Priming your garage door allows the paint to adhere to the surface more consistently and evenly, regardless of the material type you're painting. Priming also helps prevent premature flaking and peeling of the topcoat. In addition, primer is essential if you're making a drastic color change over your previous color.
Generally, garage doors do not need to be primed before painting. Most paints today specify that they are a paint + primer combo, so that should be enough.
Painting Steel Garage Doors
Lightly buff or sand imperfections found on your garage door. Visually inspect your garage door for exposed metal. Apply primer designed to protect galvanized steel from rusting. Allow primer time to dry per manufacturer's instructions.
Since garage walls are already painted, just prime areas where repairs were done, then proceed with painting. Priming is important for sealing in oils, soils, and stains and prepping walls for good paint adhesion.
A high-quality acrylic latex primer or a direct-to-metal (DTM) primer is best suited for metal surfaces. These primers ensure proper paint adhesion and provide a protective layer that prevents rust.
Another common mistake is not using a primer. A primer helps to prepare the surface for the coats of paint. It provides a barrier between the door and the topcoat and helps improve the adhesion of the pigments to the door. Without a primer, your paint job is likely to be short-lived.
To help you get the best finish on your door, you need to get rid of blistering, flaking or bubbling paint. Use a flat scraper to remove the old paint so the surface is smooth. For the rest of the door, use a piece of 180 grit sandpaper and quickly rub down the surface. Open the door and do the same to the edges.
Without primer, paint will absorb into the surface instead of forming a film on top. This can cause patchy, uneven color that requires even more coats of paint.
Although each surface and base color will be different, it's a safe bet that two coats of primer will achieve any priming goals you have.
The best paint finish for your garage door is gloss or semi-gloss. Because these finishes dry hard, they protect your paint from scratches and scuffs. Glossy paint also holds up very well in humid or wet climates and wipes down easily for very low maintenance.
Indeed, you can. Primed doors are ready to be painted the minute they've arrived. Now: White primed internal doors are the most common.
If you are painting a wood or metal garage door, consider an exterior acrylic paint such as Aura® Exterior or Regal® Select Exterior High Build. If you want an exterior stain for your wooden garage door, consider Woodluxe® Exterior Stains.
A standard two-car garage door will only require about a gallon of paint. Of course, this depends on how many coats you put on (two is recommended) and the color you choose. Lighter colors may require more coats to ensure proper coverage.
Since garage doors have a fairly large surface area, you might want to use a foam roller for faster application and a smooth finish. Of course, if your garage door has any panels or glass, then you'll want to paint around these areas with a brush.
Priming your garage door allows the paint to adhere to the surface more consistently and evenly, regardless of the material type you're painting. Priming also helps prevent premature flaking and peeling of the topcoat. In addition, primer is essential if you're making a drastic color change over your previous color.
When you begin to notice the paint on your garage door is chipping and flaking apart, it is time for a new paint job. If left untreated, a garage door exposed to the elements can take on rain water and become warped from the hot sun. When the wood is compromised, it deteriorates.
With a choice between two of the most common finishes — flat and satin paint — which do you choose? Overall, a satin finish is the more practical choice for your garage because it is easier to clean and best for high-traffic areas.
How Do I Paint Over Painted Walls? If the wall is in good condition and the paints are chemically the same (both latex, for instance), you have a few options when the new paint is the opposite shade of the old paint. You can use a primer to thoroughly cover the old color, then apply 1 or 2 coats of the new paint.
Above all else, self-priming paint is designed to eliminate the need for primer. It is typically thicker than average paint, with a higher concentration of solids to help cover blemishes, leave a more robust finish and ultimately make the process quicker and easier.
In general, the only time a primer is not needed is if you're re-painting a surface that's in good condition. Your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams paint expert can provide additional advice about selecting and applying the right primer for your project.
For metal garage doors, our two-in-one Dulux Primer & Undercoat for Multi Surfaces combines priming and your undercoat, so all you need to do is apply two coats of this and allow two hours for the undercoat to dry before moving on to step 7 and painting your Dulux Weathershield topcoat.
Consider using reputable oil primers like Zinsser Coverstain or Benjamin Moore Fresh Start. Oil-based primers help you paint a garage door without sticking and have been proven to help prevent sticking while offering durability, making them ideal for high-use surfaces like garage doors.
With your door nice and clean, the next step is to coat it with primer. Priming is a key step in getting paint to stick to the metal surface, so it's important not to miss this.