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Question:

How do you repaint a metal garage door?

Our last home had a wooden garage door, so this is new territory for me. The paint on our metal garage door peeled off from the string of hurricanes we had a few years back (Im in east FL). Its now gotten to the point where every time it rains, a little bit more paint peels off. Ive been trying to do some research online, but Ive really only found bits and pieces of info that dont really help me. I was told that I dont need to prep the door because the paint will stick to the original door finish... but my door has exposed metal where there is no finish. What kind of prep work do I need to do? Does the door need to be stripped completely and sanded? How about primer and paint, what should I be looking for? HELP ME.

Answer:

Mcgrath is a very dedicated and experienced woodworker who knows what he is talking about when it comes to woodworking and DIY projects s he has been a woodworker for many many years.
Ok. It was not painted properly the first time. For if it was, the paint would stick as well as your paint job on your car.(and that handles 100 mph speeds without a problem, right?) So you got to prep the door -which basically means getting rid of all the loose paint. If that is the whole door then so be it. Use paint stripper (I like Circa brand) and brush it on. It is thin like water, but bites into that paint and shrivels it up (read instructions on can) Use a natural bristle brush for nylon or polyester will melt. This works on oil based paint only. If the door is painted in latex, it is sandpaper and scraper knife methodology. You must rid yourself of that top coat of questionable paint, because you do not know the reason why it is peeling. So, we do again. Generally all garage doors come with a coat of primer on them(usually grey) Try to leave that coat on and not to sand down to metal if you can avoid it. If your door is bare metal underneath, it would be good for you to know what metal. So ask the dealer to see if it is steel or aluminum. Different primer/undercoats are required. Does not hurt to go to an autobody supply shop and see what they have for paints. They will set you up proper. Remember, clean, clean, clean(no wax, oil, silicone,dirt, dust or anything you can think of should not be on the door before you start to do the job.
clean the door very well and just lightly sand to prep for paint they sell a metal primer by rustoleum if its only small areas then you can by it in a spray can and hit those areas that are bare with a couple coats of the primer . if you dont have a sprayer and you want to brush it on then youre gonna want to do probably 3 thin coats never try to put too much paint on all at once and when you buy the finish paint buy the right solvent to thin the paint a little to be able to spread it on more evenly if you want to rent a sprayer or i would recommend a cup gun which is a small handheld sprayer that is hooked up to an air compressor and has a cup attached to the gun where the paint goes in.. hope this helps. Robby

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