Diagnosing Garage Door Trouble

How To Paint Your Garage Doors For A Faux Wood Look

8 December 2015 by Stacey Howell

Custom wood garage doors are not cheap, but they sure are gorgeous. They can add value to your home, as well as up the aesthetic appeal to any home. If a custom wood door is just not in your budget (like most people), you can opt to turn your plain garage door into a faux wood door all by yourself with some paint and a handful of other tools. See below for instructions on how to create this faux wood look.

Here's What You'll Need:

• 1 quart gel stain that covers metal, wood and fiberglass (in your stain color choice)
• Paint brushes
• Drop cloth
• Painters tape (unless you have a steady hand)
• Power washer

Instructions:

1. You'll want to deep clean your old garage door to get rid of dirt and to help even out the surface of your door. Use a power washer to do this. It'll strip the old color and even out the surface better than your garden hose.
2. Allow the garage door to dry for 24 hours, then you can begin the painting project.
3. Because the gel stain dries fairly quickly, be sure not to work in direct sunlight (as this will just speed the drying process even more).
4. Work in small sections and paint the gel stain along the grain of your garage door. Paint the gel stain evenly to give an even coating all across your door.
5. When finished, allow the first coat to dry and apply a second coat until you get the desired look you are trying to achieve (lighter colored garage doors may need more than one coating).

That's all there is to it. The gel stain looks very much like faux wood and the grain of the door itself helps achieve this look as well. To give your garage door an even more decorative look, you can add hardware such as wrought iron handles, hinges and other wrought iron decorative accessories. This helps to give your newly faux wood painted doors a carriage house look or a Tuscan-inspired look. This faux wood door is sure to fool your neighbors and passerby's into thinking you've installed a new wood garage door. 

If your garage door is not in good enough shape to paint over it, as it has dents or other damage, it may be time to purchase a new door. Invest in a plain door that you can still paint over if you prefer.

To learn more, contact a garage door company like Howard's Overhead Doors Inc.

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