The 411 on D.I.Y.- Wood Grain Garage Doors
So, I have been meaning to share with you all a fun way to transform the front of your home for a while now. They say that a garage door is like "lipstick" on your home's face. Well, I kinda agree. With a drive in the front garage that takes up sometimes half of your curb appeal, it is a good idea to have it looking great. A fresh coat of paint in a complimenting color can help, but what about those gorgeous wood grain looking carriage doors? I will tell you about them...they can be pricey. So, the next best thing is to "faux" them! It is actually much easier than one would think, but **disclaimer** it is not something to rush through. If you have some time, and are willing- you too can have beautiful "custom" garage doors.
For this project, we used Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut. It does come in a variety of colors, and my biggest advice here is to make sure that whichever color you choose- pick it up from the same store and "dye-lot." We used two cans of stain (for two car garage sized door), a good brush, painters tape, and GLOVES!
Start by taping off each paneled section with painters tape. This can be the most time consuming part, but it also gives you the most professional look when finished.
Paint the stain on in the direction of the "faux" wood grain. Paint/Stain with the grain. Allow each section time to dry before applying a second coat.
Once the individual panels are completely stained and DRY, tape off and paint/stain the remaining grid work in the direction of the grain. Think of the panels as individually constructed wood pieces, because that is what they would be anyways- right?
Once dry, remove the tape and enjoy your beautiful "new" door! In all the DIY pics on my phone, I cannot find a final pic! I will find some and post soon, I promise!
There are a lot of tutorials on this online, but I do have my own advice to offer. Make sure that you pick up all your stain at the same store and at the same time. If you use different dye lots, you could end up with discolored panels. We ran out of stain mid-way and had to make a run to the closest store to get more. No big deal right? Wrong! The different stores had a slightly different version of Walnut and we did not realize until we were completely finished and the sun hit the door just right.