Have you been following along with my home exterior renovation on Instagram?! I am having so much fun taking our boring 90’s home exterior and transforming it into something beautiful and fresh! ✨ Today I’m sharing a step-by-step tutorial for how to paint your garage door. This is such an easy, beginner friendly project that has a huge impact on your curb appeal!
🎨 Supplies You’ll Need:
- Exterior paint (I used Mt. Etna by Sherwin Williams in Satin Exterior)
- Drill brush attachment
- Drill
- Drop cloth
- Paintbrush for edges / between panels
- 3/4″ nap paint roller
- Water Hose
💦 Step 1: Clean the Door
Our garage door is 32 years old so I used a scrub brush drill attachment and water to get the excess dirt off. There was actually a lot of it.. and this part was really satisfying! The drill brush attachment saves SO much time! I just sprayed water on the door and scrubbed it in sections. (I didn’t use soap or anything)
🛑 Step 2: Prep Work
You can tape off any edges, weatherstripping, trim, or handles you don’t want painted.. but I just free handed it. Definitely lay a drop cloth underneath the door to protect your driveway, though. Paint doesn’t really come off concrete easily!
🎨 Step 3: Paint!
Use your roller for the larger flat sections and your brush to cut in around trim edges and panels. You’ll have to open your garage door to get in the panel edges – I recommend starting with the top panel edge and working your way down! I needed two coats.
I painted the frame as well to really make the door feel like a statement.
Pro tip: My painter told me not to paint in direct sun.. it dries too fast and can leave streaks. Cloudy days are perfect! Although when my kid is napping, anything goes. 😜
💡 Real-Life Notes:
- This took me one evening + nap time the next day to complete.
- If your garage door has deep paneling, take your time with the brush. I only needed my 3/4″ nap to roll the indents, so that made it go faster.
- I used a satin finish for a subtle sheen that’s wipeable but not too glossy – it’s the same sheen I used on our front door.
🏠 Final Thoughts:
Painting your garage door is SO worth the effort. It made our entire exterior feel fresh, modern, and intentional.. and it cost me less than $100 in supplies!!
If you’ve been staring at your garage door thinking, “Is it really that bad?” – this is your SIGN. It doesn’t need to be a massive makeover to make a massive impact.
You’ve got this!!! 💪
Be sure to follow along on Instagram to watch the whole house remodel come together! Next up – staining the front porch wood and adding thin brick to the porch floor. 😍
