Painting Garage Doors

[HillStreet]

I wish to paint my garage doors to match the house trim. They are 2 years old, steel, with factory painted white finish. I want to paint them off-white. Exterior paint on the house siding and trim is Sherwin Williams Duration. If you know that paint, it is latex with its own primer, and it is thick.

This paint is too thick for the garage doors. I need to find a new paint that is thinner and flows on better. Any suggestions?

 

[EddieWalker]

If it was me, I would spray it. I guess you don't have a sprayer, so my next choice would be to go to Sherwin Williams and tell them what you are trying to do. They have thinners that you can add to the paint to make it look better if you roll it. What is most important is that you get the right type of paint to adhere to what you already have. Are they metal doors with a baked on finish? Or wood doors with either a latex or an oil based finish?

 

[HillStreet]

Eddie, doors are metal with baked on finish. The door finish is good, no scratches or peeling. I don't think Duration is the right paint for this job because it is just too thick. I need another type of paint so I will go to Sherwin. I just thought that this site has been so good that I'd try here first.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've seen metal doors like that peal because the wrong paint and lack of prep work. This is why it's important to talk to the people who sell the paint.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

If it was me, I would spray it. I guess you don't have a sprayer, so my next choice would be to go to Sherwin Williams and tell them what you are trying to do. They have thinners that you can add to the paint to make it look better if you roll it. What is most important is that you get the right type of paint to adhere to what you already have. Are they metal doors with a baked on finish? Or wood doors with either a latex or an oil based finish?

Eddie is right, if you want to roll on the paint, add floetrol to the paint. I t slows down the drying time so the paint will lay flatter while curing. It will give you a very professional look when done,

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Eddie, doors are metal with baked on finish. The door finish is good, no scratches or peeling. I don't think Duration is the right paint for this job because it is just too thick. I need another type of paint so I will go to Sherwin. I just thought that this site has been so good that I'd try here first.

Don't worry about the paint being too thick, add the flotroel, you will be amazed.

 

[ray66v]

Pressure wash them, if there is any dirt, or chalkiness.

Don't paint them in the sun, or the heat of the day.

You can use Floetrol, although I have not found it necessary, if you can heed the above warnings.

Duration is fine. I use a lot of it. You can add a little water to thin it, if you have trouble getting it to spray nice.

Garage doors usually have textured finishes, so you can brush, and roll them, and end up with a just as nice a finish as if you sprayed it. Provided, you know how to paint.

 

[marchanna]

Paints made my CIL tend to have a lower build with high opacity, so i think these would be your best bet. Use either a grey primer, or a primer tinted to match, so that you can get away with one primer coat and one top coat.

Lower build paints are getting harder to find these days. I think it's because it's trendy now to have these super viscous paints. I don't particularly like them.

 

[Deere Dude]

I just painted my house and garage man doors by spraying with a HVLP sprayer from harbor freight. I just lightly sanded a sprayed with oil base Rustoleum paint and they turned out great.

 

[HillStreet]

I am thinking that I might rent a sprayer for this job. Prep will be easy, I'll just wash with TSP and a stiff brush. The factory finish is solid as the doors are pretty new.