In this video I tackle a project that will dramatically improve the curb appeal of my home. Today I’m painting my garage doors. This is a one-day project and is very simple, so if it’s on your to-do list, I hope documenting my process will help you gain confidence and motivation. Let’s get into it.
Let’s repaint the garage!
Things I used to upgrade my garage door
- paint
- Dish soap
- scrub brush
- Self stick drab
- Paint sprayer
Step 1: Prepare garage doors for painting by removing hardware
First, let me give you a clear view of my setup. I have two doors and I started removing everything I could in front of it and then used my blower to get all the dirt and loose grass out of there. I don’t want air to blow on the doors when the paint is wet.
Then I started removing things I didn’t want to draw….like the keyboard. In most of them, you remove the battery door and there is a screw to loosen the thread.
Next I started removing the hardware. These guys are just decorative metal straps installed. However, after the first step I stopped because the next step was to thoroughly clean the doors, and I thought that if I left the appliances on, I would get a good clean at the same time.
Step 2: Clean the doors
Well, don’t judge me for how dirty these doors are. I never thought I would wash my garage doors, but it’s been added to my regular to-do list now! For this step, I used a bucket with some dawn soap. I recommend purchasing a cleaning brush with a handle to make it easier. In fact, this device can be connected to a hose which is pretty cool. Although I did not use this feature. I made sure to weather it back to white as well because that will take paint but the paint won’t stick to anything with dirt on it.
After scrubbing, I followed up with a good rinse to remove all the soap before I started taking all the hardware off. Now I had to clean the spots behind the device when I removed it so you could make the call if you wanted to leave it on or not. Be careful if you operate the holes with your bare hands as some will dull the metal from the hole punch.
After that I dried it. You can use a blower or a cloth, you just want a nice dry surface for the tape and paint to adhere to. But a tip is to raise the door to a good working height instead of lowering it too low when you don’t have to.
Step 3: Protect the house from paint
Okay, now let’s protect the house. Although I hate the color of this stone, I don’t want it blue. You can pick up a roll of this awesome sticky plastic that has tape already built into the top. This way, all you have to do is unfold it and stick it where you want. My plan is to paint the door and weatherboard the same color but then paint the trim a different color. I mask off starting about the middle of the cut so I don’t have to worry about accuracy. This means I will overspray paint on the pieces and then paint over them later.
Right now, I’m taking this roll all the way until I reach the bottom. It’s very quick and easy. I cut off the excess, then open the curtain. Know that this length of pull comes in different sizes. You want at least 12 inches to protect your home. My shop only has 18 inches, that’s why my shop is bigger. It does a great job of self-adhering to things like this stone but you can always use a few pieces of masking tape as well to make sure it doesn’t come off while you’re painting.
While removing the tape I went to the underside of the door and masked off the bottom gasket. Again, lift the door so I can work while standing instead of crouching down…..I first make sure the gasket is completely dry but then use exterior masking tape to stick directly to the start of the garage door.
Step Four: Protecting concrete from paint
Well, we have the house, the gasket is protected, and the last thing to protect is the concrete. I always keep a large sheet of cardboard in my garage for situations like this. She grabbed it and placed it on the edge of the door. If you don’t have a large sheet of paper like…
This and then taping some boxes together will also work. Or put another strip of plastic wrap.
Step 5: Start painting the garage door
And it all leads to drawing. Preparation is 90% of this job but it is what will determine a good, solid finish so don’t skimp on it. I will be using my Wagner Control Pro 170 to spray on my paint but I know an HVLP like a 3500 or even a roller like an ez roller will work too. I quickly set up my gun, which is nice and simple, and then placed the one-gallon container of paint inside a 10-gallon bucket. This is just in case if I hit it, I don’t get paint all over my driveway.
Then I started spraying! I chose the vertical orientation because the panels on my doors have those vertical lines, but whichever direction you go, you want to aim for a 50% overlap. If you do this, you should only need one coat of paint. It took less than 3 minutes per side with my sprayer. If you’re interested in getting airless, I’d definitely recommend checking out the Wagner 170.
It features highly efficient airless technology that reduces overspray by up to 55% compared to traditional airless sprayers while delivering a smoother spray, improving control and providing a more consistent finish. It’s the perfect addition for the homeowner who wants to save money by doing jobs himself instead of hiring a contractor.
Tip: Immediately after you finish drawing, lift the door up! This way it will dry flat and if you spray it a little thickly, the paint won’t bleed.
Oh, I forgot to take any kind of paint. It’s nothing special. Any latex exterior paint will work great.
Step 6: Paint the garage door
After letting that dry completely, I peeled off the plastic around the doors and then began the final painting step of painting the trim. At this point, you’ll see me skipping over all that blue spray in the previous step. I applied this with a roller and the only thing to really note is that I personally left the weather stripping and trim piece blue but another option is that you can lift up the garage door when painting the trim and paint it all to match the trim instead.
conclusion
Let us stand and admire the change. Man, this stone is even creepier now haha, but doing something with it can be added to the list. I definitely like the blue more than the pale beige, and what a simple process for such a drastic change. If you have some garage doors that need refurbishing, I hope this video inspires you to tackle this problem next weekend.
See you in my next project. Check out the plans listed on my website to get inspiration for your next project!
