The garage door is among the most used moving parts of a house. It is constantly exposed to the elements, opened and closed regularly, and often scratched, banged and worn down with use. If you don’t do anything to maintain your garage door from year to year, you’re likely going to need to replace it prematurely. The most effective way of maintaining your timber garage door is regularly applying for a new paint job.
In order to ensure your paint job goes smoothly, always look at a weather forecast to be sure that no rain is forecast in the near future. If possible, it’s also a good idea to avoid excessively hot or cold days for painting.
Before you begin painting your garage door, you must first give it a good and thoroughly clean. With an all-purpose cleaner, remove any dust and dirt, and then rinse off the door with your garden hose. Make sure your door is completely dry before beginning the process of painting.
Stripping the door
In order for your paint job to be smooth and clean, it’s necessary to first remove all the old paint and rust. Sand off the old paint either by hand or with an electrical sander, and then use a paint scraper to get rid of any rust. There are also chemicals that you can use to help loosen paint from the door, though they’re often not necessary. Make sure you wear a mask and safety goggles during the entire process, especially if you use chemicals. You can adjust the door up and down manually to reach all areas. Don’t forget to thoroughly clean the bottom rim where the door contacts the ground.
Painting
If there are any areas of the door you don’t want to paint or if you want to paint in different colours, begin by applying tape to the areas that you want to avoid. Put down cloth under the door to protect the ground.
Depending on the type of surface, you’ll need to first apply a primer, particularly if you’re changing the colour of your garage door. The primer can be applied with a roller and then a brush for any harder to reach crevices. Some paints come with a primer already built-in, in which case this step is unnecessary.
Using a paint that is designed for outdoor use, completely paint the garage door with a roller. Make sure it is smooth and even. You can adjust the door up and down to reach every area. It’s important to get a full coat done in each sitting to ensure colours come out correctly. For light colours in particular it’s often necessary to apply a second coat of paint, but only once the first has thoroughly dried. When painting two coats, it’s a good idea to paint the first horizontally and the second vertically for a highly professional look.
