Best Paint For Aluminum Garage Door

Which Paint Finish Gives The Best Uv Protection

Since UV rays cause paint to deteriorate and fade, the more UV light is allowed to be absorbed by the paint, the quicker the surface will begin to decline. To combat this, the more light that is reflected off the paints surface, the longer it will last, so, a semi-gloss or high-gloss paint finish will perform the best.

Garage Door Paint: The 6 Best Paints For Your Garage Door

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Garage door paint isnt like other, interior paint. Its got to be sturdy and able to survive the inevitable weathering that your garage door goes through. This is because it is used for an exterior purpose and it is therefore no good using some normal paint.

Luckily for you, Ive searched and found some of the best garage door paints out there for each type of garage door and for affordable prices. So, get your paintbrush ready and take a look, but first, should you even bother painting your garage door?

Remove Old Paint From The Metal Garage Door

You can use a good quality chemical paint stripper to remove the old paint from your garage door. Or you can simply use sandpaper. If you use a chemical stripper, you will need to sand the surface of the garage door afterwards to ensure all of the old paint has been removed. We would recommend investing in a cheap sander for this, youll use the sander in loads of different projects, and it will speed this process up a lot.

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Which Garage Door Paint To Go For

A clean and freshly painted garage door can make a world of difference to the whole structure. Whatever you use it for, whether its a workshop, somewhere for your washing machine or simply extra storage, its important that it looks nice to help contribute to the overall home aesthetic. Here are out picks for the best overall garage door paint as well as the best value choice.

Best Garage Door Paint Choose Hammerite Garage Door Paint for outright quality. Its a little more expensive than others you can choose from, but its money well-spent. Hammerite are recognised for producing exceptional metal-specific paint and the superb quality or their garage door paint meets that. Its long life and tremendously durable why settle for less?

Best Value Dulux Weather Shield Exterior has a great balance between the high quality youd expect from a brand like Dulux and a price point thats more than reasonable, especially relative to the other options available.

Can You Paint A Metal Garage Door

Now that we know that you can in fact paint a metal garage door, lets look at some of the dos and dont to ensure your hard work gives you great results.

Some new garage doors come already primed. This is nice because they already did the first step for you. Now its just a matter of applying garage door paint or paint designed for metal, on top of the primer. Keep in mind that if you purchase a new garage door and its been galvanized, metal paint wont adhere to it! Youll be left with a peeling mess after a few days. We recommend not painting galvanized doors. So today well be focusing on pre-primed metal garage doors or metal doors that have been previously painted.

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Cover Areas You Dont Want To Paint

Use a painters tape to cover the areas where splashes of paint might spread accidentally, such as the edges of the door. This little caution will save you from a lot of scrapping later on if the project gets messy.

Start lining up the tape at the top and apply it all the way down with accuracy. Make sure you get a painters tape with wide rolls. This will give you the maximum margin of error.

Best Garage Door Paints

A selection of the best, long-lasting garage door paints with the widest selection of colors for your topcoat include: HTV Home WeatherShield by Sherwin-Williams, Sherwin-Williams Duration, Behr Ultra Exterior Enamel and Benjamin Moore Aura. If your choice is white paint, or you can cope with limited color choices, add Kilz Siding, Fence & Barn Paint, Montage Signature and Zinsser Perma-White to your list of options. You can even find a garage floor paint to match for a total garage makeover.

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Purchase Too Much Garage Door Paint Rather Than Too Little

Its always best to err on the side of having leftover paint than running out and having to dash to the store for more in the middle of your project. That said, its still nice to have an idea of how much youre likely to need.

Primer is thinner than paint, so for a double garage door, youll need a quart of primer.

Because paint is thicker, and because youll need to do two coats, youll need more paint than primer. For a double garage door, youll need one gallon of topcoat paint. If you still havent decided what color to go with, check out our list of 9 Great Looking Garage Door Paint Ideas.

What Kind Of Primer To Use On Aluminum Garage Door

It is recommended that you thin oil-based primer just a little by mixing in some paint solvent according to the manufacturers instructions. Leave the primer to set for at least 24 hours. You can also use a spray primer suitable for aluminum but make sure to mask off areas that you do not want to be painted.

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Why Are Steel Doors So Popular

Ultimately, steel is the most popular type of garage door for many reasons. Steel doors are flexible, durable, and offer value for money.

They are available in a wide range of design options and provide a more practical and cheaper alternative to natural wood.

Compared to wooden garage doors, steel doors are a lot lighter and are a lot easier to maintain. They are more resistant to weather conditions and wont warp or crack like that of wood.

However, bear in mind that steel is susceptible to corrosion. Rusting along the bottom section of a steel garage door is particularly common in areas where salt is used for de-icing in the winter months.

Corrosion-resistant coatings are available to help with this but to preserve the life span of your door, wash it at least twice a year to remove build-ups of dirt.

How To Paint A Metal Garage Door Conclusion

If you have any questions about painting metal garage doors or just dont have the time to paint your door yourself, give PaintRite Pros a call. People live very busy lives and often prefer experts to take care of tasks they arent totally comfortable with. Our team of painting professionals will be happy to take care of all your painting needs for you. We have an excellent reputation across the entire Sacramento area because we love what we do and we want you to love it too. We have Spanish speakers if you prefer to speak in Espanol.

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Different Types Of Garage Doors

Before you start thinking about the new color you plan to paint your garage door it is important to determine what types of primer and paint will work best for your door.

Youll figure this out based on the type of material your garage door is made of.

There are three main types of garage doors:

Key Insight: Whether you are painting a steel or Aluminum garage door you must thoroughly research and follow a step-by-step guide without skipping any steps. Make sure you choose exterior paint that will fully protect your door from outside elements.

Picking The Best Paint For A Garage Door: The Chart

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Painting Aluminum Garage Door: Is It Necessary

Aluminum doors often come with a thin layer of zinc coatings. And this may make you wonder if an additional painting over this would be necessary.

Generally speaking, aluminum is quite rust-proof with an extra coating to act as a good barrier. Oxidation is, therefore, wont be a major concern.

Factory-produced coatings dont require much attention either. Oil-based paint, on the other hand, emits VOCs to some extent and is a bit hard to clean. Experts, therefore, do not suggest painting an aluminum garage door unless there is a sign of wear.

Having said that, harsh weather can bring several faded points on the door. A round of fresh paint will restore the appearance in this instance and will keep the door in good shape over the year.

Top Garage Door Paints

1. Rust-Oleum Universal Paint Satin Anthracite. The first paint on this list comes in 750mls and comes in an amazing variety of colours, fitting any garage door style. This satin paint is sure to give your garage door a clean, colourful appearance, and the watercolour paint type is ideal for facing any weathering such as rain or high humidity. I personally love the satin calm colour, but you really cant go wrong, the reviews definitely back me up on this one, a solid choice for the first paint on this list.

2. Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Latex Paint. This Hunter green, acrylic paint will give your garage door a smooth semi-gloss finish. Recommended for indoor and outdoor use for any material, this is a very versatile choice. Its water-base acrylic formula will help to make your garage door last years as it will help to resist against chip. Only taking 30 minutes to dry, just make sure you sand your garage door, wash it, dry it, and youre good to go.

5. True Value PDL2-HP PD 1/2-Pint Black Gloss Enamel. The next paint on this list is a bang for your buck, acrylic paint that uses enamel and watercolour to give your garage door a mix of protection and style. This paint is suitable for interior and exterior objects, with a durable finish and quick drying, its hard to fault this one. Youll also only need one coat of this paint for adequate coverage, while it is easy to wash with just soap and water.

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Priming And Painting The Garage Door

A good quality metal primer should be applied to the metal garage door before you paint. Most metal primers have excellent rust protection that will protect your garage door for many years.

Follow the instructions on the primer . Once the metal primer has dried fully, you can apply your chosen paint.

Apply thin coats, following the instructions on the can. Thin coats prevent drips and mean the paint dries quickly. Most metal paints require at least two coats for good coverage some require three or more.

That is how to paint a metal garage door. The process of painting a garage door isnt too difficult.

If you do all of the prep work, making sure you remove as much of the old paint as possible and wiping the door down to remove the dust, the painting process is nice and simple. But what paint should you use to paint a metal garage door? Lets look at paints now, shall we?

What paint should you use for metal and aluminium garage doors?

Here are our top three paints for metal garage doors and a great primer to use for painting garage doors. There are loads of exterior metal paints on the market, but these have given us great results over the years.

Hammerite garage door paint

Hammerite is the most recognisable brand of metal paint for good reason. Its metal paint is some of the best on the market.

The garage door paint they make prevents rust and is chip and flake resistant.

What Color Should The Trim Be

Garages usually have trim around them, and there are a couple of different things you can do with the trim. We recommend buying some sample-sized paints and trying them out to see which fits better.

• Paint the trim the same color as the house.
• Paint the trim the same color as the door.
• Paint the trim a lighter or darker color than the door.
• Paint the trim the same color as other trim on the home.

The last option is the one we most commonly see, but plenty of people go for the other options and have great results.

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Q: Should I Prepare My Garage Door Before Painting

Even if the paint you have bought specifically states that no prep is required, if you want the best results then you should spend a little time making sure the garage doors are prepped and ready to go. Its all pretty simple stuff too. The golden rule is to clean it. Make sure that garage door is sparkling before you crack the lid off the paint can. Use all the cleaning tools in your arsenal and get into all the grooves and corners. Ensure the door is crystal clean, and then make sure it is completely dry before you start to apply the paint. If this is the first coat on a bare surface consider using a primer to prep the surface for the paint. It will add to the paints durability and also give you a great finish. If youre painting over old paint, make sure it is not cracked or flaking. Lightly rub the surface with sandpaper from the finer end of the roughness scale to produce a roughed up surface that the new paint can bond too.

Should I Prime My Garage Door Before Painting

A bonding primer should be applied to your door surface first to help with the adhesion of the top coat of latex paint. Primers are recommended, but not always required so you will need to review the instructions and specifications on whatever paint products you choose. Here are some of the recommended primers:

• Sherwin Williams DTM Bonding Primer
• Sherwin-Williams Bond-Plex Acrylic Coating

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What Is The Best Kind Of Finish For An Aluminum Garage Door

If your aluminum garage door is in perfect condition, then a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish will work. If, on the other hand, the door has some dents, or scratches on it, then a satin finish would be best since it hides blemishes better than a gloss.

Looking to paint or re-paint your garage door? New York Gates operates in the entire tristate area. You can contact us at 1-718-614-0616 or e-mail info@nygates.com for more information today. Our trained garage door technicians have the expertise to troubleshoot and service your garage door, and we can identify any potential issues with it before a breakdown occurs.

What Is The Best Paint Finish For An External Door

For an external door, a semi-gloss finish is your best choice. It has more wear- and stain-resistance properties than satin or eggshell finishes while being just shiny enough to make cleaning easy. It will also do a slightly better job of masking any flaws in the doors surface than high-gloss paint.

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Clean The Garage Door Thoroughly

Once you have sanded the surface, youll want to thoroughly clean it with soapy water and a scrub brush. Cleaning the door will remove all the dust from the sanding and any dirt or debris that could get stuck under your new coat of paint.

Remember to wipe down the door with a dry cloth when you are done scrubbing. Youll want to paint on a clean and dry surface so the paint goes on evenly and adheres to the door.

Wood Vs Metal Garage Doors

If perhaps youre currently building a garage, or if you have one already but the doors are just too gone in terms of age that a simple coat of paint wont be enough to fix them, its worth considering the material your new doors will be built off. There are some pro and cons to both of these materials, so its worth considering them before you make your selection.

Weight Metal wins this one, hands down. It can just pack so much strength into a thinner layer that it really helps to keep the weight down. Bear the weight in mind because either you or the garage motor is going to have move it every day.

Life Span Metal takes it here too. A good metal door especially of steel or aluminum is better able to face up to the elements, especially rain and snow. Metal doors can be prone to rusting, but good garage paint will help to protect against that.

Aesthetics A wooden door is going to look better than a metal one in most instances. Wood is just such an appealing material to work with. As weve seen in the product list above there are also a lot more color options when it comes to wood garage door paint.

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