Do you want to revitalize your garage door with a brand new appearance? Many have been transforming your garage door with a classically rustic look using faux woodgrain finishes. If you want to do this yourself, you will need to follow a specific technique that’s somewhat different than normal painting. Here’s a guide from the experts at Garage Door Repair Chicago on how to make your metal or fiberglass garage door look like woodgrain.

What Tools you Need

• Two to three inch paintbrush
• Four to six inch paint roller
• Painting Tray
• Masking Tape Roll
• Rubber Gloves
• Rags or Paper Towels

Prep

First, sand off any rust from your garage. You will need to sand if you have glazed paint on your garage so that the stain can stick to the door properly. Then wash it with soap and water using a pressure washer, and scrub off any grease spots. Take off any PVC weather stripping around the door (if it’s attached to a wooden base, you can leave it, but simply apply the stain to the wood base as well.)

Determining the Right Stain

Choose a color stain at your local paint supply shop. We recommend using a gel stain for it’s thicker consistency that runs much less – and we also recommend using a stain with a matte, rather than glossy finish. First perform a color test on a small swath of the garage door to see if it works – and remember to wait until the color test dries to see how it will truly look over time. You might need to first apply a base coat of the stain – and only apply the stain when the door is dry. Use a tarp or cardboard to protect the floor around the door from spills or dripping. First brush the stain on all recessed or embedded areas of the door, and then use the roller on all the flat surfaces. Then create a woodgrain texture finish using your brush; look up strie painting techniques for guidance.

Brand New Woodgrain Doors

If you don’t want to go through the effort of painting your garage door, consider purchasing one of Garage Door Repair Chicago lovely steel garage doors that come pre-finished with wood-grain stains. They are first painted regularly, and then fired – imparting it with the impression of being really made of wood through a very realistic woodgrain effect.