Now that our house is looking pretty good, it was time to turn our attention to our detached garage. Our garage doors are original which means they are 81 years old! They have been patched and painted numerous times over the years. I admit that when we moved here we just slapped on a coat of paint and called it a day. It has been peeling more and more in the recent years so I knew it was time for a garage door makeover! This post is sponsored by Wagner and all opinions and ideas are 100% my own. This post also contains affiliate links.
Our garage makeover journey actually started last Fall. This is what it looked like back then. A real beaut, eh?
Since I have a 3 step ladder rule (I hate heights!) Shane was the master behind the scraping, sanding, caulking, and painting the top portion. I made the basketball hoop backboard and he attached it for me.
As lovely as the top half looked, it made the doors look all the more faded and shabby. And then one day we lost a poorly applied replacement panel so I knew we had to move this garage door makeover project to the top of the to-do list.
Garage Door Makeover
Step 1: Make Any Necessary Repairs
The top two rows of panels are original as well as one on the third row. But the others are scrap pieces of particle board that were screwed on from behind and were obviously deeper than the others. I took off all of the bottom panels and removed the recently broken glass (thanks to the basketball hoop).
I added a thin piece of plywood to the backside of the door. It was almost a full sheet of plywood. That allowed me to be able to have something to attach the new panels to. I used liquid nails to adhere 1/2″ plywood squares and then caulked around them.
Step 2: Scrape and Sand
Here’s where the elbow grease comes in. Doing this project when it was hovering around 100 all week was not the best. Also I should note that if your garage door is as old as mine, you need to do a lead paint test. They are inexpensive and easy to do. If you are lead paint free, you can proceed!
Because of how many thick layers of paint were on this bad boy, even after scraping off the loose paint, there was still a big difference between where the raw wood was showing through and the top coat of paint. Sanding these transition areas will help lessen it but it will still show after being painted. It is what it is. This makeover is a temporary fix. The other option was to strip the paint off of the door and trim but that would have been more costly and more time consuming. The quality of the wood and the shape it was in after 80 years in the sun didn’t warrant it.
Step 3: Clean it Well
After all the sanding, I needed to clean the dust off. I chose to hose it down. Anytime hosing something is an option I do it instead of wiping it down. Outdoor furniture, kids…
Step 4: Tape and Tarp
When the door was completely dry, it was time to protect the areas around the door. Since the overspray of the Wagner Flexio 5000 is minimal, I chose to use the thin plastic tarp with tape already attached. I ran it along the sides and along the bottom.
I chose a good exterior paint with UV protection.
Step 4: Paint!
Before you turn the sprayer onto your project, first test it on a large piece of cardboard. It was my first time using the Wagner Flexio 5000 and since it has more settings than the HomeRight sprayers, it took me awhile to get the feel for it and to fine tune the adjustments for the paint I was using. The iSPRAY nozzel that I was using also puts out more paint since it is meant for larger projects and is not a finish sprayer. That took some getting use to.
*Side note… Some of you may be wondering why I am all of a sudden using a Wagner Sprayer when I have been using HomeRight sprayers for 7 years. Guess what?! Wagner and HomeRight got married :) They merged earlier this year and I now have the opportunity to test our the Wagner line as well.
One other cool feature is that the motor is on a housing unit on the ground so you can have more paint in the container and it isn’t as heavy. No more tired arms as you spray back and forth.
Holy cats you guys! Look at my garage door makeover! It kind of looks like new! All the panels are firmly attached and are the same depth. No more gaps and tears. I went ahead and gave the regular door the full Wagner treatment as well.
I added plexiglass to the windows instead of glass. Since the basketball hoop is right above, I didn’t want to risk the windows getting broke again. I know there are pros and cons to plexi, but it is our best bet for now.
I also removed the paint from the original lock and handle so they stand out in all their brass glory.
After a week of scorching temperatures, the day I was finishing up and trying to take photos it was a DOWNPOUR. So much rain. The trim paint is actually still wet in the photos because of the humidity. But the wet paint and wet driveway don’t take away from the fact that this garage looks a heck of a lot better than it did a week ago.
I’m not done!
Part 1 was painting the top half, part 2 was painting the garage door and trim, part 3 is still to come! One more big project that I have the supplies for, I just need to get up the courage. Stay tuned!
Giveaway!
HomeRight/Wagner are offering to give one lucky reader a Wagner Flexio 5000! That is a $215 value. This includes not only the iSPRAY Nozzle that I used (meant for broad surface projects) but also the Detail Finish Nozzle for smaller projects and a super smooth finish.
You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from August 1, 2019 until August 8, 2019. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case, HomeRight.
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I have some patio furniture that needs a makeover.
Love it! Your garage looks clean and classic! I’m considering a sprayer to use for my porch. I could use all the help I could get!
REALLY NICE refresh! We need to do ours too.
That looks great! While I was reading the article I was thinking about the fireplace brick I want to paint. I hadn’t thought of using a sprayer until now. That could be the nugget to (finally) get me started on it. Thanks!!
My garage door is also a sad sight – would love to paint it with the Wagner.
Oh wow! That looks great. Can’t wait to see what project you’ll be doing next that requires you to gather up your courage……Very intriguing :-)
Anyway, we have a garage built in 1985 (seems like yesterday:) that is falling apart and that sprayer would make shorter work of it!!
Pretty pretty please??😁
Great job! That new Wagner Flexio 5000 looks amazing!
I am sooooooooooo behind on painting projects ….I am doing a bookcase (25 cube) and desk for school(work) this would have been so much easier than rolling every single one….I have 2 bookcases in my garage for 2 years as I dread painting them, after doing the school ones I remember why!! Thanks for the chance
I love how you share not only your ideas but your thought process. I am currently updating our home and receive plenty of ideas from your blog. Thank you for sharing!
Very nice result. Your house looks great. You do such good work, perfect. My deck needs work, needs paint. Can’t wait for the next project you do.
Your garage door project turned out great – it has me reconsidering how I will tackle my house and garage this fall.
Your door looks fabulous! We have 3 garage doors that need done and this sprayer would be a life saver!
I need to paint my fences, the Wagner Flexio would speed things up
Looks amazing!!! Great work in the heat!
Great job! Already looks much better 😀. Thanks for the giveaway ❤️ We definitely have projects we could use it for!
Our patio fence and deck by the lake. Since our seasons are harsh we have to paint/stain them yearly. This would make it so much easier. Especially the deck as I stain the whole thing on my knees.
Excellent improvement! I have a whole trailer house to paint and sure could use a sprayer!
I need to repaint our work shed. I would love to win.
I enjoy watching your make over because I also live in an old (1939) cottage, we call it a Bungalow. I wish ours was brick! We have light blue vinyl siding. :P Our detached garage needs a new door as well. One of the previous owners replaced the original door with 2 sheets of plywood and trimmed it with 1×4″ ‘s and put little latches on it.
As luck would have it, I get to paint today…wishing I had a Wagner to help me along.
Hinges, they used little hinges. :D
I finished painting my living room after that first note. It looks ok, I’m guessing it would be more complete if I had used a sprayer. LUCKILY, I still have my garage to paint, my neighbors would be happy if I did it sooner than later. ;)
I’m jealous that you have a 2nd bathroom. We are looking into installing one in our basement (garden level, hahaha). We’d have to paint there as well, which means we’d have to clean up the route to the new room as well. The work never ends! :)
Love your detailed work and description. We’ve doing renovations on 5 homes in as we move from place to place for over 25 years. I certainly know how patient one must be to live through this many years of renovations.
In most cases the renovations reveal the shoddy work done by previous renovators. My husband and I are perfectionist (which is one reason remodeling takes so long). One thing is for sure it is done right, and I pity anyone coming in after us and wanting to change any of our work.
The sprayer will make the painting much easier.
I have a small barn to paint! I think a Wagner sprayer like this would help it go much, much faster! Thanks for the giveaway. =)
I wish I had both your creativity and your DIY skills. GREAT JOB!
Awesome job! It looks great. Love your blog.
I currently have a 6′ wood fence that we installed to enclose the huge back yard last fall at my daughters, to keep her beagles safe, that is waiting to be stained. The Wagner Flexio 5000 would sure help.
Your garage looks great! I can think of a few projects around here that one of these sprayers would work on. :)
This is my grandparents’ home and since we lived close, I spent so much time growing up there! What a stunning home you have created, they would be so happy with what you’ve done! I’m working on turning my garage into a great room, the paint sprayers give me hope it won’t be as time-consuming as I think!
Haha, the before is my garage door! I’ve been debating whether it’s in good enough shape it to be worth painting or if we should just replace it. Of course a sprayer would make painting so much easier!
The Wagner sprayer would definitely make short work of an outbuilding that neede painting. Your garage looks amazing. I know that there was a lot of prep work but your hard work definitely paid off.
I have garage doors and a fence that need some love!
Looking good! I am excited to see what you have up your sleeve for the next step…..
My hubby and I are doing a whole house reno! Lots of work. We were gifted a 1782 sq.ft. double wide home that is a total gut job! The pluses , it is sheet rocked inside and it has a new roof and gutters and it is solid. We are on a very limited budget, and I mean limited, $10,000. That will be new windows, flooring, sinks, faucets, tub,appliances, etc. It will be fun to source things from different places. My hub and i are really good at it! He is a very wonderful and skilled carpenter( raised 3 children from that living) and I love design, decor, crafting and thrift shopping for deals. We are very excited to see the finished results, we are in our 60,s now, so it takes a little longer. The most amazing thing on our journey,s in life, the Heavenly Father does amazing things, you quoted a Scripture a while back. Now to God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to HIS power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20. Lovely!
Forgive me, that was Heather, another wonderful blogger, who quoted that Scripture. It so applies here and there and there and so on and so on
I want to spray paint my garage. First the walls, then the cement floor.
Always nice to see the improvement when a project is done! Have you ever thought of painting your brick? Not commenting for sprayer as not a USA resident.
Wow! What a difference. Your garage looks great.
I have a house painting project I have been putting off — this would be a tremendous help.
Just getting started on a mud room makeover! This would be an awesome tool!
our new deck walls that would make it way better to finish it
It looks wonderful! Love the classic style doors. I’m considering investing in a paint sprayer to paint my kitchen cabinets.
What a difference! Can’t wait to see part 3!
We’re adding built-ins to our lower level family room and this would be a DREAM to paint the cabinets to get a nice even finish with! Love the garage update, great job! Thanks for the opportunity! 😊
Need to paint FOUR garage doors!
I’d love to be able to paint my parent’s deck for them. Thanks!
The door looks great! I need to paint ours now!
Similiar to what you just did, we need to paint our garage door. We also really need to repaint our shutters, so the Flexio would be awesome for both projects!
I have a barn to paint and if I were to win the sprayer I KNOW I would find ALL kind of stuff that would need to be painted :)
IT matches your house now! Yay! Beautiful job! <3
Wow, I have a barn like garage with double doors on the top! Those doors are a killer with a paint brush. This tool could come in handy for my husband who really hates to paint! The attached garage also extends to a covered porch which needs a refresh. I would cheer him on to get all the projects done at one time if he had this neat gadget. No bribing necessary! ;-)
Love your blog! It’s amazing how much the color of your brick changed with the new paint. I have some large (and small) projects in dire need of spray-painting. I have a red brick house and would love to paint the interior of my garage a light turquoise color. As I am a senior and cannot afford to have it professionally painted, I would probably have to enlist the help of my son!
i would have my porch redone.
Your garage looks fantastic. What a difference. I like the pattern on the garage door. Anyway, I need to repaint my front door. Been putting that off forever.
Looks like new!!
I’m considering painting kitchen cabinets
Our whole house exterior needs a paint job.
Moms whole house remodeling and updating.
Painting both inside and out.
LET me tell you we are disappointed in many of the tools we have purchased. PURE junk. Easily break etc.
Will look into this brand at the depot.
Loved the information – I used a sprayer for the first time for a craft project last year and fell in love. It makes a large job so much easier. I have projects waiting for this sprayer.
You did an amazing job! I’m inspired now to get some painting done at my homework!
Wow, looks amazing!
What a transformation, the door looks brand new. I would never have thought to just replace the broken panels and repaint. This paint sprayer would be so helpful at painting our Lanai, I used spray can’s the last time and it was so expensive and didn’t last.
I want to paint an accent wall in my son’s room
I have a shed that really needs painted.
All my outside doors heading into the house and garage need an update
I think you deserve a lot of credit for remaking the original door when it would have been so much easier to scrap it and hang a new door. Your garage looks great and I’m in your same “stay close to the ground” club.
Great project! 👍🏼
Wow! We have rental property that we pay a fortune to have painted every time someone moves out. This sprayer would allow us to do it ourselves and save us a ton of money. Following your blog is inspiring me to do more of the upkeep on the rentals ourselves. Maybe I’ll start blogging about them. ;) Look forward to Part 3!!
This could come in very handy some day !! Thanks for sharing this!! So cool!
Looks great. I would paint a fence.
Looks great!
We need to repaint our shed and this would be perfect for that.
The biggest painting project that I need to do right now is painting a lattice patio screen. Rolling it is a nightmare. This would be so helpful! Thanks for the chance to win!
WOW what a great transformation! I love how beautiful it turned out. Thanks for having the contest to win the spray painter.
The makeover looks great. I’m working on our nursery and considering painting kitchen cabinets, the sprayer would make both of these projects a breeze.
I desperately need to pain the bricks of my house and this would make the job so much easier.
You did an amazing job! There are so many projects on my list that could use that Wagner sprayer. I’d love to give it a try!
The privacy fence in our backyard is plain, cheap fenceboards and I would love to stain them but haven’t had the time/energy to start the project. This would make it a breeze!
All the things…I have some shutters and small wood shelves I just haven’t gotten to. Thanks for the giveaway!
We built the kids a tree house last fall that desperately needs to be painted or stained!
I have a Home Right; I’d love to try the Wagner!
I’ve got a shed I need to paint!
I will be painting the ceiling in part of our unfinished basement.. help me please! :D
I would love to to use it on entire outside of our house as we are doing a complete remodel.
Need to repaint our deck.