In fact gel stains are often applied to give steel doors the look of wood grain.
Gel stain for steel garage door.
However the garage door will need to sit for up to 48 hours to allow the stain to dry completely.
If your garage door is less than five years old and has a glazed paint finish you ll have to sand it to remove the sheen in order for the stain to adhere properly.
In contrast to regular wood stain gel stain does not need to be wiped off or rubbed in.
Choose the right stain color.
We chose this gel stain in mahogany.
The best way to color a steel door is with a gel stain.
Do not shake the gel stain or it will bubble as you apply it.
On metal doors use masking tape to mask off areas where sections meet.
Tips for a diy garage door makeover and how to gel stain a garage door to look like wood.
Another update our gel stained garage door one year later almost 4 years now and still going strong.
Our gel stained garage door makeover happened one year ago so i m giving you guys an update.
Transform your garage door to a gorgeous faux wood door with this easy gel stain diy garage door makeover.
The quart of gel stain was about 15 and we used two brushes so for under 20 bucks we got this awesome garage door update.
Clean your garage door first.
Affiliate links included for your convenience we used a less than 20 can of gel stain to transform our paint faded aluminum garage door.
Instead gently stir don t whip the gel stain with a stir stick.
Use long brush strokes in the direction of the grain and remove the gel stain from the brush as it begins to accumulate with paper towels or a rag.
This was done in 2 steps in 2 days.
When brushing work on each section of the door at a time and try to mimic the direction of natural wood grain.
Step 4 drying.
Select a cheap brush.
Or you can follow the direction of the garage door pattern.
This is the key to success.
If you have a paneled garage door start at the center of the paneling and work your way out.
Depending on the condition of the paint that s currently on your metal garage door you may have to do a little sanding to remove any superficial rust.
Apply the stain when staining your metal garage door be sure to use a good quality brush.
Once applied they settle into the grain of the steel door to give it a textured look.
Let the section dry to the touch before.
Gel stained front door.
The amount of gel stain left on will determine the depth of color.
Gel stain usually dries very quickly especially on a sunny day.
Since we moved into our home our brown painted aluminum garage door had faded more and more.
We used gel stain on our front door you can read all about it here.
Make your garage door look like a real raised panel door not just painting wood grain on it.
These bubbles are permanent and can ruin the finished look.
We ve lived in our home almost 7 years now.