Your garage is one of the first things someone notices about your home. By painting your garage door, you can boost your curb appeal and protect it from the elements.  This is an easy project for you to freshen up the face of your home.

How To Paint A Garage Door

Weather Matters

Pay attention to the forecast and plan to paint on a day there is no rain planned that day or the next. A day with low humidity is key  when it comes to drying time on your garage.

Prepping The Space

• Start by washing the garage door.
  • House spray that you can attach to a garden hose is perfect for giving your garage door the perfect prepped space.
  • Follow the directions on the house cleaner to make sure you are applying it correctly.
• A scrubbing brush is great for getting into the small crevices on the door.
• Following the cleaner, dry off the garage door with large towels so the paint can adhere well to the door.

Safety Matters

• If you have an automatic garage door, you will want to unplug it and pull the safety release chain.
  • By having the garage door unplugged you will avoid accidents while working on the door and prevent anyone from opening while painting.  By pulling the safety release chain you will be able to move the garage door up and down while painting it.

Tackle Rust Spots

• If you have rust spots on your door, you will need to repair those areas before you paint.
  • Use a wire brush or sanding sponge to remove the rust from the door.
  • If the rust spot is deep or unable to be resolved with the brush or sanding sponge, then you will need to use a patching product.
• Take a picture of the spot and bring it into your local Ace store to make sure you get the right patching product for the garage door material.

Apply Paint

• For our garage product we used Clark and Kensington Exterior Paint and Primer.
  • The sheen we selected is satin enamel. The satin enamel works well here because of how well it cleans. A garage door gets hit with a lot of dirt and debris and a satin sheen helps you clean it off easily.
  • Start painting at the top right hand corner with a brush.
  • Once you have the first corner done move to your left, essentially completing the top part of the garage first.
  • After the previous step is completed, the top row of the garage, lift the door up manually and start on the next section.
  • Moving left to right.
    • Essentially, you're painting in a zig zag manner and with each row complete, you lift up the door so you're not having to bend down to paint.

Inspect Your Work

• After the first coat is dry, take a step back and see if a second coat is necessary.
  • If you're going from light to a dark paint, you will likely need two coats of paint.
• You will know after the first coat is dry as there will be streaking or areas not fully covered if the first coat isn't enough.
• Lastly, take a look between the seams of the door. If you've noticed that paint got in between the panels, take a utility knife and lightly remove the paint that collected in that area with a light cutting motion between the seams.

*Always follow manufactures instructions before using any product.*

For more Tips & Advice, go to AceHardware.com/Tips&Advice. Published: 3/2/2020