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Doors & windows

Garage door paint colour ideas

One of the most overlooked aspects of the aesthetic of your home is the colour of your garage door. It takes up a big part of your home’s facade, and having garage door paint colours that complement the rest of your home is essential. You can go with the traditional neutral colours or go from a more exciting colour range.

Whichever colour you paint your new garage door, it’ll change your home’s kerb appeal. It can even transform the look of your entire property, so choose wisely. Here are some garage door paint colour ideas to help your house be the most beautiful in the neighbourhood.

12 Paint colour ideas for your garage door

1. Classic white

a mignight blue suburban home with white garage door
A suburban home with white garage door | Source: iStock

There is no doubt that white is the most common garage door colour, and for a good reason. It pairs well with any style of home and any colour of paint on your home’s exterior, as it works well with other neutral hues and creates a contrast with darker tones and pairs well with a range of vibrant hues.

2. Subtle grey

Grey is another common colour that is cool and chic. It’s neutral with more character than white, but it does need a better eye to pair with. One of the best garage colour combinations is with a black house exterior, as it softens the dark tones and makes it more pleasing to see.

3. Neutral yet bold navy blue

a bold blue garage door in harmony with yellow walls
Bold garage doors for a deep accent | Source: iStock

A classic choice is the traditional navy blue, which fits in with quintessential homes. Its common pairing is with white, but try it out on homes with wooden doors and walls because it provides a stylish, deep accent. 

4. Moody black

Garage doors painted black give an edge to your home because they provide a stark contrast to nearly every other paint colour. Painting your garage door black can be tricky, as it can look tacky or mismatched, so you need to be sure of your choice before your paint job.

5. Ultimate neutral beige

a modern beige garage door
Beige for a neutral garage door | Source: iStock

One of the paint colours for garage doors rising in popularity and rivalling white in neutrality is beige or sand. With neutral house paint colours being common and wooden doors being a timeless door material, it’s already a great colour for house trimmings, which is why it has become a top garage door colour.

6. Classic green

Aside from the neutrals, green is seen on many garage doors because it pairs very well with white and wood tones. It’s also a great accent in homes with plenty of greenery, making it a good choice for those who want to give the illusion of extending their landscaping or garden to the garage. 

7. Natural brown

a traditional house with brown garage door
A traditional garage door painted brown | Source: iStock

If you have wood doors in your home, it’s a great idea to create a cohesive look by painting your garage door in the same shade of brown. The matching set enhances the overall appearance of your property and elevates its look.

8. Stand-out red

Homeowners bold enough can consider red as their garage colour to make a striking statement. It’s one of those colours that pop against any other colour, but for a cohesive look, pair it with more subdued warm tones or neutrals to balance the boldness.

9. Cute pink and peach

soft peach garage door colour
Experiment with a playful garage door colour | Source: iStock

Feeling playful and want an unconventionally fun colour for your garage door? Warm or muted pinks and peaches can go well with sandy-coloured homes. Your mood might feel lighter when you drive into your parking lot. 

10. Versatile slate blue

If you love blue but are unsure about navy since you prefer lighter colours, try its more neutral brother: slate blue. This shade is halfway between bold and neutral and perfectly matches homes with cool-toned aesthetics.

11. Shiny silver

an automated metallic garage door colour idea
When in doubt, try metallic garage doors | Source: iStock

Go for the traditional metallic garage door and paint it silver. While modern roller doors aren’t made with shiny metals anymore, it might still be fun to paint them shiny to give your home an old-school, classic look.

12. Sunny and bright yellow

Make your garage door a point of brightness in your house exterior by painting it a sunny colour like yellow! Be careful, though, as this colour can quickly look out of place. It’s best to stick to pairing it with whites and other neutrals.

6 tips when choosing a colour and painting your garage door

  1. Choose a colour that matches the aesthetic of your home. Whether you go for a monochromatic scheme or a fun complementary colour, it’s important to match the colours to make your home more cohesive.
  2. Take into account the other architectural details of your house in the painting process. The trimmings, the driveway gate, and the roof can be a good way to determine what colour your garage door should be.
  3. The climate and environment of your surroundings should impact your colour decision. For example, dark colours can make your garage feel hot inside, whilst lighter colours can keep the temperature normal or cooler than using a dark colour.
  4. Select the right kind of paint for your door. You need paint that will adhere properly, so choose one that is appropriate for your garage door’s surface and will withstand the elements.
  5. Keep the rest of your property safe from paint that might drip or bleed into them. Most importantly, use painter’s tape around the trimmings of your garage door to ensure the paint job is clean.
  6. If your garage door already has old paint, you must take some precautions before repainting. Besides the usual sanding and cleaning, repainting garage doors might require scraping off the previous paint first, as paint for garage doors is notoriously thick. You can always get a garage door expert or a painter to do this for you!

Get a beautiful paint job on your garage doors

Your garage door paint colour might seem like a tiny detail, but it’s a huge part of your curb appeal and can make you stand out in your neighbourhood. From neutrals like white and sand to bright and bold reds and silvers, bring out your home’s character by giving the garage door a fresh coat of paint.

Painting garage doors is a project that you might be able to do yourself, but if you’re unsure about the right garage door colour or how to go about garage door painting, you can always call a professional painter. They know how to amp up your home’s exteriors and have all the right tools to do the job right for the right price!

FAQs on painted garage door colours

What kind of paint do you use on a garage door?

For wooden and vinyl garage doors, it would be best to use latex paint because it adheres best to the material. However, acrylic paint is the best paint for metal garage doors. Each of these materials also has its own primer that helps in the application, so be sure to pick up some.

Should garage doors be painted flat or gloss?

We should remember that paint is not only for aesthetics. It is also functional! Glossy or semi-glossy paint finishes better than matte paint and lets your garage door withstand the elements better. It also holds up for longer without getting chipped or needing reapplication.

Is it a good idea to paint a metal garage door?

With the right primer and paint, a metal garage door is just as easy to paint as the other types. Get a primer to protect it from rust, as this is a common problem for metal garage doors with their exposed surfaces. Acrylic paint adheres properly to the metal, so it is the optimal choice for all metal garage door paint colours. Black, white, red and blue are all common painting colours for a steel garage door.

What colour should the garage door frame be painted?

Ideally, you’d want to pair the frame with your garage door’s surface. However, as it is a trimming, it is also an opportunity to shake things up. Try matching it with a complementary colour to make your garage door pop.

What colour should I use to paint a garage door with red brick?

Red brick homes are classic and timeless, so pairing them with a garage door colour that is equally timeless is essential. Go for neutrals that will make the brick in your home stand out — making your garage door a necessary accessory to your home’s aesthetic.

Categories
Construction

Different types of garage doors

For most homes, the most striking feature is the garage door. It faces the road, it’s by far the largest door, and it may even be attached to a freestanding structure. More than that, your garage door is functional in that it protects your car and other garage contents from the elements and intruders. Here, we’ll explore the common types of garage doors on the market, and whether you should consider them for your home. are the most common types op

Here’s a round up of the most common types of garage doors.

1. Sectional doors

Sectional garage doors are made up of around six to eight segments that retract upward and inward at the same time. When the door is fully open, they lie flat against the ceiling. These are a reliable and durable option – each of the panels has its own connection to the main door track to ensure it’s secure when opened or closed. Repairs can be conducted on just the affected panel, instead of the entire structure.

Another benefit of the sectional door? Because they don’t need to be flung open, the space in front of the door is free to use.

Source: Smart Realty

2. Tilt-up garage doors

With this style of door, wide doors open up and when open are parallel to the ground. When they retract, they are flush against the garage ceiling. They come in a wide variety of colours and styles, and are a popular choice as they can be more customisable (e.g. glass panels) than a roller or sectional door. However, because they swing out then up they do require a large amount of clearance space in front of the door.

3. Roller shutter doors

Garage door roller shutters are made from a coated steel panel that smoothly rolls open, providing access to your garage. They are safe, secure and made from top-quality materials like Colorbond steel in a wide range of colours.

Manual or automatic options are available. For the manual option – simply unlock the door and push it open, then pull it down and lock it when you’re done. If you need to retension a roller door or tension a roller garage door, there are resources available on how to retension a roller door or how to tension a roller door for proper operation. The automated option – which is considerably more expensive – operates in the same way, except using a remote control.

Automatic roller shutters also feature an electronic safety beam that detects movement across the width of the garage entranceway. If the beam senses that anything is crossing through this area, it will automatically re-open the door. This safety feature can keep pets and children from getting caught when the door comes rolling down, ensuring your roller door retention remains intact.

4. Side-hinged doors

The oldest type of garage door available is the side-hinge door. In fact, this style predates automobiles. These are fixed at the side, and swing-out like a regular door. While this style takes up more space than a sectional or roller door, they are easy to use and provide a more unusual, vintage aesthetic.

Every type will get the job done, but you might have to eliminate one or two choices depending on the layout of your garage or how much clearance you need in front of the garage to open it. Keep in mind that if you choose any kind of hinge door, you will need to keep a minimum amount of space in front of the door clear so you can open it.

Other considerations when selecting a garage door

Choice of material

It might be true that traditional garage doors were made with flat panel plywood, sheet metal or hollow core for those on a budget, and fibreglass or solid timber for those homeowners willing to splurge, but today you have many more options in a variety of prices. In addition to the choices already listed, they also include powder-coated aluminium and vinyl doors. These are becoming popular for the many choices of colours, their affordability and their durability. Wide tempered glass panels are also gaining popularity – because the panels are in aluminium frames they can also be used indoors to replace sliding glass doors.

Here’s a quick view of the pros and cons of the different types of materials available for your garage door.

  • Timber: Timber can be painted to any colour you want. While a painted garage door can look striking, it will need regular maintenance.
  • Steel: A popular choice, it doesn’t require as much upkeep and is more durable than timber.
  • Aluminium: While these are lightweight and inexpensive, they do have a tendency to dent easily.
  • Fibreglass: This type isn’t a good choice for cold climates since they don’t have good insulation properties, and they have a tendency to break easily.
Source: Hao Son Constructions

When you finally turn to aesthetics, you will be pleasantly surprised by your options. Even standard doors these days are stylish options, as well as being the most economic choice. If you choose to have your garage door completely custom made, it will definitely make a statement on your home, but it might cost you a chunk of change as well. A good middle ground is to choose a semi-custom garage door. This uses standard materials and style options, and you also have your choice of sizes and panel inserts to make it your own.

Manual or automatic?

You will want to decide if a manual or automatic door is the best choice for you. You can find an automatic system for practically any door, but this will cost more money. These can be retrofitted for existing doors or installed on new doors, and are certainly more convenient. An automatic door remote can be connected to a home alarm system, so opening or closing the door turns the alarm on or off automatically. A more logical (and cheaper) solution is to buy the garage door and automatic system together as a package.

Safety & security

One of the most important things a residential garage door must do is offer protection. When you consider purchasing a particular door, make sure that the materials used and the way the door is built for your home security and that there aren’t any weak points that may attract burglars. Also, don’t forget that safety is the most important thing and you should teach your family how to stay safe around the garage door and how to operate it safely.

Check with local council

When building a new garage, you’ll need to double-check local restrictions and what the specifications of an allowable garage might be. Check with your local council or permitting office to determine restrictions and permits before committing any time or money into the project. Permits most often apply for a large garage, one that encroaches on a current easement, one that is attached to a home or one that fails to meet the minimum setback requirements.