Exterior House Painting
Full exterior repaints with scraping, priming of bare wood, caulking and two finish coats, timed to the local paint season.
DetailsExterior painting
Garage door painting in Park Ridge, IL
The garage door is often the biggest painted surface you see from the street, and it takes road salt, snow and full sun all year. We clean, treat rust, prime and paint steel and wood doors so they look right and keep opening.
- Salt rust treated before paint
- Panels painted without sticking
- Frame and trim done to match
Short answer
Garage door painting means washing off salt and grime, sanding chalky or peeling paint, treating rust on steel panels, priming bare spots and applying two coats of exterior acrylic suited to the door material. In Park Ridge and the nearby suburbs a single door typically costs $345 to $780 and a double door $465 to $960, depending on material, panel style, rust and whether the trim and frame are included.
Paint lines we use most, matched to the surface: Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and PPG for walls and trim, Romabio for limewash, Cabot and Sikkens for wood stain.
Benjamin MooreSherwin-WilliamsPPGBehrValsparFarrow & BallFine Paints of EuropeRomabioCabotSikkensZinsserRust-Oleum
Why the garage door takes more punishment than the house
Every winter, cars carry road salt and slush up the driveway and park it right against the bottom of the door. The bottom panel and the weatherstrip area see wet salt for months. On steel doors that shows up as rust blisters along the lower edge and at the seams. On wood doors it shows as peeling paint and dark, soft bottom rails.
Doors facing south or west on suburban streets also bake in afternoon sun, which chalks the paint and fades dark colors fast. And because the door flexes every time it opens, paint at the panel joints and hinges cracks before the rest of the house shows any wear.
Attached garages on brick ranches and raised ranches in Des Plaines, Niles and Elk Grove Village are the most common doors we paint. Detached garages behind 1920s bungalows in Melrose Park, Berwyn and Villa Park often have older wood doors, carriage-style overhead doors or swing doors, and the trim and siding on the garage usually need paint too.
Steel, aluminum and wood doors need different prep
Steel doors are washed with a degreaser to cut road film and salt residue, then scuffed so new paint can grip. Rust is sanded or wire brushed down to sound metal, treated and spot primed with a rust-inhibiting metal primer such as Rust-Oleum or a direct-to-metal product. Factory finish that is just chalky only needs cleaning and a bonding primer where it is worn.
Aluminum doors dent easily and their finish oxidizes into a powder. We clean that powder off fully and use a primer made for aluminum, or the new paint will peel in sheets. Wood doors are scraped, sanded, checked for rot in the bottom rail and primed with an exterior wood primer before two finish coats.
For the finish, we use a quality exterior acrylic in satin or semi-gloss, which cleans easily and resists blocking. We stay away from oil-based enamels on most modern doors, because they yellow in sun and get brittle as the door flexes.
- Steel: degrease, scuff, treat rust, spot prime
- Aluminum: remove oxidation, aluminum-rated primer
- Wood: scrape, check bottom rail, full prime
- Finish: exterior acrylic, satin or semi-gloss
Painting without gluing the door shut
Fresh paint at panel joints can stick when the door rolls up, which tears the coating. We paint the door in the down position, then raise it a few inches on a schedule while it cures so the joints do not bond. The weatherstrip and the bottom rubber seal are masked, not painted, because paint makes them stiff and leaky.
Hardware, windows in the top panel, the opener sensors and the lock handle are masked or removed. We paint the frame, jambs and trim around the door in the same visit when you want them done, since a bright new door next to peeling trim looks unfinished.
Plan on the door staying closed for the rest of the day we finish, with your car parked outside overnight. On a cool fall day, cure time stretches, so we may ask for a second night.
Signs your garage door needs paint
Garage doors show trouble along the bottom long before the top panels look tired.
Rust along the bottom
Orange spots and blisters at the lower panel come from salt and slush sitting on steel.
Chalky residue
If your hand comes away white after touching the door, the finish has broken down in the sun.
Peeling at panel joints
Paint cracking where panels hinge means the coating cannot flex any more.
Faded dark color
Brown, black and green doors on sunny sides fade unevenly and look patchy.
Soft wood bottom rail
A wood door that is dark or spongy at the bottom needs repair before paint.
Mismatched replacement panel
A new panel after a dent repair rarely matches the faded original.
How we paint a garage door
Check the door
We note the material, rust, dents and soft spots and confirm the color with you.
Wash off salt and grime
The door, frame and trim are degreased and rinsed, then left to dry.
Treat rust and sand
Rust is taken down to sound metal and treated, and peeling paint is scraped and feathered.
Mask and prime
Seals, windows, sensors and hardware are masked, and bare or treated areas get primer.
Two finish coats
Panels are painted in the correct order so recesses and edges stay even, then the frame and trim.
Cure and cycle
We raise the door a few inches during cure so panel joints do not stick, then run it fully.
What garage door painting costs around Park Ridge
Doors are priced by size, material and condition, with rust and wood repair adding the most.
| What is priced | Typical range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Single garage door | $345 to $780 | per door |
| Double garage door | $465 to $960 | per door |
| Garage door frame and surrounding trim | $1.85 to $4.40 | per linear ft |
| Wood rot repair on a door rail or jamb | $235 to $860 | per spot |
These ranges are typical for garage doors in Park Ridge and nearby suburbs, and the walk-through sets the real number for yours.
Full painting price guideWhat moves the price
- Steel, aluminum or wood construction
- Raised panel, flush or carriage style
- Amount of rust or peeling paint
- Color change, especially light over dark
- Frame, jambs and trim included or not
- Detached garage siding painted in the same visit
Road salt, sun and HOA rules on suburban garage doors
Park Ridge, Des Plaines and the towns around O'Hare get several months of salted streets every winter, and the salt rides home on every car. Average November lows near 34 degrees mean the slush at the door bottom freezes and thaws for weeks. That is why we treat even small rust spots instead of painting over them.
Townhome associations in Palatine, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove and Schaumburg often schedule garage door painting building by building, with one approved color for every unit. If you are in an association, check your approved colors before we start, or have the property manager call us to set up a whole row. On single-family homes, many owners choose to match the door to the trim so a wide door does not dominate a brick ranch.
Garage doors are best painted from May through early October, when daytime highs at O'Hare average 62 to 84 degrees. We check the can for the minimum surface temperature on cooler mornings, since a steel door in shade is colder than the air.
Where we do garage door painting
We take garage door painting jobs in Park Ridge and the suburbs around it. A few of the places we work most:
Garage Door Painting: common questions
Can you paint a steel garage door already rusting from road salt?
Yes, as long as the rust is on the surface and the steel is not rusted through. We take the rust down to sound metal, treat it and prime it with a rust-inhibiting primer before the finish coats. Panels rusted through usually need replacing first.
How long must a freshly painted garage door stay closed?
Usually the rest of the day we finish and overnight, so plan to park outside. We raise it a few inches during cure so the panel joints do not stick. Cool or humid weather can stretch that to a second night.
Should the garage door match the house trim or the front door color?
On most suburban homes, matching the trim or the siding lets a wide door blend in, while the front door gets the accent color. A contrasting garage door draws the eye away from the entry. We can paint large samples on the door before you decide.
Will a dark color on a south-facing garage door fade quickly?
Dark colors on sunny doors fade and heat up more, and on some vinyl-backed or thin steel doors heat can warp panels. Check the door manufacturer's guidance on dark colors. We can suggest mid-tone options that hold up better.
Do you paint the inside face of a garage door too?
We can, though most people leave it. Painting the inside means working around the opener track, springs and cables, so it is priced separately. It makes sense when the inside of a detached garage is being painted as well.
Work that often goes with this job
Soffit & Fascia Painting
Eaves, soffits, fascia boards and frieze trim painted from ladders and lifts, with soft spots flagged before coating.
DetailsPressure Washing
Siding, brick, decks and walkways washed at the right pressure for the surface, as prep or as yearly upkeep.
DetailsEpoxy Floor Coatings
Garage, basement and shop floors ground, repaired and coated with epoxy or polyaspartic systems with optional flake.
DetailsCondo & HOA Painting
Hallways, lobbies, stairwells and exterior trim for associations, scheduled around residents with posted notices.
DetailsBook a walk-through for garage door painting
Call any hour. Someone picks up, takes the details and books a time to walk the job with you.