Painting Your Garage Door? Don't Make These 3 BIG Mistakes
Posted on: 11 January 2017
That old garage door you have in place may work just fine, but with a worn finish and plenty of scars, it is definitely not serving up any curb appeal for your home. If you are like most homeowners, you will try to take the DIY route and paint the garage door on your own because this is one project that appears fairly simple. However, there is actually room for a lot of error when painting a garage door. Make sure you avoid these mistakes if you decide to paint your garage door.
Mistake: Not properly cleaning and preparing the garage door before painting it.
You will be amazed at just how much grease, grime, and dirt is accumulated on the surface of your garage door when you get ready to get started painting. Plus, the old finish may be bubbling, cracking, or chipping away. It is highly important to thoroughly clean the surface of the door before you get started painting. If you don't the new paint application will have a hard time adhering to the surface.
Mistake: Applying too much paint to the door and getting it in between the hinged sections.
If you try to apply heavy coats of paint and it drips and slips into the hinges of the garage door, you are bound to see some issues with how smoothly the door opens and shuts. The paint will make the hinges sticky, so they will not be able to freely move when the door is opening and closing and even the paint can cause the hinged sections to stick together. You have to be extremely careful not to spill excess paint into the hinged areas between each door panel as you paint.
Mistake: Not giving the door adequate drying time before using it.
Once you have finished up the painting project, it is best to let the door sit idle for a day or two so the paint has enough time to cure. If the paint is even slightly wet when you use the door for the first time, you will end up with ugly scars, scratches, and scrapes because the door rubs against different components when it is opened and closed.
In the end, painting a garage door may look like a simple and straightforward process, but can be much more complicated than you expect. Talk to a residential exterior painting contractor for more helpful advice or to have your garage door painted by companies like Artios Painting.
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