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.
shavonda@ahomefullofcolor says
Ha! Im totally the creepy neighbor who stalks the neghborhood scoping out garage designs! Especially since we are moving into a community with old houses that are all different from one another. If fun to have options other than builder basic garage doors:) Love the dark color you chose. Im leaning heavily toward classic carriage style doors.
Heather says
Do you guys ever worry about Clara’s safety? As a reader, I’m becoming more and more surprised at how often your daughter is featured on your posts. Also, you tend to divulge a lot of personal information – parks that you visit, restaurants that you eat at, not to mention that your home address is out there on the interwebs. Just wondering if you’ll ever consider scaling back on showing her in photos, not divulging exact locations?
YoungHouseLove says
We certainly could find ourselves sharing less in future years! For every picture or video with Clara that we’ve shared, over 99% of her life has gone unshared, and that’s the same method we use with Teddy (a cute picture or short video is just a moment in time, and the rest of their full and active day is something we enjoy privately). Of course the what-to-share line is different for everyone, but now that Clara’s almost four we have a nice sense of what we’re comfortable posting, and what we prefer to keep close to the vest. That certainly could change as she grows though! And although things like addresses are public record, we have a very tricky alarm system indeed ;)
xo
s
em says
I think the doors look alot better..in regards to Clara…I don’t think you only show 1-2% of Clara’s life. She shows up frequently in your DIY posts, I know most of her outfits, what gifts you gave her school teachers,her music and dance class, how she liked worms, sucked her thumb, not to mention who her grandparents/cousins are, library and parks she goes to and the list goes on. I am just a housewife but considering there are weirdos out there…an alarm system would not give me enough security to put my kid out there so much. I have been a longtime follower and while I respect your right to do what you want, last I checked you were a DIY blog sharing a bit of your family and not a family blog showing a bit of DIY.
Amy says
Sherry – I think you are missing Heather’s point – it’s not the time it takes to snap a photo… the “1%” you are showing is much more of your daughter’s life than what we see of even the most over-exposed celebrity so what you are saying is really a straw man argument.
It’s the AMOUNT of information and KIND of information you give out to virtual strangers… and the photos in EVERY post which, surely and sadly, will erode your child’s anonymity… I hope you do take this to heart and reduce her exposure.
kristen says
didn’t she turn 4 in may?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, sorry – I meant already 4, not almost 4. So many comments coming in so fast on this old post from yesterday morning – wow! We’re always open to sharing less and I’m sure we’ll always be reevaluating. Thanks again for the thoughts.
xo
s
Jeni says
As a mom of two, I completely agree with the concerns expressed here about the overexposure of your children. And not just about their safety, but sometimes it seems they are used as props in your project pics like a throw pillow or a painted animal ceramic thrown in to complete the scene. You seem to be loving and attentive parents, but it could look like you are using your sweet kids. We all have to do what we feel is best for our families and respect each other in that pursuit. Please know that this degree of candor is coming from that place of respect.
Aldona says
I thought that Clara’s fourth birthday was in May.
marjorie says
love it. we’re planning to build so garage doors are on the radar. also, i wasn’t sure if you were going to do another pergola type thing for your garage like you last house, but if you are here is an awesome website if found http://www.westerntimberframe.com/ they make kits so you assemble them yourself. so if you want a portico or something of that nature to dress up the garage to go along with hardware they’re perfect for diy
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Marjorie! Really cool!
xo
s
Amy E says
Love the garage doors! I have been wanting to do ours for forever, and this gives me some new motivation! One question: our garage doors are unpainted fiberglass. Do you think it would work to paint them? I know most are metal or wood so I didn’t want to end up with a terrible look if fiberglass isn’t very paintable.
Also, on the random side: when someone wins your giveaways, do you email them to let them know or do they have to look back at the post to see the winner?
YoungHouseLove says
Ours are some sort of faux wood/fiberglass mix and they seemed to take well to the paint (the pros told us they would have used Duration on them like the trim and siding if they did the job, so we gave it a try and it worked really well). Maybe test yours in a small spot to make sure first? As for the giveaways, we always email the winner but sometimes it goes to spam so it never hurts to check back at the post!
xo
s
taria says
My daughter painted her roll up garage doors. She used a sprayer and it turned out awesome. They are the best looking doors on the block and other neighbors were inspired. A great project for a house face lift. Your house is looking terrific!
Nelle says
Looks fantastic! I suddenly have an itch to paint our cream garage door!!
Dawn says
Love the dark doors!
If you’re looking for a long handle like you mentioned in a few comment responses, check out appliance handles/pulls during your search. Some varieties are extra long (18 or more inches) like you’d maybe want on a wide garage door. Repurposed refrigerator handles would be a cool post. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! Such a smart idea!
xo
s
carrie says
We just recently painted our garage doors a very similar…maybe little blacker…color and I can’t tell you how much I love it every single time I pull into our house. It is a GREAT update!
Kristy says
Wow, I almost never read the comments. I will never understand the negativity. I just sold my home. And it is partly because I read tips about peel and stick tile,grout renew, etc. on your website. Because of those tips I made updates that really enhanced the look of my home. I am not a DIYer so you gave me information I could use to upgrade my home with very little skill and money. You made me feel less intimidated to DIY. I am truly grateful.
John @ Our Home from Scratch says
Looks great, guys! Love the color.
Select Basement Wateproofing says
Great choice on the black! It really makes the brick stand out!
barb says
Hello, just read this post and noticed y’all looked at decorative hardware for your doors and asked for suggestions on different styles? May I lead you to http://www.amarr.com. They offer much better styles of hardware than is offered anywhere. Take a look at Alpine or Canterbury styles – you might like those. Enter your zip code and if there is a dealer close by, just hop over there – they should have them in stock. Of course, any door dealer in your area should carry decorative hardware. Super simple install and not expensive, but what a dramatic difference it makes! If no dealer exists in your area and you like any of those styles…let me know, we own a door company and can send you hardware. And yes, I know ya’ll don’t accept freebies ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Barb! Will have to check them out!
xo
s
Jenny says
Love the new color! Just curious, why didn’t you use the paint sprayer on the doors? I was thinking of reprinting our garage door and thought that would be a good reason to invest in a sprayer and use on a relativity large surface for some first time practice.
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
Gretchen says
Love your posts!
Go team Sonya – LOL!!
The doors look amazing. I need to do the same thing at my house.
Kelly says
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but just an FYI for you all and others. Usually painting a garage door a dark color (Manufactures will specify, but that often means a color with a Light Reflectance Value of less than 50) will void the warranty. So sad, because I love dark doors.
Kara says
The doors look fantastic!! Maybe someone has suggested this to you before, but my husband is in commercial construction and told me that when you caulk you should “push” the caulk into the gap instead of “pulling” it. You hold the gun at a 45 degree angle (or so) with the bead of caulk coming out of the gun in front of it, and therefore smoothing it as you go over it with the tip. I hope that makes some sense, because it really changed caulking for me and made it so much quicker, easier, and I wiped away much less product.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart tip! Thanks Kara!
xo
s
Sian says
Bravo! Looks super. I do wonder – how do you “sweep” the leaves off your gravel in Autumn? Your gravel drive looks so neat.
YoungHouseLove says
We have an electric leaf blower that works like a charm!
xo
s
Kristie says
I want to update my garage also (inside, not outside) but I’m fully convinced that bugs live in the gap between the drywall and the concrete flooring (that runs up the side wall). Have you run into this in any previous garage renos and do you have any tips for filler? The gap is too large for silicone caulk, so I’m not sure what to do at this point, but I’m guessing I’d need to use something that flexes with temperature changes. I live in Chicago, so basically we go from extreme cold to extreme heat. I’d love some feedback!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we have never tackled that, but maybe some sort of rubber baseboards would work to seal that up? I think they’d be more flexible than wood ones, right?
xo
s
Kristie says
Well, the concrete goes up the side of the wall about a foot or so, so it’s too high for baseboards. And then it gaps up to an inch before the drywall. I’ll try hitting up Home Depot for advice too.
YoungHouseLove says
Gotcha! Good luck Kristie!
xo
s
Stacy {Woodsy Weddings} says
The contrast with the darker color and the brick is lovely. It makes the house look warmer.
sally says
long version – we have a red brick 2 story house with the garage attached facing the street. I love your black garage door but was a little nervous painting it black since it faces the street. Right now our trim, gutters, front door, and garage door are painted a maroon color, so unappealing.
short version – should the front door and garage door be painted the same color if they face the street? i like the black you painted but was afraid of so much black.
YoungHouseLove says
I think that would look really pretty!
xo
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