Painting Your Garage Door – Steps

Painting your garage door is very necessary for improving the look of your home especially if it functions properly. Coloured garage doors when done properly, gives your home a nicer appeal. Painting a garage door can be quite technical since the materials used to make garage doors differ. To get the best from your door, follow these few guidelines;

How to prepare your garage door for painting

Steel garage doors are the most common types of garage doors and would mainly be focused on in this article. They are made mostly of galvanized Steel (Steel coated with zinc). When the paint is applied directly to the galvanized Steel, it will peel off in large sections just after a few days.

Clean your garage door: Use warm soapy water to get rid of dirt, sandpaper the door effectively to remove any peeling paint from the surface. After this, clean the door with “sugar soap “to remove any grease or remaining dirt.

Apply an undercoat: Ensure that the door has not been rubbed right back to the bare metal before doing this. Apply a primer on the place where this has occurred should be done before applying the undercoat. Most paint suppliers stock a primer/undercoat blend which is quite easier and cheaper too.

Steps in painting your colored garage door

It is essential to get an exterior gloss or metal paint in the colour of your choosing for this to be done. The right choice can be made for you with the help of your local DIY store. Don’t forget that darker colours absorb sunlight/heat, and may fade away faster than light-colored paints if the door faces south wards.

Painting your garage door takes a particular order;

• Paint the very top edge, work around in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion to complete the remaining three edges.

• Paint the top third of the door, the middle third, followed by the bottom. There will be no need to paint the inside of the door.

• Using a dry brush, go over the already applied paint with a dry brush to even out the work and ensure it’s nice and smooth.

How to look after your colored garage door

Following the above instructions would leave you with a great looking door which, hopefully, will last you for years. You may be wondering how often you should paint your garage door, well; your garage door should be painted as soon as you feel it needs it. Modern galvanized steel coloured garage doors mostly never need to be repainted since the powder coat finish given to these doors makes them strong and waterproof; this evades fading or peeling.