? Will it look better after painting? And if so, how to paint a garage door?
Your front and garage doors are the first things you notice from your driveway. It’s a big part of your home’s curb appeal and overall design. That’s why we know how critical it is to keep your home looking its best—and we want to help! In this article, we’ll examine wood garage doors first and then explore other types of doors, such as Aluminum and Vinyl.
We’ll walk you through the steps and answer some frequently asked questions regarding painting garage doors:
When To Paint Garage Door and When To Replace It
When it comes to your garage door, you have two options: paint the existing one or replace it with a new one.
Most of the time, you’ll get away with painting your garage door, but sometimes it’s necessary to replace it.
Here are some of the signs that you need a new garage door:
- It’s old and worn out: The frame is rusted or damaged beyond repair and is no longer safe for use or storage.
- It has been damaged by weather conditions such as extreme heat or cold: These conditions can cause the door to warp and swell, making it impossible to open or close correctly.
- There’s been a structural failure: If the exterior door frame is rotted or warped, it must be replaced with a new one. Same with broken locks or bolts. Intruders looking for an accessible entrance can easily remove them.
Pro-Tip: Wooden doors often rot at the bottom because water gets underneath them and doesn’t dry out properly. Most garage doors have a manufacturer-made nameplate on the inside with phone numbers. Just call the manufacturer on that template to replace the rotted panels. Or, if all else fails, just Google “garage door painting services near me,” and you’ll find many service providers in the Toronto area that can replace just the bottom panel if needed.
How to Paint a Garage Door
Painting the exterior front door and garage door does not have to be a big task. You can paint your garage door yourself by following these tips:
1. First things first: Make sure it’s clean!
If algae, dirt, grime, or oils are on it, wipe it down with some exterior soap and a sponge. Or if you want to hose it down as well, that’ll help too. This step is crucial to ensure your garage door paint will stick.
2. Scrape, Sand, and Caulk!
This step is crucial if you’re painting over an old coat of paint. If any chipping or peeling has to be repaired, this is the moment to do it. After scraping away any loose material, use sandpaper and a hand sander to smooth out the surface and ensure no rough spots are left behind. Then apply a fresh layer of caulk where necessary before moving on. Outdoor caulking is excellent for sealing the gaps and cracks around your garage door.
3. Prime and Paint
Lastly, it’s time to prime and paint your garage door. Priming is optional since there’s outdoor paint that can be used directly over bare wood. Priming, on the other hand, is still a brilliant idea to make your paint work last longer and look better. Any latex primer will work; just let it dry completely before painting.
Once your primer is ready for paint, apply at least two coats. We recommend Sherwin Williams Duration and A-100 Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint. You can also use Benjamin Moore’s Regal, Ultra Spec, and Ben. These paints will hold up against moisture and UV rays, making them our top picks for the best paint for garage doors.
What Finishes Should I Use on the Garage Door?
There are several finishes to choose from. The two most popular are satin and matte, or flat.
- Satin is a durable finish that can be applied to garage and front doors. It’s not too glossy, but not too flat either—it has just enough sheen to give it a rich look.
- If you want a more current and modern look, a matte or flat finish may be the way to go.
- These finishes tend to be more popular with homeowners these days because they provide an inconspicuous surface that doesn’t draw too much attention.
Should I Paint My Garage Door With A Brush, A Roller, or A Sprayer?
If you’re not sure which method of painting is safest for your home, consider brushing and rolling. It is the easiest method for a homeowner to use without prior experience.
Spraying, on the other hand, requires a little bit of skill, and it’s easier to get it wrong. You also have to ensure that no winds or other factors could affect the outcome of your paint job.
Keep in mind, too, that when you spray paint, it tends to be less durable than if applied with a brush or roller. Spraying produces a thinner coat of paint, which might eventually lead to chipping and peeling. If you want a long-lasting finish outside, it’s best to stick with a brush or roller.
Do I Need to Paint Both Sides of the Garage Door?
When deciding whether or not to paint both sides of a garage door, there are several factors to consider. Many homeowners choose only to paint one side and leave the other unpainted. This does save time and money because you won’t have to purchase as much paint or hire someone else to help with the application.
There are, however, several benefits to painting both sides of your garage door.
- The most obvious explanation is that it looks uniform and well-maintained. If you only paint one side, it can look unbalanced and unattractive.
- Another advantage is that it will help protect the door from damage. If your door is bare wood and has never been primed, then at least prime it on the backside. This will help prevent moisture from getting through the wood and causing long-term damage.
- Even if rain or sunlight is not directly hitting your door, moisture can still seep into cracks in the wood and cause damage.
- It is also important to prime a surface before painting it since dirt and grime could become trapped between layers of paint and cause the underlying wood to rot or mould if left untreated.
Should I Paint the Garage Door Open or Closed?
Usually, what we do is paint it closed—but before it dries, we open the door just enough so the panels don’t stick to the frame and get glued shut. Also, this allows us to paint between the squares’ cracks and around the sides of the door, including on top, where there’s usually an unpainted lip at the top of a garage door.
By leaving the door open after painting for a few hours, you basically ensure you will have a painted garage door that’s not glued shut.
How Much Paint Do I Need to Paint a Garage Door?
It depends on the size of your garage door, but a gallon is more than enough. Even the largest garage requires two coats of paint, so one gallon will be more than enough if you only paint one door.
What Colour Should I Paint My Garage Door?
This is a question that depends on your taste and the style of your home. In recent years, however, many homeowners have been trying to make their garage doors less noticeable.
Here are a few garage door painting ideas that you can use to make your garage door less of an eyesore:
1. Make your garage door the same colour as your house.
The colour of your garage door should be consistent with the rest of your home’s exterior. This will blend it into the background and give it an air of sophistication. This will also conceal it a bit and not make it stand out so much.
2. Match your garage door’s colour with something else on your property—like your windows or front door.
This way, your attention won’t be focused entirely on one area of your home but instead dispersed throughout several different elements simultaneously.
3. The other option is to match a neutral colour within the brick.
A sandstone like Revere Pewter from Benjamin Moore or Castle Rock from Dulux is the best option here. These colours are distinct from whatever colour scheme you’re using, but they will still add a bit of punch to your property. Ultimately, this will make your garage door stand out a bit more than the other two colour schemes mentioned above.
4. If you still go with a bold colour, paint the frame the same colour as the door itself.
This will produce a more seamless transition between the two elements and a more cohesive look. This will also help create a more subtle look that still draws attention to your garage door without making it seem like an eyesore.
5. When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with two colours: white and black.
Both are classic and timeless, and they go with any colour you can think of. They don’t clash with your home’s colour scheme and won’t make your garage door look dated or cheap. Plus, they are easy to maintain!
The suggestions above are just a few basic methods to improve the appearance of your garage door. With just a little bit of time and effort, you can transform your garage into a stylish space that complements your home and makes it more secure.
But what if you don’t have the time or energy to do all these things? Don’t worry! You can contact a professional garage door contractor to do it for you.
Cost to Hire a Professional Garage Door Painting Service
Basically, it starts at as little as $800 to $1,000 for a single garage door. However, the price can get as high as $1,500 to 1,900 depending on the factors below:
1. Size of the garage door:
The larger the garage door, the more expensive it will be. Let’s say you have an oversized, double-door garage. It will cost more to paint than if you have a small single-door garage.
2. Amount of prep needed:
The more prep work that goes into your new coat of paint, the more expensive it becomes. This includes removing old paint or rust, repairing any damage from water penetration, and sanding down any rough patches on the surface.
3. Complexity of the job:
If there are numerous windows or fancy hardware on your garage door, these must be edged around and painted in addition to the door’s body. This could increase the time it takes to paint your garage door by several hours, increasing the cost of hiring a painter.
4. Your Colour Selection
If you choose a drastic colour change for your garage door, it may take up to three or four coats of paint to cover all of the parts of your door. This implies that your project will take longer to complete and that more money will need to be spent on supplies.
5. Condition of Your Door:
If your door is in bad shape, meaning there is any wood rot or excessive aging to the door itself, the painter may need to spend extra time repairing the wood before they can begin painting. This will boost the cost of your project more than simply painting over a well-maintained door.
The main takeaway is that…
While the steps involved in painting a garage door are relatively simple, it is a project that does require some attention to detail. After all, it’s an exterior project, so those rust spots and cracks in the door need to be corrected before you paint it. As you can see from this article, however, it doesn’t have to be an intimidating or frustrating task as long as you follow these steps and keep your eye on the prize—a new paint job for your garage door!
However, if you prefer professional garage door painting services, contact Home Painters Toronto today! They offer professional painting services for all your garage door needs, so you can relax knowing you’ll get brand-new-looking doors. Give them a call at 416.494.9095, or email them at Brian@HomePaintersToronto.com.
