How to Paint a Garage Door

Our Weathershield paint is designed to withstand all weather conditions, but it needs to dry properly before its effects can really begin, so undertake the project of painting your garage door on a dry day that’s between 8 and 25 degrees Celsius to ensure your paint dries quickly. You should also lay down dust sheets prior to painting to avoid staining the floor with paint drips.

The key to getting a pristine finish is coating all of the door’s nooks and crannies with paint, thoroughly. The only way to do this properly is by using a paint brush rather than a roller, as the bristles let you get into difficult areas that a roller would not. StartPaint from the top of your door and work your way downwards to the bottom in vertical strokes to catch drips and allow for stray splatters to be covered evenly.

With the right products that are specifically suited to exteriors, and our expert know-how, painting your garage door is far easier than you’d think and takes no time at all, and you’ll enjoy the results for years to come.

• Dust sheet or old bedsheets you no longer use
• Step ladder, if needed, for reaching the top of the door
• Mask
• Goggles
• Flat scraper
• Coarse sandpaper
• Sugar soap
• Sponge
• Masking tape
• Paint brush
• Dulux Trade Weathershield Preservative Primer + (BP), if painting onto wood
• Dulux Primer & Undercoat for Multi Surfaces, if working on bare metal
• Dulux Weathershield Quick Dry Undercoat
• Dulux Weathershield Exterior Gloss or Dulux Weathershield Exterior Satin

First, place your dust sheet down and put on your mask and goggles because this is a messy step. Your existing garage door paint is probably looking a little worse for wear, so start getting rid of the old paint with the flat scraper.

To ensure your fresh Dulux garage door paint adheres properly to the surface, give the door a full sand down with your coarse sandpaper. Be rigorous with your sanding, and open the door and sand the edges down too. Then take your sugar soap and a sponge and give the door a good and thorough clean to remove any grit and dirt, so that you aren’t left with a bumpy and uneven finish. 

As well as having the dust sheet in place on the ground, you should also be careful to protect handles and other hardware on the door from the primer and paint. Do this by taking your masking tape and covering those areas.  

If painting onto bare wood, paint two even coats of the wood primer Dulux Weathershield Exterior Preservative Primer – leaving the first to dry until touch-dry before starting with the second – and then leave them to dry for 24 hours before moving onto step 6.

If you are not working on bare wood, move straight onto the next step for other surfaces including metal.

Dulux Weathershield undercoat helps to thoroughly set the topcoat for a long-lasting finish, to avoid cracks, staining and other weather-induced damage. Once you’ve picked your colour and ensured there’s no rain forecast, grab a clean paintbrush and start applying the undercoat.

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.

For wood surfaces, once the primer is dry, use our Dulux Weathershield Quick Dry Undercoat.  One layer might be enough, but apply a second coat if you feel your door needs it. Wait for two to four hours for the undercoat layer(s) to dry before moving on to a topcoat.

Top tip: Begin with the corners and edges by opening the garage door, before moving on to the front of the door once those areas have dried, and coat it thoroughly.

Now that your undercoat is dry, it’s time for the finishing touch: painting your exterior topcoat. Not only is the paint guaranteed for six years of weather protection, but it also prevents problems like mould staining and cracking due to its formula’s flexibility. Paint your first layer of our Dulux Weathershield Exterior Gloss. Wait a few hours for it to dry, before going in with your second coat if you’re using a darker shade – lighter hues should only need one coat.

If you’re tempted to tackle the rest of your home’s exteriors, check out our guide to tackling brick and masonry painting for more inspiration.