How to paint an up and over Steel Canopy garage door

When over painting an up and over garage door you need to prepare the surface as you would any other surface.

Wash off any dirt and grit, then abrade the surface with sandpaper, I tend to use 80-grit for this. Key the surface all over including the bottom and sides.

Now you can dust off the door and undercoat with the appropriate colour undercoat.
I normally start by painting the two edges, but not the bottom of the door. Be careful when painting the edges of the door not to get any on the frame if the door is a different colour, lift the door up about half way, you can now paint the edges.
Next, if your door has horizontal sections start at the top working down, if the door has vertical sections start from one side working across, if the door has panels do these first and then paint the rest of the door.

When I paint either a door with horizontal or vertical sections I do the same thing, I paint the groove first, then the panel, then paint the next groove and then the panel and so on, then with the last panel I paint the bottom of the door.

When the undercoat is dry do the same procedure as before but with your chosen topcoat.

When you topcoat, work fast, that way the paint flows nicely and you can put a good amount on. As you paint the door lift it up as you go, it’s far easier; you don’t have to bend down and the paint wont run!

Finally, when you’re done lift the door all the way up, this serves two purposes, firstly the paint won’t run and will flow well, and secondly it stops insects, dust and dirt blowing over the wet paint on the door as most of it is in the garage.
Be aware of rain though, if the door is left up and it rains the rain will lay on the door and ruin your paint.

How to paint around a window and get a professional looking job

If you are unconfident of cutting in around windows or glazed doors you can use this following tip.

To stop getting paint on windows or glass panelled doors when you paint them you can use masking tape to mask the glass.

Take time and care to only get the tape on the glass.

Place the tape on the glass, you can then run a sharp knife along the frame to ensure the tape is only on the glass, but being careful not to cut into the frame.

Once you have gone around all the window/s you are ready to paint. Paint around the window, glazes door etc as normal.

Leave the paint to fully dry, and then remove the tape carefully. You may need to cut the tape around the window to ensure it doesn’t pull the paint off as you remove the tape, take your time and you will have a newly painted window or glazed door.

The other method is to paint around the window or glazing in your door and paint slightly onto the glass, leave to dry and then clean the paint off the glass with a sharp blade.

Both methods take longer to do than simply cutting in but if you don’t have a steady hand or aren’t confident either method will give you a more professional final job.

Painting a glass panelled door

This tip applies to both interior and exterior glass panelled doors, it doesn’t matter how many panels there are, whether it be a 2, 4, 8, 12 or even 15 panelled door, the principle is the same.

The first job is to remove the door furniture such as handles, letterbox, knocker etc, now cover the floor with a dustsheet to catch any splashes of paint. The next job is to remove any loose paint as well as any dirt and grime.

Next rub the door down, depending on the surface you are painting over and its condition 80-grit sandpaper will be fine to use. Rub down, going in the direction of the grain, if you have an internal ‘grain effect’ door be careful not to rub too hard and run the grain effect off!

Make sure you rub down all of the edges of the glazing beads, but be careful not to scratch the glass.

Once you have rubbed down ie ‘keyed’ the surface with the sand / glass paper dust off the surface. If the door has any bare wood showing you will need to use the appropriate primer. Once the primer is dry you can paint the door with a suitable undercoat, finally the finish coat (gloss, satinwood or woodstain etc) of your choice.

So what order do I paint the panel door?

OK, here is the order to paint your panel door:

1. Paint the door edge, you should always paint the edge you will see if the door is open. Number 1 in diagram. If it is an exterior door you should also paint the top of the door, and the bottom if you can.
2. Paint all the glazing beads and muntins. Paint each window in turn, try and not get too much paint on the railes or stiles. You can brush the excess paint off with an unloaded brush. Number 2 in diagram.
3. Paint the top rail, number 3 in diagram.
4. Paint the two side stiles next, numbers 4 and 5 in diagram.
5. Finally paint the bottom rail. Number 6 in diagram.
6. If you are using gloss, check to ensure the paint hasn’t run off the glazing beads, if there are runs simply brush them out with a dry brush.
7. You should now have a newly painted door!

NOTES:
Stiles: vertical parts
Rails: horizontal parts
Glazing beads: holds the glass in door
Muntin: vertical glazing beads