How to Paint Your Garage Door

You may not remember just how good your garage door looked the day it was first installed. This is because over the years it has inevitably been worn down by time and the elements. Sun and wind, rain and snow can all take their toll. Your door may be rusty from the wet, faded from the sun, and has probably been repeatedly frozen and thawed during the winter. All of this has its effect over the exterior appearance of the door.

To realize how worn out your door is all you need to do is look at a picture of it when it was new. The contrast would be obvious. What once was bright and clean is now weathered and old. Furthermore, if you have peeling and chipping paint then a metal door may be beginning rust. The paint acts as a sealant, and with water getting in you will soon have a problem on your hands. But do not despair because you have a solution at hand.

To get your garage door ready to paint, first wash it with water and detergent. Scrub it if you have to. Once you've got it clean let it dry for several hours. Then you need to check for rust, peeling paint or anything else that would prevent you having a smooth surface to paint over. Use a steel brush to remove anything that shouldn't be there. After that you will unfortunately have to wash it again to get rid of any debris remaining, and again let it dry until it is completely dry.

Begin with painting on a coat of primer. This will help the paint spread and cover better. You can use a special acrylic paint that is especially made for garage doors. You can paint it by hand, but a spray gun will give you the best consistency and coverage. Use long, even strokes and let each layer of pain dry for at least day before putting on another one. The final touch to your door is panting on the top coat in the color of your choice.

With a couple of cans of paint and a few hours of work you can save yourself the expense of a new door. Your entire house will look fresher and newer and you will have protected your garage door against the elements for years to come. If only all problems were so easy to solve!