los angeles garage door repair

Which Materials Are Paintable During a Los Angeles Garage Door Repair?

Garage door repairs are necessary at times, but one of the areas many overlook is paint. What’s being painted over is what matters. Your home has a special décor, and you’d increase that property’s value by making it more appealing. However, not all materials for garage doors in Los Angeles are equal. Without the right surface, paint peels off, fades or quickly dulls. Each material requires special care when painted. During a Los Angeles garage door repair, you can have a technician assess what a paint job would call for. Your current surfaces will need to be prepped if not fixed outright.

Can Garage Doors Be Painted?

Yes, what’s often the obstacle is matching paint to the right material. In some cases, the door is a synthetic that’s dyed a specified color by its manufacturer. With these models, it’s optional to replace the synthetic if you want to change its color. In other jobs, contractor paint is used to create a special bond to the surface of your door. The right seal can be found during your garage door repairs in Los Angeles. Your door can be painted, but different materials require different applications and uses.

The Challenges You Might Encounter

Professionals, when working, create special mixtures for the best seal on your door. How those compounds get mixed or what they are is a result of the material your door is made of. For this reason, you can’t buy common paint and hope for the best. Anti-corrosive primers are usually applied to garage door materials as a practice. Many surfaces require treatment before being painted. In some cases, your materials can use water bases. Other cases call for oils or acrylics.

Common Materials to Consider

Professionals start their work by determining which materials your door has. This calls for them to closely examine a few surfaces. Just keep in mind, wood is attractive when left rustic. Adding paint to it might work against the façade you’re working with. Below are the material options.

Wood

Wood can be painted over or cured with a transparent seal. There are multiple steps in curing wood and verifying that your timber comes from a reputable source is among the first. Good timber has been aged before being shipped, so isn’t likely to warp at home. Such timber might also be treated for heat but can still be painted or oiled over. Prepping used wood often calls for older paint to be removed. That prior paint might be already peeling or must be chemically stripped. New panels of wood can be prepped with a base layer and little else before fully painting.

Metals

Metal differs from wood in that its surface is less likely to allow paint to stick. For this reason, metal is best painted when a base layer is applied to act as a bonding agent. Primer, being necessary for both steel and aluminum, is a special coat that creates a chemical adhesion to the surface of metals. You and your contractor will either receive a metal door painted or just primed. The primed surface is left bare so that you can choose your own final color. The biggest caution with metal is galvanized surfaces because they don’t allow paint to initially adhere.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass, unlike other synthetics, is easy to paint. Its surface does need to be cleaned with actual soap. Once the surface is dry, your contractor will sand the fiberglass panels of your door. This is done with a specific focus on isolating cracks and chips in the fiberglass. Smoothing them out with sandpaper allows the paint to leave a flawless finish. This step also enables the surface to receive paint into small grooves where the paint will dry and be unable to run out. The molecular structure of fiberglass is naturally fibrous, giving paint a good porous surface.

Vinyl

Vinyl is synthetic and is the most common of the plastics used for garage doors. Vinyl is flexible and yet durable for lifetime use of up to 20 years. This compound is even compared with steel at times. Unlike steel, it’s unlikely to be permanently dented. This material is lightweight and can retain the surface of the paint. From oil to latex, a variety of primers can be used for vinyl, which gives you options. The approved paints are acrylic bases that are best when light in color. Otherwise, the stress of the sun will wear out darker hues.

Weatherproofing and Sealing

Sealing and weatherproofing your door are considered when examining which material it’s made of. Where the end of your door meets a threshold is where materials differ. The right paint and material match seals your garage door from natural elements. Where these cracks and seams are, rubber might be used as a seal; plastics and metals might also be used over the top of a base of wood. Matching paint to the right material is necessary for these small areas. A layer of paint itself stops the sun from ruining woods or from changing the color of plastic synthetics.

Now Assessing Your Home’s Décor

Keep in mind that adding new paint will create a more vibrant space. It will also give the surface of your door more utility. Along with your door’s material, consider your home’s architecture. You have to make a choice between keeping the materials you have or finding the right paint for them. If you move with haste or approach this like a quick fix, then you can err. Each surface differs; one receives paint while another will have the paint run off.

Finding the Best Company for Los Angeles Garage Door Repair

Scheduling your garage repair in Los Angeles should only be done when you’ve found a competent professional. Being able to choose your colors and their specific tints are the basics. Having someone explain which paints are which or how they work will aid you in your progress. When garage-door contractors are licensed, then you’ll find California’s C-61 or D-28 certificates in their possession. You will also find insurance, which will even cover your loss or damage if incurred. Solid professionals will care about your challenges and have the right solutions.