Gates in the garage are painted to prevent the destruction of the surface from rain, sun, frost. The colored coating gives the canvas a look that matches the exterior of the house, the yard landscape. On sale there are varieties of paint for garage doors for rust, new metal and previously painted, so that the layer is of high quality and durable. Before applying, prepare the surface, primed with special compounds.
Choosing a color for garage doors
The garage entrance should not stand out against the background of the house, have bright, saturated colors. The design is made for long-term use, and the annoying color will get bored in a short time, you will have to repaint.
Colors are chosen as standard:
- Gray, steel, dark gray (graphite). The color is undeservedly considered boring, but it has many shades, often silver is used. It is preferable to take matte paints to reduce the visibility of small defects on the plane of the canvas.
- Brown, dark beige, with a reddish tint. All colors and tides look good in combination with brick, concrete, wooden walls.
- Muted blue, green, aqua. Suitable for gates if there are green spaces nearby.
Different colors are combined for painting. The main thing is to choose them in accordance with the combination table, and not to apply paint residues from other works in the house.
Choice of paint
The type of composition depends on the characteristics and properties of the resulting film on the door surface. The layer should be beautiful, protect the sash from corrosion.
Pay attention to the indicators of the compositions to paint the garage door:
- The degree of adhesion. The product must firmly adhere to the metal surface of the gate material, not to peel off over time.
- Lack of aggressive substances. Some components react with the metal, which subsequently causes the layer to swell.
- Moisture resistance. Iron is destroyed by water, so the film should not let it through so that the sash does not begin to rust.
- Elasticity. Steel expands when heated in summer and shrinks in winter, so the layer on the door surface should not crack as a result.
- Wear resistance. The gate is at risk of impacts, abrasion, mechanical damage.
The paint must withstand the action of oils, lubricants, exhaust gases that regularly fall on the plane of the garage doors.
What type of paint to choose for garage doors
Varieties differ in quality, so each species is considered separately. Anticorrosive agents that can be applied to a rusty surface have gained popularity in the rating. The paints contain many components in the composition, due to which they acquire atmospheric and chemical resistance, durability, and neutralize corrosion processes.
Varieties of paints and varnishes for metal:
- Epoxy resists exposure to alkalis, acids, temperature extremes. They dry out for a long time, have storage restrictions (they are destroyed at + 60 ° C).
- Oil paints are considered to be cheap options; they create an impenetrable film that can fade over time.When painting, a pungent odor is felt, which passes during drying (24 hours).
- Acrylic coatings resist rust, do not harm iron. There are no toxic components in the composition, the surface layer does not burn.
- Alkyd enamels form a resistant coating to mechanical shock, scratches, adhere well to metal. A shiny, high-quality film does not lose its attractiveness over time.
- Polyurethane paints dry quickly (2 - 3 hours), there is no poisonous smell. Form a dense film, do not fade.
The best compounds to paint garage doors are epoxy, acrylic and polyurethane.
Preparing the gate for painting
The metal profile of the frame and iron sheets in the structure of the gate may have layers of rust, dirt on the surface. From welding, uneven seams remain, which will look ugly under a layer of paint. Surface defects must be removed not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
Preparation includes operations:
- washing and degreasing of the plane;
- stripping the old layer, which is swollen and crumbled;
- surface primer.
Preparatory work is necessarily carried out in order to increase adhesion, level the plane, and obtain a uniform film. Particular attention is paid to the processing of canvases outside with old paint coatings. Without this, the new paint will not last long; over time, signs of metal corrosion will appear. After preparation, the surface should dry well, then apply a primer.
Surface cleaning
Special attention is paid to washing and degreasing of cloths. They clean the welded seams from scale, cut the unevenness of the seam with a grinder with a grinding wheel for metal.
Step-by-step order of execution:
- Cleaning the plane from the old paint film. Perform with a metal brush with metal teeth. You can use a hair dryer to lift the layers, then scrape them off with a spatula. A special attachment with fine grain is put on the grinder to grind the surface.
- To remove dirt and dust, take a hose and moisten the surface. A detergent is applied to the hard side of the sponge, the canvases and the gate frame are processed in a circular motion, not skipping corners. The cleaning agent is thoroughly rinsed off the surface.
Washes are used to remove paint. The composition is applied to the surface, the old paint softens, then it is removed from the plane of the flaps with a spatula.
Painting tools and materials
For work, they take a moisture-resistant anti-corrosion paint for garage doors, use a primer and a solvent. The surface is washed with liquid soap; for oily surfaces, preparations with an anti-grease effect are used. Washes are chosen depending on the type of old coating; there are preparations for oil, acrylic, powder layers.
Tools for the job:
- stepladder;
- hose, sponge, rags;
- grinder with a cleaning wheel, spatulas.
- roller, brushes, spray gun, spray gun.
The paint is diluted in cuvettes, which has an inclined plane for squeezing out the paint.
The edges of the area to be painted are separated from other elements with masking tape so as not to paint over the excess.
Brushes are chosen with artificial bristles, flat and round types are used. For corners, special corner rollers are produced; it is better to use nozzles with a velor surface.
Garage door painting process
The spray gun is an electric mechanism for applying varnishes, enamels, paints to the surface. The device speeds up the work, while obtaining an even layer without smudges. With the help of a spray gun, it is easy to process hard-to-reach places on the frame.
The misconception that the tool is expensive belongs to the category of professional power tools.There are inexpensive options on sale for home use and DIY painting.
It is cheaper and more accessible to use a brush, the tool helps to paint cracks, corners. The disadvantage of this method is that bristle marks remain on the surface, which are visible after drying. The roller creates an even surface and saves paint. In practice, two methods are combined and a high-quality surface is obtained.
The work is carried out at a positive ambient temperature in order to reduce the risk of destruction of the coating from frost. Many types of paints react to cold, drying is slower.
How the primer is applied
The primer is sold in a concentrated and ready-to-use form. The dilution method is written on the concentrate packaging. Usually these are aqueous solutions, they are diluted in a ratio of 1: 8, 1:12, 1:16, used for polymer and acrylic types.
For oil, pentaphthalic, hammer paints, alkyd enamels, special-purpose primers are used. They are diluted with solvent, white spirit. Under nitro-enamel compositions, the surface is primed with acetone-based agents. The primer is chosen according to the type of future paint, for example, if you paint it with oil paint in a solvent on acetone, the layer will fall behind and curl up. Linseed oil is used for pretreatment of metal.
The primer is applied with a brush, using a roller, spray gun. The surface is covered completely, taking care not to leave untreated areas. The surface must be completely dry before applying paint. Sometimes several layers of soil are required.
A rust neutralizer is used to get rid of traces of corrosion, the reagents are released in the form of solutions of a gel-like consistency. The area is covered with cellophane to enhance the effect, after half an hour the rust is removed with a spatula, and the surface is washed with a solvent.
Painting process
They paint the gate, starting from the top, gradually lowering. This order is used to reduce the likelihood of smudges. The brush is dipped in paint, then applied with dotted strokes over a small area of the area. Subsequently, make several movements vertically, distributing the composition, then horizontally, finish painting with vertical strokes.
If horizontal strokes are the last ones, drips will surely appear. It is better to paint in daylight, with artificial light, unpainted areas are poorly distinguished. For roller painting, it doesn't matter whether you start from top or bottom. The tool rarely leaves marks, stretches the composition well over the surface and saves material.
The durability of the metal is directly dependent on the number of paint layers. For high-quality protection, you need to apply 2 coats. It is not worth doing more than two, since the film is thick, heavy and peels off under its own weight from the door leaf. If a glossy glossy surface is required, varnishes are used, which serve as additional protection against corrosion.
