The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Painting a Garage Door

“Paint your garage door black!”

Yes, a set of black garage doors might look fantastic and edgy, but if you live in a warm climate – or in a place that has warm summers – you’re going to turn your garage into an oven because black absorbs heat like no other color. Not only that, but you’ll be repainting your garage doors in no time, considering how quickly that black paint will fade and weather compared to other colors.

“Any color you want is fine.”

Sure, any color is fine – if you don’t mind looking like a family of clowns lives in your home. Clashing colors can lead to a major eyesore, so don’t just choose any color you think would be nice. Get some small samples of the color and hold them up against your door, take a few steps back, and imagine the entire door that color.

“Any type of paint will do.”

There’s a reason there are different types of paint. Some types of garage door material, like wood or metal, don’t respond well to certain types of paint – so if you don’t want a ruined or ghastly-looking paint job, match the type of door with the right type of paint.

“Your door’s already chipping or smooth? Don’t bother to sand.”

This one is great –if you like making your life harder down the line. Skipping out on sanding your door will just make more work for yourself later if you just paint over the current paint when it’s showing through to the base surface or it’s started to chip.

“Who needs to measure? Just eyeball it.”

You can “eyeball” it for sure, if you don’t mind going back to the hardware store to buy more paint when you inevitably run out. Make it easier on yourself and buy a bit more than you need so you can cover the whole door at once.

“No need for more than one coat of paint.”

A lot of people think that “a good coat of paint” is enough for everything, but this simply isn’t true in the majority of situations. You’ll need at least two coats of lighter-colored paint when covering a darker tone, and while it seems counter-intuitive the reverse is true as well – so don’t skimp on that second coat.

“Your door will look cool with a design!”

Leave the door one solid color. Unless you want to give the impression that your door has been vandalized by a three-year-old graffiti artist – in that case, go ahead.

“Don’t bother washing it, just paint it.”

Not cleaning and drying the surface to be painted is a great way to watch your expensive paint run down the door. Paint doesn’t stick very well to dirty surfaces – or wet ones – so don’t try to cut corners.

“Got double doors? Paint each a different color.”

When you’ve got a two-car garage, you might be tempted to paint each of those side-by-side doors a different color, but you’re likely to get nothing but crossed eyes when looking at it after you’re done. Thankfully all you need is a bit more paint to cover up the offending color, so experiment if you want.

“Cheap paint, cheap brushes, who cares?”

You’ll care when you see the results. The deep brush marks left over by cheap brushes won’t thrill you in the least – and when a low-quality foam roller leaves some spots looking glossy and other parts looking more flat, you’ll notice the difference.

On top of that, using a low quality or cheap paint is going to leave you retouching or repainting the entire garage door sooner than if you used a more high-quality paint. It’s a waste of time – and money.

How To Actually Paint Your Garage Door Right

• Wait for a day with good weather that’s not too hot and not too cold. The label on your paint can will tell you the best range.
• Open automatic garage doors manually a few times after your paint is dry. Any paint that might have hardened in between the sections of your door could make it harder for your motor to operate or even burn it out.
• Use patience and let the first coat dry before you put the second one on. If you don’t, the paint on your door will be sticky forever because the base coat never cured properly.
• Open your garage door and lay a tarp down, then close your door again before beginning. It will make cleanup so much easier.
• Prime before painting if using an oil base over a latex one. If you’ve got stains on your garage door or if your new coat is latex and your old coat is oil-based, make sure you prime before painting.

In other words, don’t rush while you’re preparing to paint. It could easily be the difference between having to repaint your garage door in a week or having to repaint it in ten years.

A New Garage Door Might Be Even Better

Sometimes even the best coat of new paint isn’t enough to give your garage door a new lease on life. Garage doors only last so long – eventually it’s going to need to be replaced. If your door is looking a bit shabby because it was installed in the 1980s, a new door from Caspersen Garage Doors might be your best bet. We’re proud to provide GARAGA garage doors, some of the absolute best in the industry, and our dedicated staff will work with you to find the perfect door for your garage by showing you how to build your dream door online. We’ll make it even easier by providing you with a free quote – put down the paint roller and come on down!