While garage door manufacturers such as C.H.I. Overhead Doors, Wayne Dalton, Clopay, Doorlink, Amarr, Overhead Doors, Haas, Raynor Garage Doors and many others, offer a variety of factory colors, their color may not be right for your home. If the factory color doesn’t work for your home, painting your garage door may be the very best option for you.
It’s actually a very simple process and I’ll explain the process for you.
Go paint shopping and pick a color that accents the curb appeal of your home and neighborhood. If your garage door faces the afternoon sun and has an overlay on it, to make it look like a custom carriage door, try to stay away from dark colors. Dark colors hold heat and can cause delamination of the overlay material from the garage door. Once you’ve found the perfect color for you, it’s time to start the prep work.
Materials you’ll need are paint, we recommend a high quality exterior paint, such as Sherwin Williams, acetone, a good quality brush or paint sprayer, masking tape, water bucket, cleaning detergent, sponge or soft rag, garden hose, a separate soft, clean rag for the acetone, disposable rubber gloves and safety goggles are a great idea.
- Fill a bucket with a mild soapy detergent, car wash detergent is perfect for cleaning your garage door.
- Rinse your garage door with your garden hose, using a soft sponge or rag, thoroughly wash the entire exterior of your garage door, including the vinyl perimeter seal or trim.
- Allow the door to dry thoroughly dry.
- If there is any decorative hardware on the exterior of your door remove it.
- Put on the rubber gloves and safety goggles. Put a small amount of acetone on a clean rag and wipe the entire surface of the door down. Use it sparingly. The acetone removes any remaining grease, wax or dirt and will dull the sheen to allow the new paint to bond.
- Allow the door to dry and open the door. Using the masking tape, you can now tape the back side of the vinyl perimeter seal that rests against your door. This prevents the door side of the vinyl from getting gummy and nasty.
- You are now ready to paint, have fun and enjoy your custom color.
