With the lockdown looking likely to stay in place a while longer and the excellent weather permitting, there probably isn’t a better time than now to commit to doing household and renovations tasks you’ve been putting off. Adding a fresh lick of paint to a garage door can transform the way your house looks.

Google searches for ‘how to paint a garage door’ have soared by 247 percent in the last two months, according to data from SEMrush.

Olga Andrienko, Head of Global Marketing at SEMrush says: “Public concerns about going to the shops, combined with increased free time spent at home and an unusual spell of sunny weather are combining to encourage people to make the most of their gardens while also limiting their social exposure.

“In this period of high stress and blitz spirit across the nation, these stats show that many are increasingly turning to tending their back gardens and seeking to become more self-sufficient.

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Most garage doors are made of metal, and require specific types of paints, so bear this in mind when choosing your colour.

Some garage doors when new come ready primed, so if you are painting a new door it will be a matter of applying a metal or garage door paint on top of the primer coat with however many coats are recommended by the brand.

Other garage doors when new are galvanized, and normal metal paint will not adhere galvanized metal.

This leads to the paint peeling off in flakes, so it is not recommended that you paint these doors.

However, if you have pre-primed new metal doors or doors that have been previously painted, you’re good to go.

Here is a guide on how to paint your garage door:

Preparation

First you need to give the metal doors a thorough scrub with soapy water and a clean cloth.

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Remove all stains from the doors as they may alter the colour of the finished paint.

Once that’s done, scrub the entire surface, wipe with a clean cloth to remove any residue that may remain from cleaning.

Then degrease the door with sugar soap and allow to dry.

If you are painting over a previously painted garage door then a light sanding is required along with the same degreasing process.

Priming

If the door has been primed or it has been previously painted then you can skip this step.

If the door has not been previously primed, then apply at least one coat of metal primer to the entire metal door and frame.

Use the metal primer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Allow the primer to dry before going any further, which can take up to eight hours.

Painting the doors and frame

The same with painting a wall: it is not a good idea to put a top coat straight on top of a previous old topcoat, so use an undercoat first.

Open the paint tin and stir to ensure the colour is even.

Reapply several coats of paint until the metal is completely coloured, with no metal shining through.

Make sure to allow each coat of paint to dry before you apply the next.

Use a good quality metal gloss paint and allow enough time for completely drying between each coat.

Several thin coats are better than one thick one, as thin coats take less time to dry.

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