How to · A day, plus drying
How to paint a garage door
Wash it, scuff it, prime any bare metal, then two thin coats of exterior acrylic latex. The two things that decide whether it lasts five years or one: doing it out of direct sun, and not painting the weather seals or the hardware.
What you need
- Degreaser
- Fine sandpaper or a scuff pad
- Exterior metal primer
- Exterior acrylic latex
- A brush and a short-nap roller
6 steps
Doing it
- Wash the door with a degreaser and rinse. Let it dry completely.
- Scuff the whole surface lightly and knock back any rust to bare metal.
- Prime bare metal and any rust spots.Latex over bare steel lifts within a season.
- Paint out of direct sun, working panel by panel with the door closed.Hot steel flashes the paint off before it levels, and you get roller marks that will not sand out.
- Two thin coats beat one thick one. Leave it a full day before running the door.
- Do not paint the vinyl weather seal, the rollers, the hinges or the springs.
More how-to
Also asked
When it does not go to plan
What paint actually stays on?
An exterior acrylic latex over a bonding primer suited to the surface — steel doors take a metal primer, a factory-finished door needs its sheen knocked back first. The failure mode is not the colour, it is paint peeling in sheets because it was put on a surface it could not grip.
Can I paint a vinyl or composite door?
Sometimes, and darker is the risk. Vinyl and composite expand in heat, and a dark colour on a south-facing door in Florida can warp a section that a light one would not. Check what the manufacturer says about maximum darkness before choosing.
Open or closed while it dries?
Closed, and painted in sections with the door down, so you are not painting the joints open and then closing them together. Pick a day that is dry and not baking — paint that skins in the sun before it flows leaves brush marks you cannot sand out of a panel.