# Cleaning/Painting Aluminum Garage Door



## spraygunn (Nov 14, 2010)

Hey mhoffma1,
There are some things you just don't do and gluing anything to to a door is one of them. Once that glue dries it's almost impossible to remove. You can try paint remover but that would be your best bet. Are you sure it's aluminum? I don't believe I've ever seen an aluminum garage door. As far as painting the door, make sure it's clean, preferably power wash and let dry for a day or so. Some will say latex and if you do make sure it's not in the sun and not hot. If you choose oil base enamel, then you're going to want to do a couple of coats if you're brushing and rolling it. One coat if you spray it.


----------



## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

Talk to your rep at a paint store or big box, probably lacquer thinner or MEK would work, depends on the glue, maybe acetone. I would apply multiple apps of solvent to allow it to soften the glue over time, then try to scrape it with a putty knife. As to prep, I would wash it down with a detergent and water, with a splash of bleach in case any mildew is behind the wood. Aluminum generally needs no primer with today's exterior paints. New aluminum should be wiped with a solvent to remove any manufacture residue and sanded to dull the gloss, then finish. It's important to use a quality finish, 100% acylic. Ben Moore has a great line for adhesion. I put Moorgard Low Lustre on polished, unprimed, unsanded PVC as a test and you couldn't chip it off if you tried. Also, garage doors should be painted the color of your siding, or the house's body color, not the trim color, they're not considered trim in the sense of of man doors. Have fun.
Joe
DiyPaintingGuide.org


----------



## mhoffma1 (Feb 5, 2011)

Spraygunn & JSheridan,
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to help me out - you gave me the info I needed to get going. Much appreciated!

--Mike


----------



## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

mhoffma1, Steve made me think. And yes Steve, I have seen aluminum garage doors. I think latex would be the way to go because it would flex more than oil with temp extremes. As to color, use to be you couldn't paint vinyl siding with dark colors because it would absorb heat and warp the siding. I know Sherwin Williams resolved that problem, check that with Ben Moore. That might be something to keep in mind, especially if it recieves long term afternoon sun. While I don't think it would warp, you don't want the door and paint job getting excessively hot for long periods. I guess the SW paints have a UV reflective quality, which can only help. BTW, if the door gets alot of direct sunlight and you use a dark color, be ready to paint it every two years or so. Direct sunlight on a metal door will bleach the color and damage the sheen in short order. The thought about SW may help reduce that possibility. You might try dry scraping the heavy adhesive off or applying some heat, either a heat gun or flame, for the bulk of it and the solvent for the rest. Careful, don't start any fires.


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

Don't forget to deal with the nails holes.


----------



## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

After you get the glue off clean the surface well. Tsp works well fro that, there are similar products. The key to painting anything aluminum is cleaning the surface well. You want to remove any chalky areas, the chalk is from the aluminum oxidizing. You will only need to prime any bare spots of aluminum. Whenever we paint aluminum I use Sherwin Williams DTM bonding primer or SW Procryl primer to prime any bare spots and the I like to use Sherwin Williams Super Paint satin as a top coat. Dark colors is not really a problem anymore using high quality paints. We've painted aluminum and vinyl siding, doors, gutters etc. With dark colors using Sherwin Williams SuperPaint and have never had a problem. you can pretty much use any quality latex paint with 100% acrylic binders for painting aluminum.


----------

