If you have a metal or wood door, you can add a coat of paint to freshen up the look of your home. The team here at Neighborhood Garage Door of San Antonio has put together a quick guide to help you get started on this weekend project. Here’s what you need to do to paint garage doors.
1. Clean The Door
To start with, you will need to really clean your door. A simple wipe down is not enough, because the outside of your house gets hammered with dirt and grime. You’ll need a cleaner and soft cloth to go over the door. If you have a wood door, make sure you use a cleaner that is approved for that surface. Otherwise, an all-purpose cleaner will work.
If there is an area that has dirt or grease caked on, spray the cleaner on it and allow it to soak. Then come back and wipe over it again until it is gone.
2. Remove Old Paint
If your door has been painted before, make sure you remove any old loose paint. Go over the area with a stiff bristled brush or metal brush. The more paint you can remove, the longer lasting the job will be.
3. Apply Primer
Before you apply the color you picked out for your door, make sure you use a primer. It can be tempting to skip this step and go straight for the color. However, your garage door is exposed to extreme weather and needs to be primed before you paint it.
Make sure you allow your primer to dry completely before you coat it with the final color. This could take anywhere from 12-24 hours. Look at the directions on the primer you purchase for an hour minimum.
If there is any rust on your door, use a primer that has zinc phosphate in it. This type of primer will likely need 16 hours to dry.
4. Paint the Final Color
Once you’ve given the primer time to dry, you can go over it with your final color. Depending on how thick the paint is, you may need to add a second coat. If you are doing two coats, let the first coat completely dry.
Tips For Painting
If you are going to paint your door, we have a few additional tips for you:
- Use a high-quality paint
- Wear safety goggles and gloves when you are scraping paint
- Cover the windows with a plastic bag
- Don’t paint your door when the sunlight is shining directly on it, because it will heat up the surface
- Use a razor blade to scrape off paint that gets on the windows
Since you’ll need to give yourself a day for the primer to dry, it is best to start the project on Saturday morning before the sun comes up. Then you are able to apply the first coat of color on Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon, you can put the second coat on and you’ll be done for the weekend.
Call For Garage Door Repair
If your garage door needs to be repaired, the team here at Neighborhood Garage Door Repair of San Antonio can help you. We’ll send one of our technicians out to evaluate your problems and provide you with a solution.
Call us now so we can get your work done. If you are planning a painting project, be sure to call us for repairs ahead of time.
