I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ? Is that standard ? Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?

I live in Ottawa Canada, so the weather here goes from very cold to
very warm.

Thanks all in advance.

Usually on the back of the door there are some instructions regarding
painting, or call the garage door manufacturer.


"Section 31" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ? Is that standard ? Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?

I live in Ottawa Canada, so the weather here goes from very cold to
very warm.

Thanks all in advance.

Section 31 wrote:
I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ?

It's your door to do with whatever you please.

Is that standard ?

NO. It is not. Most aluminum doors are unpainted. You could just
try giving it a good cleaning with a power washer.


Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?
Not as long as High gloss enamel which is the longest lasting.

"Lawrence" wrote in message
oups.com...

Section 31 wrote:
I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ?

It's your door to do with whatever you please.

Is that standard ?

NO. It is not. Most aluminum doors are unpainted. You could just
try giving it a good cleaning with a power washer.

Perhaps you meant that most aluminum garage doors come pre-painted? I've
never seen an unpainted aluminum garage door. Even the metal service doors
come at least pre-primed. Paint does fade and otherwise become unsightly.

Latex paint will work just fine on aluminum. I wouldn't go any higher than
a satin sheen. Most people prefer either a flat or satin finish on the
exterior. Semi-gloss is just too shiny. Exceptions may include doors, but
rarely garage doors because they are so large.





Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?
Not as long as High gloss enamel which is the longest lasting.


It is rare to see gloss paint on the exterior of a house. In fact, it's
rare to see gloss paint anywhere on a house.

Just my two cents here, but I wouldn't paint aluminum garage doors with
latex. Maybe a top quality Acrylic Latex might work for a few years
(depending on the quality of the surface you're painting on) however if
it were MY garage door(s) I would first carefully prepare the surface
(thoroughly clean, lightly sand for adhesion) prime with a good alkyd
primer (Rustoleum works great) and then paint with a quality alkyd
(oil-based) or epoxy paint. I would spray the final coat for an even
finish. Aluminum is particularly difficult to paint because it is such
a good thermal conductor - it moves a lot with temperature variation
(expansion/contraction) so it needs a paint that really hangs on tight.

Jeff

Section 31 wrote:
I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ? Is that standard ? Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?

I live in Ottawa Canada, so the weather here goes from very cold to
very warm.

Thanks all in advance.

Don't paint them with latex, it will take 2 or 3 coats to cover it, and
you'll be disappointed with the results. I've have good luck painting metal
with Rust-X paint. The stuff is oil base, high solids and designed for
painting metal.


"Section 31" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ? Is that standard ? Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?

I live in Ottawa Canada, so the weather here goes from very cold to
very warm.

Thanks all in advance.

On 9 Sep 2006 12:38:54 -0700, "Section 31" wrote:

I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
The woman at Home Depot made it a satin finish. Is that Ok to paint
an exterior garage door ? Is that standard ? Or should it have been
different such as eggshell or semi gloss ? Will satin last a long time
?

I live in Ottawa Canada, so the weather here goes from very cold to
very warm.

Thanks all in advance.

My Rustoleum painted garage door has lasted 9 years so far and still
looks very good. It is fairly high gloss though.