Favorite project ever! Okay, not really at all. (I just couldn’t help trying to match Sherry’s enthusiasm from yesterday’s post), but this is a nice simple way to update basic garage doors so they look a little more stately. Back when we had our house’s exterior patched & painted right after moving in, we opted not to get the garage doors painted since we knew it was a task that we could easily tackle ourselves. Well, 12 months later and it’s finally done.
These two doors were sporting the same cream color that the old trim was before it went white, which wasn’t a very good look since it was nixed everywhere else. So we debated going bright white, medium gray/brown like the siding, or with a nice dark gray/brown color that’s a few shades deeper than the siding (like the tone of our metal window frames with the white sills).
Talking about those options pretty much got us nowhere, so we hopped in the car and drove around the neighborhood. We saw lots of white doors and black or deep gray/brown ones, and even some medium gray ones. And after staring at them all like neighborhood creepers, we decided that rich dark ones on a brick house was our favorite combination.
I kicked off the paint-fest with a cleaning party, courtesy of a hose-down (note: not nearly as fun as a hoedown) and a wipe / dry session with a rag.
This painting task quickly promised to be more involved than our previous rendezvous with a garage door, mainly because there were some added maintenance tasks involved – like redoing the patchy caulk around the weather stripping trim.
Since I know I’d be re-caulking anyways, I figured I’d go ahead and remove the weather stripping entirely since it would make my paint job easier and more thorough (I’d be able to paint all the way to the edge of the door, rather than stopping at the weather strip, which could shrink back in colder months and show an obvious unpainted line). I used my crowbar to pry off each strip, and then used a spackle knife to scrape off as much of the old caulk as I could.
These weren’t tough tasks, but they ate up about an hour before I could get to actually painting anything.
The paint color we chose was Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams, which was the darkest color on the same swatch as our siding color (Anonymous) which pretty much guaranteed that they’d go well together.
We bought a gallon of it in their Duration line since that’s what the house painters used and loved (it’s supposed to be extra durable and even has exterior primer built in). The Urbane Bronze color was nearly identical to the color of the dark metal window frames and oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures around our house, and it even tied into the charcoal roof pretty nicely, so it was an easy choice.
Painting was a combination of brushing (around the recessed panels and edges) and rolling (everywhere else). I worked in small sections so that the brushed portion didn’t dry and become tacky before rolling.
The first coat was fairly spotty looking, but that’s to be expected. I was just happy the second coat was enough – although it’s hard to tell in this photo since the sun spots are making it more uneven looking than it really was.
After the main part of each door was painted, I also raised them up bit-by-bit so I could paint the cracks in between each section of the door. That way it didn’t flash stripes of cream color every time the doors went up and down. This took a fair amount of patience because I had to let each part dry before raising the door a little more to do the next one.
The next day, once everything had dried, I reattached the weather stripping and recaulked the edges. I hate caulking against brick because it’s basically impossible to get a clean line against the craggy surface (I’ve tried painter’s tape in the past, but the result wasn’t much better), but since I was already working against the previously uneven caulk/paint job, I wasn’t going to beat myself up over it.
We actually contemplated painting the weather stripping Urbane Bronze to blend with the door, but after staring at it (and a few of our neighbors’ garage doors again) we decided going white like the rest of the trim on the house (Snowbound by Sherwin Williams) was the better bet. I opened the garage doors when painting these so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting any paint on them, which made this step go pretty quickly.
After a bit more drying, and a second coat, we were officially back in business. And by business, I mean Clara could reclaim her favorite chalking spot. Just don’t look too closely – that needs a nice power wash.
Oh and we also contemplated adding some decorative hardware, like some handles or what-not, but none of the options that we found felt like a good fit for our doors. We might try hunting a little more online, so we’re open to suggestions if anyone’s got some.
In addition to just being glad the cream is gone, we also like how the darker doors seem to tie in with other dark accents – like the light fixture and those dark metal window frames.
Overall, it’s not the world’s most exciting update, but it feels good to have it checked off the to-do list (finally). They feel like they ground the house a little better and don’t get lost in the beige-iness of the surrounding driveway and walkways.
Have you guys painted your garage doors? Did you slowly drive around the neighborhood to check out other door ideas like a creep? All of the homes around us have their garage doors on the side of the house (like ours) so that made it especially neck-craning for us, but thankfully nobody called neighborhood watch on us. That we know of.
Christine @ Little House On The Corner says
It’s amazing what a difference a coat of paint can make! The doors look sooo much better.
We’re in the process of sorting our garage and garage door at the moment, too. Annoyingly we have to strip away all of the paint before we can get out our paintbrushes though!
Julie says
wow, I love that dark color with the brick! We used urbane bronze as our house trim and garage door color about 4 years ago (putting in out there world: I used that color *before* YHL made it cool:) It’s a great color and the S-W duration has held up perfectly!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that you used UB too! And so glad to hear that Duration is holding up nicely!
xo
s
Callye says
Whoa! That looks awesome!
Emily @ Love, Pasta and a Tool Belt says
This looks great! We need to paint our garage door, it looks kind of beat up. Thanks for sharing!
Valerie W. says
I think the new dark doors look fantastic and am so glad you went with the darkest color on that swatch—-it really makes your brick pop! Be sure to keep in mind that while adding hardware like a handle allows you to open the door manually, should the need arise, it also allows easier access to your home for potential thieves.
-V
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip V!
xo
s
Maura says
Nice job on the doors, they look great! (Much better than the tan… :)
I wanted wood garage doors with chunky black handware (hinges, etc) but they weren’t in the budget, so I painted the doors to look like wood, and painted on the glossy black hinges. It’s been two years now, and they still look great… from the road it totally looks like we have wooden doors with black hinges, and even up close people are often fooled until they look closely. Maybe you can add the hardware you want, but doesn’t fit your doors, with paint. (And if you don’t like it, you know how easy it is to change!) It looks great though without any hardware… It’s such a great, rich color.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds fun!
xo
s
Bailey says
I think it’s so smart (and not at all creepy) for you guys to drive around and check out other houses to see what you like.
jaclyn says
I actually get really excited about updates like this. It’s the little things that sorta bug you on a daily basis (like an ugly basement bulkhead) that feel SO GOOD to finally take care of.
Also, my husband and I creep ALL the time. We ride bikes though so it’s more like, “hey we’re cool just ridin’ around, nothing shady going on here…” Meanwhile my camera roll on my phone is FULL of other peoples houses! LOL
YoungHouseLove says
SO SMART! We were doing that suuuuper slow drive by with our windows down and our necks craned. Haha!
xo
s
Jennie says
We just finished re-doing our house (major, major remodel) and we have a great view to the street from our dining room and parlour. It always cracks me up when I see people going by slooooowly with necks craned, but I totally understand, because it looks like a completely different house. I do the same thing when I’m out and about!
Heidi says
Excellent color choice! It looks amazing with your brick! I am always checking out the neighbors’houses when I am either driving though or taking the kids for walks. It’s a great way to get ideas (of what to do and what not to do!) :-)
Jessica says
I love dark garage doors with hardware and never realized how easy and inexpensive a change it could be! I also think it was brilliant to creep on the neighbors for inspiration.
Jill says
Love them. I think you might want to extend the concrete driveway, so Clara could show her artistic side with the chalk.
Jahn says
What sheen did you use? Flat, satin or gloss? Any recommendation? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We went with satin and really like it! Not flat, but not super shiny either.
xo
s
Shevon says
Wow. I can’t believe how big of a difference that makes. It looks absolutely awesome. Great property booster!
Erin says
Really does make a huge difference! Well done!
karla says
nice color choices. it looks lovely.
Jamie G says
The doors look great! A lot of people wouldn’t think to paint the creases, but I agree, it probably looks so much better as the doors open. Looks like a professional job!!
xo
Jamie
http://snapginger.com
Ginger says
Wow…what a difference paint can make. Gorgeous!
Roxanne M says
Oh I think it is an exciting update! It’s something huge you see everyday, and the color looks great. We desperately need to paint our garage door too, but husband and I are disagreeing on making it an offsetting color or color to match the house. Our house is very contemporary looking so I’m leaning towards same color as the siding, but need to hit up pinterest or something to get ideas.
Kelly says
It looks fabulous! We have a detached garage with a regular door and two-car garage door. I’d like to paint both. Do you think the same paint you used on your garage doors would work for a regular door? I believe it’s metal.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes I think it should! Maybe ask at the paint desk to be sure?
xo
s
MonW says
WOW!
I would not have thought of going dark on the garage doors.
We are approaching a painting time for our house. Can see caulk gaps, blisters and so on. I’ve noticed the pros aim directly for SW brand every time.
In our case, our front door facing south is stained carved wood. North-facing garage door with full western exposure is an odd creamy yellow white to match the gutters or it faded to that color. House wood is green-sagey more than piney with very off white bricks.
With our front door, dark hardware doesn’t show up well on it. Aged bronzey brass vanishes into the dark stain.
For your garage door hardware, will you stick with the black, go with ORB, or do your own custom metal color? If you notice the packaging on those accents and handles you found, they are shown on white doors…… The tudor/forged iron looks right shape wise, but the color…….hmmmm.
here’s a place that I’ve never used but but does offer more than basic black in the faux door hardware: http://garagedoorhardwaredirect.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link! I think a big long horizontal handle in the bottom in ORB could be fun. Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Kristin says
What about light reflective value? All garage doors have a spec LRV maximum. You shoulda paint your garage doors dark without knowing.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kristin, great tip! Based on a bunch of neighbors with the same type of doors painted black (and our first house’s garage door that we also painted black) we felt comfortable with it. Will keep you posted if anything crazy happens though :)
xo
s
Casey says
You have a Viewster ad in your right sidebar again. I don’t know if it is playing sound because I have no sound card in my work computer and it never makes any sounds.
Your garage doors look GREAT!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Casey! The quiet ones are ok, so as long as no one gears sound we’re happy. We think we blocked the loud one yesterday :)
xo
s
Liz says
The doors look amazing! If I were you, I’d get out trusty photoshop and some examples and draw what you want to have on the doors. Maybe even get some vinyl up in there temporarily so you can see how it looks/temporary satisfaction. Then, be on the lookout for what you want. :)
Amanda @ Rhody Life says
Is there a reason why you decided not to use your paint sprayer? I figured with such a big flat space, that would be so much less time consuming, even with putting something protective over the brick that surrounds it. You would, of course, still need to use a paint brush to get the parts between the panels, but the sprayer would have given two coats of coverage the first time, instead of needing to go back to hand paint another coat, right?
YoungHouseLove says
We chatted about it back when we sprayed the office but we haven’t been very happy with our paint sprayer. In fact we are debating getting a different brand (maybe a Critter?). Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Amanda @ Rhody Life says
I tried The Critter, and I have the same Evolv Pancake Compressor and Nail Gun that you have and it didn’t work well at all. The Critter only sprayed a circle about 2″ in diameter, which for something like a regular door was annoying, nevermind a garage door, and it turns out that the Evolv isn’t quite powerful enough to run it. I ended up going with the Wagner 518080 Control Spray Max and I love it! Check out my blog post about both here: http://www.rhodylife.com/2014/04/no-more-brushes.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip!
xo
s
Brandi says
I love the darker doors. Such a dramatic difference!
Isabel says
Great job with the doors, they look awesome! My husband pretty much drives for a living so he takes back roads all the time so he can creep to his heart’s content. He’ll even get out of the car to chat with homeowners if they’re outside, which I still marvel at. We walk around the neighborhood a few times a week and I tend to stop to “tie” my shoe or pretend to look at the wildlife or some pretty flower so I can creep without being too obvious. I’m too chicken to take pics though!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it!
xo
s
Cathy Ropiski says
The new color on your garage doors really looks sharp! Another excellent project–thanks for sharing!
Shayla says
How funny! We also just picked Urbane Bronze for the fascia color on our house, and Anonymous for the soffits. No wonder I love yours! The new garage door color looks really sharp.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! Good luck with everything!
xo
s
Krissy says
I love when you do posts like this!! So many of us just struggle to get little projects like this done and it’s so rewarding when we do! My husband and I build a lattice privacy screen this weekend and it took every bit of 3 days to complete (we built it from scratch using recycled materials). It’s the little changes like this that make your house your home, so this post was not boring at all. Exactly the opposite. I hope you find some cool handles for the doors.
Tom says
We sort of went through a similar deal with our garage door. The biggest problem was that the big old wooden garage door broke just as we moved in. The painting was similar to your post, partially opening the door to get the gap between the panels and cutting in around the recessed areas. The fun part was just slopping on the paint because it’s such a big area, you don’t really need to be that neat – until you get to the edges.
Shelby says
It looks awesome!! I really like the color you chose and I definitely think painting the weather stripping white was the way to go!
Jessica M says
Love the color! At least you didn’t do the 3-eyed cat painting I saw this weekend while garage sale shopping! It was a sight to behold. The entire garage door was this blue and white and orange 3-eyed cat head. I am sure the neighbors loved it!
Andrew says
Looks great! Question: why did you choose to paint with brush and roller instead of using your paint sprayer?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Andrew! Here’s a comment thread about that for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2014/07/doors-be-darker/comment-page-2/#comment-4297288
xo
s
Jennifer says
Love the new dark doors! Question about the windows on the end of your house. Based on your recent laundry room discussion, I think the one over the garage doors is in the unfinished bonus room. Where is the other window? It looks like it would be Clara’s room, but she doesn’t have a window on that wall does she?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually the attic (see how it’s a level up?). Love that it has two windows to get light up there too!
xo
s
Annie says
I love the darker doors. I however think that it’s now obvious that your creamy lemony mortar is fighting migtily with the white trim.
Cindy says
I looooooooooove Urbane Bronze. I tested it out for a wall in our bedroom. I ultimately went with another color that was a better match for our curtains, but I was sad to say goodbye to Urbane Bronze. It’s gorgeous. Maybe a future project?
I noticed that you don’t have gutters on the garage side of the house. Do you have them anywhere else? If not, do you miss them? We are contemplating removing our old ones and not replacing them, so I’d love to hear your experience.
YoungHouseLove says
The only place our house has gutters is the back porch (what was once the sunroom) but it’s definitely not ideal. We are thinking about getting them added, just to help with drainage and keeping water away from the house, etc.
xo
s
Theresa says
Lovely! I didn’t think I would like it but the dark color is awesome!
Catherine says
We just had our siding redone. We decided to do it and spent 6 months walking and driving through neighborhoods for inspiration. You’re much faster at making decisions than us, haha.
This update is pretty enormous for a bucket of paint! Nice work. I think it makes the light even look less lonely because everything works better together.
Sarah says
Love it! We’ve been going on walks around our neighbourhood sneakily looking at people’s front doors lots, as we want to paint ours, but are unsure of the colour!
Kelly says
Neighborhood creepers unite!!!!!! Sometimes, our date nights consist of creeping all the affluent neighborhoods for inspiration.
Rachel says
Did anyone else sing the title to the tune of the beginning of Drunk In Love when she says “I been drinking”? Just me? Haha, please tell me that’s how it was meant!
YoungHouseLove says
Bahaha! I love that you did that.
xo
s
Sara says
This looks AWESOME – thanks for the tips on how you chose the paint color (using the same swatch is a brilliant way to ensure that the colors will play well together!) and for the detailed tutorial on how you tackled painting those doors. Hope to do this myself down the line, when our home needs repainting!
qs777 says
The doors look great! But what does it say about me that I knew what color they were before reading your post? It’s kind of creeping me out. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
No way!
xo
s
Ralinda says
We had a white garage door and savannah green (mixture of green and black) shutters. I was tired of the green and found a very dark green paint with olive/yellow tones for the shutters. Once the shutters were painted we realized the garage door would look great the same color. But still it was a leap of faith to make the switch after driving around to see if anyone else had a painted garage door. But our best neighborhood creeper adventures involved driving all over town to look at upscale roofing materials and cupolas after strong winds thrashed ours. Our kids whined from the backseat every time we drove home from church or some other outing — “please don’t make us look at cupolas again!” Or “let’s just go home; I have to pee!” They still laugh about the parental torture years later.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!!
xo
s
JenS says
I love the doors. Projects like these make such a huge difference for very little cost/time/effort. We recently painted our front door black (and the trim) and it was such an improvement. I love it!
Beth says
Doors look great,
Title feels problematic– attempt at ‘ebonics’?
Katie says
Ha, I read it as a spell in Harry Potter or Malificent. How big of a nerd do I sound like?!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it. Seriously you guys are the best.
xo
s
Shayna says
The color of the garage doors looks amazing!! It’s funny that y’all went darker with these because I’ve been thinking of doing the same with our window shutters. We have a red brick house with white shutters, trim & a glass door in front of our darker wooden door. Just from searching online & after seeing how great your doors look I think I might be sold! Now to sell my husband… Thanks John & Sherry!!
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says
What, no pun for “weather stripping?!”
You’re losing your touch.
YoungHouseLove says
Ha!
xo
s
Jules says
Nice. It is a more grounded look, and they do tie in nicely with the window and light fixture.
Laura says
I love the new color on your garage doors. I have been considering the “Urban Bronze” for our shutters. We recently used the “Durations” paint on our new siding.
You can see our siding project here:
http://www.housecallsdesign.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-outside-job.html
The paint is pricey, but our siding receives full sun from dawn until almost 4 in the afternoon, so we wanted something as durable as possible. We are four months out and it still looks great.
Hopefully both our projects will look good for years to come.