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.
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
Not as long as High gloss enamel which is the longest lasting.
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.
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
Secti> I just bought some standard latex paint to paint aluminum garage doors.
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.
My Rustoleum painted garage door has lasted 9 years so far and still looks very good. It is fairly high gloss though.
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