8 Tips for Painting Your Garage Doors

Your garage doors are both fashionable and functional features of your house exterior. As such, they require proper maintenance and care. If you’ve never painted a garage door before, you might have some reservations. After all, unlike your siding, patio, or deck, these features move and often contain panels and hinges that require some precise maneuvering. With the right technique, though, you can paint these doors like a pro. Here are eight tips for painting your garage doors.

1. Clear Out the Garage

This might be a no-brainer, but the less cluttered your garage, the better. It’s unlikely that you’ll get any paint on your vehicles and other items, but why risk it? Plus, this is a great opportunity to clear out your garage if you’ve been putting it off for a while. At the very least, move your vehicles outside for the duration of this home painting project.

2. Clean Your Doors

The best paint jobs begin with a clean surface, and your garage doors are no exception. That said, this process will take some time, as you’ll perform this task manually. You might be tempted to use a pressure washer to speed up the process, but doing so can damage your doors. To be safe, clean your doors using a sponge or cloth soaked in warm soapy water, then rinse it with a normal hose and blot it dry.

3. Put Up a Shield

Paint jobs can get messy. If you want to avoid getting paint on your siding, driveway, roof, or gutters, cover these areas accordingly. Lay down drop cloths underneath the door and then create a sort of awning around the doors using masking tape and 12-inch paper.

4. Spraying is Often the Way

Any application method will do for painting your garage doors, but many exterior painting services will recommend spraying as it’s faster and gets into those tight areas that rollers and brushes struggle to reach. Just keep in mind that paint particles can easily end up where they don’t belong when sprayed. Be mindful of your technique and wear protective items like a face mask and goggles.

5. Get All the Angles

Most garage doors are paneled, lacking a flat surface. Because of this, you need to work a bit harder to ensure you cover every inch of the doors. One way to go about this is by spraying the doors left to right and then up and down. You may still manage to miss certain areas on the face, so make sure you go over it thoroughly.

6. Brush Trim to Be Cautious

While you might use a sprayer for the majority of the job, make sure you have a small and/or medium brush on hand, too. You’ll want to have a more precise tool to paint any trim or touch up smaller areas towards the end.

7. Lift Up Doors to Dry

Once your garage doors are completely and evenly covered, it’s time to let them dry. To speed up the process and protect the wet paint from insects, carefully lift the doors so they’re facing upward towards the garage’s ceiling. Of course, if your ceiling is dirty and caked in dust and dirt, you might want to keep your doors down. Otherwise, debris might land directly on the wet paint.

8. Lower Down Section by Section to Fill Gaps

After the doors have dried, there is still some work to do. The gaps between each section of the doors should be painted as well. You can easily access these gaps by partially lifting your doors so the seam is open. Do this for each section until they’re all covered. If the cracks are too high to see, use a ladder to help.

Freshly painted garage doors enhance your home’s curb appeal and keep your garage well-protected. If you’re not sure you’ll get the job done right, hire Nashville painters you can trust. Nash Painting makes homes beautiful inside and out. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!