Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Oklahoma City, OK installs all kinds of garage doors, including metal or wood. Some homeowners realize they’d prefer the look of one over the other but don’t need to replace their whole door. Use these tricks to give you metal garage door a wooden look.
Gather Supplies
Before you get started, make sure you have everything you need for the full project. Gather together all of the following and you’ll be off to a great start:
- Cardboard or tarp for catching any drips
- Painter’s tape, or masking tape
- Gel stain
- 2-3 inch paint brush
- 6-inch paint roller
- Rags or towels, some dry and some damp
- Strié brush
Prep the Door
Make sure your door is completely ready to be painted before beginning so that you don’t have to stop in the middle and have your paint or stain dry up. If your door still has a high-gloss finish to it, sand it down so that your paint and stain will stick properly.
Once sanded, use a power washer to get off any excess dust, dirt, and soil. If there’s any heavy staining, grease, etc. you may have to use a rag to scrub it off by hand. Allow plenty of time for the door to completely dry before moving on at all.
Apply a Base Coat
If your door is a light color, you’ll need to apply a base coat of a dark color paint to give your wood grain the right appearance. Pick a color that’s a few shades darker than your desired wood grain color. This will peak through the stain when it’s all done.
Use your brush to get the detailed places like any recessed designs and around the edges. Use the roller to cover the larger areas that remain. Now give the door several hours to dry based on the information on your paint can.
Strié Technique
The most important of the tricks to give you metal garage door a wooden look is the strié technique. This will give your door the beautiful rustic look that you’re going for, and doesn’t take a lot of skill to do. Just follow these simple instructions.
- Apply your gel stain to the door. You may want to test this out in a low-visibility area to make sure you like the color. This will also help you get the technique figured out.
- Roll out the stain on one panel of the door. Depending on the size, you may want to do just part of a panel to prevent the stain from drying out too fast.
- Use your strié brush to pull streaks down the full height of the panel. This will give you the wood grain look.
- Repeat.
Call Us for More Assistance
Hopefully, these tricks to give your metal garage door a wooden look give you the result you’re looking for. If you decide you’d rather just get the real thing, Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is here to help. Call us anytime and we can get you the perfect new garage door!
