If you’re planning to paint your garage door, you’re likely hoping to refresh its appearance while ensuring long-lasting results.
But there’s one common challenge people face painting their garage doors – and it’s usually after they’ve painted the door.
It’s knowing how to paint a garage door without sticking. Applying too many layers of paint in the wrong places or using the wrong type of paint can lead to a sticky, malfunctioning door.
It can break the motor that lifts the garage door, and possibly damage the springs or rollers that help glide the garage door as it opens and closes.
Fortunately, with the right techniques and tips, you can learn how to paint your garage door without sticking and achieve a professional-looking, functional result.
If you’ve already painted your garage door and it’s sticking don’t be afraid, it’s fixable….
Understanding Why Garage Doors Stick After Painting
To paint a garage door without sticking, particularly wood ones, are frequently in motion, which means any additional thickness from paint layers can interfere with their movement.
Wood expands and contracts depending on the season, humidity, and temperature.
Wood has the tendency to expand and contract in different seasons and environmental conditions. During wet cool seasons, garage doors can “swell” making it difficult to close.
In dry warm conditions doors tend to close better.
Over time, too much paint in the wrong areas can cause panels to stick together, leading to operational issues.
Here’s a guide on how to paint a garage door without sticking issues so it looks great and functions properly.
Tips To Paint A Garage Door Without Sticking
1. Prepare the Surface Properly
Whether you have a wooden or metal garage door, start by thoroughly cleaning the surface and sanding down any old, flaking paint.
If you want to paint a garage door without sticking, primarily wood garage doors, use a palm sander to gently smooth the surface, especially if there are flaking or rough spots.
Sanding helps ensure your new coat of paint adheres well and doesn’t create unnecessary thickness in key areas.
And if you already have multiple layers of paint coatings on your garage door, it’s best to take the time to properly sand down the edges so that you continue to build too many layers of paint on top of each other.
You can see each square is a panel, and each section is a panel unto its own. So what we did to clean up this old garage door was we sanded it down using a palm sander and manually scraped any flaking wood.
Once it was done then, we applied a good coat of oil primer.
2. Choose the Right Primer: Why Oil-Based Primers Are Best for Wood
A quality primer is crucial for proper adhesion. To paint a garage door without sticking, oil-based primers are often the best choice.
These primers penetrate the wood grain deeply, creating a stronger bond that helps the top coat of paint adhere better. Oil-based primers are especially effective on wooden surfaces that expand and contract with the weather.
Consider using reputable oil primers like Zinsser Coverstain or Benjamin Moore Fresh Start.
Oil-based primers help you paint a garage door without sticking and have been proven to help prevent sticking while offering durability, making them ideal for high-use surfaces like garage doors.
3. Apply the Right Number of Paint Coats
When painting garage doors, more paint isn’t necessarily better. In fact, applying too many layers—especially in the gaps between panels—can cause the door to stick when it’s closed.
How to paint a garage door without sticking: Apply a thin coat of paint to each panel and avoid heavy layers near the edges.
For most wood garage doors, two coats of high-quality paint are sufficient to provide good coverage and protection without causing the door to stick.
Pro Tip: Opt for lighter colors if your garage door faces east, south, or west. Dark colors absorb more heat, causing the wood to expand and potentially stick more than lighter colors
4. Allow Proper Drying Time
After applying your final coat of paint, allow adequate drying time. Ideally, keep the door partially open, about halfway, to prevent the panels from sticking together as the paint dries.
This approach lets air circulate around each section, which is especially important when learning how to paint a garage door without sticking.
Too many layers of fresh paint can make your garage door stick and it can actually damage the actual mechanism that lifts your door.
So keep in mind you don’t want to apply too many coats in between each crack because it could jeopardize the closure and the durability of the door.
Pro Tip: Avoid closing the door completely until you’re sure the paint is fully cured—this could take several days in humid or cool climates.
5. Maintain the Painted Door to Prevent Sticking Over Time
Even after careful painting, your garage door may stick a bit if the weather changes or if humidity is high. To help paint a garage door without sticking here’s a couple insider secrets used by professional painters:
- Apply a small amount of vaseline or silicone-based lubricant to the areas that rub together. This can provide a slick barrier that helps prevent friction and sticking.
- Regularly inspect and maintain the door, especially after wet seasons, to ensure it remains functional and beautiful.
Paint A Garage Door Without Sticking – Before and After
The pictures below show a traditional wood garage door that was painted using Benjamin Moore products. As you can see the wood door has a clear protective coating of Varathane.
In order to paint this door properly, the painters followed the steps below:
- Washed the garage door to remove dirt and mildew growth
- Allow proper drying time prior to sanding.
- Sanded the garage door panels using a 100 grit sand paper orbital sander to remove the shiny surface.
- Remove all dust and contaminants by wiping the door with a cloth. (Use a blower for better results)
- Applied one coat of oil based Zinsser Coverstain primer.
- Allow 4-6 hours before applying paint.
- Applied two coats of Benjamin Moore Command overtop of the primer coat.
Pro Tip: The secret to paint a garage door without sticking is to minimize the amount of paint coats applied to the edges of each door panel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Painting Garage Doors
Why does my garage door stick after painting?
Garage doors may stick if excess paint has built up in the crevices where the panels meet, or if the paint was not fully dried before the door was closed.
Acrylic latex paints also take15-20 days to fully cure so even though it feels dry to the touch, when two layers of fresh paint touch for long periods of time, they tend to fuse together.
To paint a garage door without sticking avoiding too many coats and using the right primer are key steps in preventing this issue.
What type of paint should I use for my garage door?
Use exterior-grade paint designed for your door’s material (wood, metal, etc.). Latex-based paints work well for metal garage doors, while oil-based primers and paints are often best for wood, as they resist seasonal expansion and contraction.
You can also use fast-drying paint products like PPG Break-Through, Benjamin Moore Command Waterborne Acrylic Urethane, or Sherwin Williams SnapDry.
We made a product review YouTube video of Benjamin Moore Command on wood floors.
Can I use acrylic latex primer instead of oil primer?
While acrylic latex primer can work, oil-based primer generally provides better adhesion and durability on wood garage doors.
Oil primer penetrates the wood, helping prevent peeling and reducing the chances of sticking. If you’re painting a metal or fibreglass garage door, it’s best to use a high quality acrylic latex primer like Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond.
Final Thoughts: Paint A Garage Door Without Sticking
Knowing how to paint a garage door without sticking issues is all about careful preparation, using the right products, and applying your paint in a controlled manner.
By following these tips, you’ll learn how to paint a garage door without sticking and ensure your garage door not only looks beautiful but also operates smoothly for years to come.
If you have questions about your garage door, or about which paint you should use you can email us at support@trustedhousepainter.com, or you can call us at our toll-free hotline at 1-866-PAINT-18 and we’ll be happy to help you answer any questions you have about paint.
And if you need a professional painter to help you paint your garage door go to trustedhousepainter.com and create a free listing on the app.
You can post your painting project details, and get affordable quotes faster than searching online.
Give it a try – we guarantee you’ll get fast results and have a great experience!
