Best Garage Door Makeover Ideas
27/10/2020
The garage door is one of the first things people notice when coming to your house for the first time – after all, it’s tough to miss. When highly visible, it can definitely add to your curb appeal, or become an integral part of the whole exterior design of your home.
If you happen to be selling your house, the garage door can be a huge factor – the guys from GarageDoorNation.com got some statistics together, and claim that, “the right garage door can increase the curb appeal of your home by up to 50% and your home’s total home value by at least 3%”.
However, as time passes, it leaves its mark even on the most beautiful door – and the ever-changing weather conditions are definitely not helping in keeping the door in its original state. Before you know it, the door you put so much thought into choosing doesn’t resemble itself, and all there’s left is paint fading away.
So, how can you jazz your garage door up and give it a new life and not have to replace the whole thing? Well, there are several options. Want to find out more about them? All you have to do is keep reading.
Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
Clean It Up!
Although it might sound silly, in some cases, all a door needs to get back to its former glory is a little cleaning session. There are several actions that you can take up when it comes to cleaning – you don’t have to follow all of them, you can decide on your own which ones you think will work the best for you and your garage door.
- Clean it in an old-fashioned way. Just to be clear, by the old-fashioned way, we mean with a bucket of hot, soapy water and a sponge or a rag, You’ll be surprised at how much grime can be scrubbed away like this.
- Get rid of the rust. All you have to do is take either an electric sander or heavy-duty sandpaper and scrub away all the peeling paint or rust. Even though you might be forced to repaint the door, you’ll at least be working with a smooth surface, which will make the painting easier.
- Use a pressure washer. Sometimes the dirt is so built up in the garage door, that the traditional cleaning is not enough. In this case, you might want to use a pressure washer. Just remember not to send too close, as the impact might peel away some of the paint.
Paint Away!
If the cleaning doesn’t help, then you can always reach for paint and brush, and paint away.
- Touch it up with the current color – if you don’t really want some significant change, or you like the present color scheme of your house’s exterior, you can just paint the places that need some touching up. Keep in mind that if your door is a few years old, you might have to repaint the whole thing, as
- Refresh it with a new color – sometimes the color doesn’t really match the overall look of the front of the house. If this is the case for you, don’t be afraid to change it – you’ll see how much of a difference it can actually make. Also, don’t forget about the frame.
- Use glaze to give it a shine – by adding a layer of oil-based glaze, you will not only provide the door a noticeable shine but also protect it against damage caused by moisture, which means that it will serve you longer.
What More Can You Do
If you already cleaned and painted your garage door, here are some other things you can do to make it more appealing and more functional.
- Add some natural light – more and more people decide to replace some of the panels with clear ones, as not only they give the door a fresh look, but they also allow natural light to enter. This works especially well if you use your garage as a work space or a studio where you can tinker – not to mention as practice space for that weekend garage band.
- Consider insulating the door – if your garage doors make a lot of noise, you might want to consider insulating them, as it will help make them less noisy and dampen the noise from outside. It also allows you to save energy and keep your garage warmer during winter months.
- Add a lock or an electric garage opener – if you want to make your door more secure, then you should install either a traditional lock or an electric garage opener. Mind you, you don’t need both of them – one is more than enough, as today’s garage openers act as a lock anyways.
The Bottom Line
It doesn’t take much to give your door a new life – as you could see, all it takes is some cleaning or a fresh coat of paint. However, if a more significant change is what you are going for, you should look up some ideas online (e.g., on Pinterest) – there are so many that you are bound to find one that will suit not only your style but also the design of your home.
