Well this was a Pinterest via blogger idea that nagged at me for awhile before I finally got the nerve to pull the trigger. Boy am I glad I did
Our garage doors did not really need a transformation but when has that ever stopped me before. I have been reading and rereading this post for awhile now
So today I shall share our transformation.
But first, I mentioned in our intro to Franklin that I had help painting the front door so I thought I would share that in the same post.
Our black doors were extremely chipped from the various paraphernalia I have had hanging on them during each season and our ridiculous country high winds. I had an inkling to change the black to something else and was leaning towards green. The brick on our home is quite neutral but can lend itself to the peachy tones quite well if not careful with pairings.
I have been reading a lot about Sherwin Williams paints from various bloggers so visited our local store and within 5 minutes picked this shade of green Olive Grove SW 7734.
Just in case you were wondering Artichoke was my second choice.
I am loving the freshness of it and at night the soffit lights my darling man installed really light this door up now instead of it fading into our house. This will most likely be the last coat of paint as these doors are just trashed from the previous owners but after a huge sanding and cleaning they look pretty good again.
I painted the medallion on the door black instead of the rust brown it was. I am actually still unsure about that decision but, it blends in well with the urns, lion and door knocker partially covered in wheat wreath. For those of you new here and I haven't mentioned it in awhile. This medallion although decorative is serving to cover a huge dent in our door. If you look really closely in the angle picture above you can just see it but, without the medallion it is all you see.
I am also contemplating changing in the nearish not tomorrow future the traditional wall sconces for something more barnlighty. Something galvanized from barn light electric most likely.
I have just started the fall plantings and they are still new but once in bloom will share window boxes etc.
Alright to the main event. The redone garage doors.
First things first. Wash with dawn dish soap and vinegar and a good hosing. Let dry completely. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and purchase Minwax Gel Stain. Debate with husband on the right colour especially since he is not completely convinced this will work. We have had a few botched blog/pinterest recipes, so the trust factor gets lowered.
Anywho, we used walnut.
The Gel Stain was 18.99 and we bought 2 fat bristle brushes for staining and 1 thin 1.5" brush to do the edges. Total cost including brushes was about 26.00, so I took liberties with cost in the first photo but if you have the brushes, total is 20 bucks.
I have wanted wood garage doors on this house since we moved in but there have been bigger fish to fry and the roof on this photo shows a big fish swimming into our pond in the future. A tuna sized fish.
We started out at the top of the doors and worked down brushing in the direction of the grain. Our door has a wood grain finish which helps to complete the wood look.
Here's Trevor starting the application.
The closeups give you an idea of what the finish looks like sans glare. We did one coat waited 5 hours before lowering the doors and did 1 more light coat a day later because it looked a little light for my taste and some brush strokes were evident.
Note: your doors should be a brown/beige/wood tone prior to starting this project. If they are white to start with it may take you 4 coats to achieve this look. Save time and give them a coat of darker paint first.
I think it totally changes the appearance of our home and up close and from the street the doors look custom and new. A good diy not diy looking in my book.
Hope you are inspired to try something from your pinterest boards soon
Have a great day,
