How to Paint Your Boring Metal Garage Door to Look Like Real Wood

There is no question that a wood garage door will add a tremendous curb appeal to a home. If you are tired of staring at your massive traditional white garage door, but you are on a tight budget, faux wood painting may be an option for you. It is a lot cheaper than replacing your existing door with real or faux wood garage doors. Although faux wood doors are less expensive than real wood doors, the faux wood garage door costs will still set you back between $1,800 to $4,800 depending on the model selection and door size.

Before Faux Painting. Look at how boring the garage doors are. 

Photo credit & weblink: Faux-ever Doors, Grand Rapids, MI

After Faux Painting. These doors have curb appeal! 

Photo credit & weblink: Faux-ever Doors, Grand Rapids, MI

Before Faux Painting. 

Photo credit: Faux-Ever Doors Grand Rapids, MI

 After Faux Painting. Looks like wood garage door.

Photo credit: Faux-Ever Doors Grand Rapids, MI

Garage Door Faux Painting Techniques 

Pressure wash your garage door. Let it dry. Use Denatured Alcohol soaked in an a clean rag or wiping cloth to remove grime that have accumulated over a period of time on the garage door surface. Lightly sand the door surface with a fine sandpaper for better paint adhesion

Tools Needed: (1) A couple of good quality two and three inch paint brushes  (2) Four and six inch mini paint rollers  (3) Paint tray

Materials & Supplies: (1) Drop cloth (2) Masking tape and paper (3) Disposable gloves  (4) One quart Denatured Alcohol. (5) Outdoor UV protected paint base color with no gloss added (matt finish). A commonly used base color is Sherwin Williams Monarch Gold. Other brands can be used provided it closely match the Sherwin Williams Monarch Gold. One gallon to start. Quantity depends on size of door. (6) Sherwin Williams Woodsy Brown for overlay coat over the Monarch Gold color.

Painting technique is often referred to a faux painting. Google "faux painting" to learn the proper techniques to get an idea on how it works and learn tips and tricks. Always test paint on something resembling the garage like a MDF board on a small area on the back of your door. 

When you are satisfied with your painting technique and color start applying the base coat SW Monarch Gold on the garage door surface. Use paint brush and roller for this step. Let it dry completely 24-48 hours. Your garage door will look headious at this point as Monarch Gold is Orange in color.

The base paint must be completely dry before apply the next step. Using new a brush apply the Sherwin Williams Woodsy Brown onto a small section (2' x 2') at a time. Use a clean rag and lightly wipe down so some of the Monarch Gold to show up. This is where you have to decide how much of the Woodsy Brown color to wipe off. It will determine the final color of your door. Upon completion go on to the next section and repeat the process making sure that the transition to the next section match up to the prior section. Make sure the transition is smooth and there is no hard break from one section to the other. Some people apply wood grain using a wood graining kit like the Allway Tools available at Amazon.com and Homedepot.com. This is not necessary if do a good job in the faux painting steps.

Wait 24-48 hours for the paint to dry. Apply a coat of matt UV protected clear coat to give it the faux finish an added protection. Congratulations! Your garage door now looks like a wooden garage door. Although the finished faux painted doors will not be as good as a real or faux wood garage doors, it will save you a bundle of money. Real and faux wood garage doors costs are a lot higher than faux painting.


Faux painting is not for everyone. If you are not a DIYer, it is best to hire a professional faux painter with experience painting garage doors. Most faux painters are localized and will only service a limited geographical area. If you are in the Grand Rapids, MI area contact Faux-ever Doors. Check the Yellow Pages, Kudzu, Angie's List, craigslist.com or doodle.com for other areas. 

If you are a DIY type person, try it out. It will be a satisfying project that will be admired by your family, friends and neighbors. Check out Google and Youtube videos for and faux painting  tutorials.

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Note: we have no affiliation with the companies mentioned in this article. There is no implied endorsement of their products or services.