how to put wood on a metal garage door?
Try thin sheets against a panel of fiber board or other weather resistant material attached in 4X8 sections across the face (if it's a one piece) making sure to interlock the panel pieces, similar to a cedar shake effect. Or you could attach some birch panels with some exposed stainless steel nuts and bolts, you would have to weather seal the boards but that could work. That would add weight to your motor load (if you have one) as well as the door support, so you would have to ensure that your garage support and frame could withstand the additional load. Or you could rebuild the entire door, and then an entirely new set of possibilities are opened. Think acrylic, Lexan, stainless, or polished copper, you could also change it from being top mounted to side mounted. Allowing you to build a much heavier door. I need to caution that it would be difficult for a novice to execute, and this would require more than the tools to do either simple modification. I think the lightest concept would be the fiberboard overlaid with the cedar shakes, but I don't know what effect you are going for, ya know? Anyway, anything is possible so long as you invest in understanding, knowledge, and maybe a few tools and materials.
If you are planning to start on your woodworking project, this isn't something you should use, it's something that you would be insane not to.
Sure you can. Depending upon the condition of the paint on the door now, you may simply be able to wash and paint it without other prep. Use a high quality paint intended for metal surfaces like Iron Clad. Any paint store can help you pick a suitable paint. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, ICI, ZInnser- they all have paints specifically for metal. Back to prep work though. If the paint is peeling on the door, you will need to sand or scrape it off until you get to a surface that is free of peeling paint. This is usually a full weekend job... Good luck.
