How To Paint A Wooden Garage Door?

There are quite a few ways to paint a wooden garage door, but using a paint sprayer is the least time-consuming. As with all paint jobs, you should focus most of your time and energy on prep work because this lays the foundation for any good paint job.

What Is The Best Way To Paint A Garage Door?

Be sure to clean the surface of your wooden garage door thoroughly and then use either oil-based or latex based primer in preparation for new paint. Always use the highest quality of acrylic exterior paint on your garage door for best results.

1. Use a scraper to remove peeling, flaking paint. If any of the wood is rotten, scrape it off. Use exterior caulk to fill in any cracks, seams and damage. In areas where wood has become rotten and has been removed, use wood filler. Allow it to dry and then sand it smooth.
2. Once you have done your prep work, sand the entire garage door to create a smooth surface for painting.
3. Use a degreasing cleaner and then apply a mildewcide. This will help prevent future mildew problems.
4. Following cleaning, rinse the door thoroughly and let it dry completely.
5. Put drop cloths on the surface below the garage door. Mask off any areas you do not want paint.
6. Fill your paint sprayer with the primer you have chosen. Apply the paint by sweeping back and forth evenly holding the sprayer about 1 foot from the surface of the door. Use overlapping strokes.
7. Lift the door about a foot to prevent the painted seams from sticking. Let the primer dry for the amount of time that is recommended by the manufacturer.
8. While you are waiting, clean the primer out of the spray gun and the hose. If you do if you have used a water-based latex primer, you can simply do this using water. If you’ve chosen oil-based primer, you’ll need to use paint thinner.
9. Fill your paint sprayer with the paint you have chosen. Use the procedure described above to apply your first coat of paint. Let the paint dry thoroughly and apply your second coat if desired.

Tip: It is better to apply several light coats of paint than one thick one. The thick coat of paint is much more likely to drip into peel.

What Kind Of Paint Do You Use On A Wooden Garage Door?

Although you can use an oil-based primer, it’s really better to use a latex based primer. Additionally, latex based paint generally has better results than oil-based paints. Oil-based paints tend to highlight flaws in wood, but latex based paints tend to cover them.

Clean up and disposal of latex based paint is also quite a bit simpler than that of oil based paint. Oil based paints are quite toxic and hazardous to people, wildlife and the environment as described in this handout from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Do You Have To Sand A Garage Door Before Painting?

It’s always a good idea to sand any surface that you’re planning to paint. It makes a better surface for receiving the paint. The good news is that with your garage door, you will not need to do the kind of intensive sanding job you might do on woodwork.

Can You Paint A Garage Door With A Roller?

You can use a roller, a paintbrush or a sprayer to apply latex paint to your garage door. The choice is really up to you; however a sprayer is quicker than the other two methods.

Painting A Garage Door – Two Videos

These two videos show two distinct methods for painting your garage door. The first provides information for the basic steps needed to perform a basic paint job.

The second video gives step-by-step instructions on making your any garage door look like a nice wooden door. If you are looking for more painting tips – here is our guide on how to do your paint works when it’s raining outside.