Improve the Look of your Garage Door

You’ve just spent thousands of dollars on new paint for you home, new windows and moldings, new front and side doors, and finish for your deck.  Your home, which used to be a faded peach color, is not a beautiful two-tone green, and no expense has been spared as you remodeled the exterior to suit your style.  Once you had completed the actual house you turned your attention to the yard, which received its fair share of the treatment.

Now, your sights are set on your garage, and the first change you need to make will be to your garage door.  Though there is nothing wrong with the door itself, it simply looks as if it should be in the garbage.  Before you whip on the cordless drill and start taking apart your garage door it may be a good idea to try and make it look a little bit better first.

1. Paint it
   Okay, so painting the garage door is only a cover up solution at best (pardon the pun), but that doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you.  Consider that most garage doors are relatively simple in design, durable and strong, and are capable of lasting as long as the garage does.  Why replace a perfectly good garage door when you can simply slap on a few coats of charcoal black and have an entirely new one?
   
   If you do opt to paint your garage door remember to do the job right: put on two coats of primer, followed by at least two coats of the desired color.  Don’t forget to paint any edges and seams that may be less obvious than usual or harder to see.  The little details will matter to you in the long run.
   
   
2. Refinish it
   If you have a wooden garage door there is no better time than the present to whip out the belt sander and go to town on your garage door.  Sand it down so that any paint, varnish, or imperfections have been thoroughly removed.  Then, add any moldings that you want on the final product, prime, and paint!
   
   If you want to stick to a more natural look, try varnishing or staining the garage door.  The expense is just about the same when compared to paint and it will bring out the look of the wood better.  If you have a metal garage door, some acetone and a sand blaster will get rid of the top layer of paint and make it easier for you to prime and repaint.
   
   
3. Subtle décor
   Add some moldings, text, or graphics to the exterior of your garage door.  This looks great (assuming that it was done properly) and is much less expensive than painting or refinishing the door.