Painting is one of my favorite DIY projects for two reasons – First, it’s an opportunity to bond with my kids, and second, I get to improve the curb appeal of my home. If you are looking to paint your fiberglass garage door, you are in the right place. With so many options on the internet today, sorting through different products to find the right paint for your project can be a daunting task. So in this article, I’ll review the best paint for fiberglass garage door. Also, I’ll talk about some vital tips you need to know before you paint your fiberglass door. Let’s get to it.
| Paint | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Prestige Exterior Paint and Primer | $39 |
| Glidden Exterior Paint + Primer | $45 |
| DiamondHard Repurpose Paint | $20 |
| Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch | $15 |
| Krylon Colormaxx Acrylic Latex Paint | $45 |
Prestige Exterior Paint and Primer
If you are looking to paint your fiberglass garage door, the Prestige exterior paint and primer (on Amazon) is an excellent choice. Just as the name depicts, it combines a primer and a paint into a single gallon. This makes it great for painting different materials without the need to prime. I wouldn’t advise you to paint your fiberglass door without applying a primer, though. That’s because of the nonporous nature of fiberglass. Will explain why in another section of this article. Now, let’s talk about Prestige Exterior Paint.
The paint itself is water-based acrylic latex paint, and it comes with a lot of benefits. One significant advantage is its drying time. Within one to two hours after painting your door, it will be all dried up and ready to use.
What’s the price?
The exterior paint and primer in one isn’t the only product made by Prestige Paints. They have several paint options for different use cases. But this particular one will cost you about $39. The price will vary based on the color of your choice.
To find the different colors available, reviews, as well as other useful information for this paint, then check it out on Amazon here.
Why is this a good fit for your fiberglass garage door?
The Prestige Exterior Paint and Primer is excellent for a couple of reasons.
Easy to Clean
It’s no news that fiberglass garage doors get dirty over time. Dirt from rain splashes and dust accumulates on the door over the years. This makes you want to repaint your garage door all over again. After painting your door with this premium paint, there will be no need repainting your door, unless you actually want to. All you will need is soap, water, and lint-free cloth to clean your door quickly, and in minutes they will look as good as new.
Different color options to choose from
Prestige offers over twenty different colors for their exterior paints. With this many colors to choose from, you will definitely find something that fits your home color scheme.
Dries up faster
As mentioned earlier, Prestige’s exterior paint does not take long to dry up on fiberglass garage doors. Within one to two hours, it should be all dried up and ready to use. Something worth knowing is that, if you decide to recoat, it’s advisable to let it dry up overnight before you do that. That is a bit of a drawback, to be honest.
Glidden Exterior Paint + Primer
According to Wikipedia, Glidden has been in the paint industry since 1875. That is well over a century. For a company that has been in existence for over a hundred years and still thriving, you know you can’t expect any mediocre products from them. And their Exterior Paint + Primer is a testimony to that. It is, undoubtedly, one of the best paints for fiberglass garage doors, and you are going to know why in a moment.
I look at the Glidden Exterior Paint + Primer (Amazon) as a step up to the Prestige Exterior Paint, and Primer discussed earlier. Why? Because it gives you the same benefits but with a massive array of colors to choose from.
What’s the price?
For a company that has been in existence for this long, you are assured of nothing but the best paint for your fiberglass garage door.
Glidden Exterior Paint + Primer costs about $45, which, in my opinion, is a very reasonable price for what you get. The price can vary based on the color you choose.
Check out the various color options available, and specific product information on Amazon here.
Why is this a good fit for a fiberglass garage door?
Available in 300+ Colors
If you thought 20+ color options weren’t enough, Glidden gives you more. With over 300 paint colors, you are sure to find the right paint for your fiberglass garage door, and in the exact shade you want.
For a professional painter, this is no big deal. That’s because they can mix two different shades of paints to achieve the exact shade they want. This is not the case for the average homeowner looking to have fun painting his garage door on the weekend. We certainly don’t have the time nor the skill to do that. So having a done-for-you paint color that fits our home is vital.
Cracking and Peeling Resistance
This paint is made to withstand any changes in weather conditions and seasons, and it is an excellent feature to have in the paint. That’s because your fiberglass garage door is exposed to sunshine, rain, snow, and strong winds. Regardless, Glidden promises that neither the sun nor the rain can crack this paint.
Different Sheens Available
Glidden provides its exterior paints in three sheens – semi-gloss, flat, and satin. So based on your taste, you can opt for a paint that will give your fiberglass garage door a shinier and glossy finish or a flat and dull finish if that is what you prefer.
Diamondhard Repurpose Paint by Majic Paints
Diamondhard Repurpose Paint (Amazon) is by far one of the easiest paint to work with. This paint was made for the everyday person who loves to get his hands dirty sometimes. Diamondhard Repurpose Paint is not good only for fiberglass doors, but a wide array of surfaces.
What’s the price?
The average cost for the Diamondhard Repurpose paint is about $20. And as always, the price may vary based on the color of your choice. I think that is a reasonable price, considering how versatile it is.
Check out the different color options, reviews, and specific product information on their page here.
Why is this a good fit for a fiberglass garage door?
I will recommend this paint for a couple of reasons.
Versatile
This paint can be used on any surface you can think of. Whether you intend to paint your kitchen cabinets, PVC pipes, concretes, steel, copper, aluminum, fiberglass, you name it. The Diamondhard Repurpose Paint can handle it beautifully. Although the manufacturer claims they stick to most surfaces without the need to prime, I wouldn’t say the same for fiberglass garage doors. It’s vital to prime your fiberglass garage door before you apply any paint. We will talk on that later.
Because this is an all-purpose paint, you can use the leftover paint for something else, such as painting your wooden patio furniture, windows, and drawers.
Available in ten colors
With the Diamondhard Repurpose Paint, you have ten beautiful and vibrant to choose from. And they all come in a Satin finish, which gives your fiberglass garage door a glossy and smooth finish. The colors are black, glacier mist, golden dandelion, ivory flake, midnight wave, mocha, olive green, serenity, and white.
Durable and scratch-resistant
Unless you intentionally decide to scratch a fiberglass door surface painted with an acrylic satin finish paint such as this one, they will never scratch nor peel. This paint is also thick enough, one coat is enough for most surfaces, but the recommend coating for a fiberglass garage door is at least two. This makes it more durable and resistant to harsh weather conditions.
Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch
Painter’s Touch by Rust-Oleum is by far one of the most popular paints on Amazon. It has lots of reviews and ratings on the platform. They are popular for two reasons – first, they are cheap, second, they get the job done. This is an acrylic latex paint, which makes it useful in a lot of situations, including painting fiberglass garage doors.
What’s the price?
For as low as $15, you can get a half-pint of Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch, which is definitely on the cheap side of things. For the price, you shouldn’t expect a premium paint; however, they get the job done. So if you are looking for a more premium-looking paint with vibrant colors, you should purchase either the Glidden Exterior Paint or Prestige Exterior Paint.
Regardless, this paint is a budget-friendly option and certainly one of the best paints for fiberglass garage door.
Check out the different color options, hundreds of reviews, and specific product information on their Amazon here.
Why is this a good fit for a fiberglass garage door?
Rust-Oleum has gained traction over the years for its inexpensive but quality paints, and the Painter’s Touch from the company is one product that lots of homeowners and DIY’ers love. Here is why this is an excellent paint for fiberglass garage door
Faster Drying Time
The drying time of paints is crucial for a couple of reasons. If there is the need to apply a second or even a third coat, which is mostly the case, we can’t be sitting around all day waiting for the first coat to dry. That is simply an inefficient way of using our time.
Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch dries up in 30 minutes. That’s faster than most acrylic paints on the market today.
Most paints take about 2 to 3 hours to completely dry.
Different Sheens available
Available sheens for this paint are Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, and Flat. Personally, I prefer glossier doors. I like the way it looks, especially in the afternoon. But maybe that’s not you. Perhaps you prefer a flat paint. There is an option for you, as well.
Something to note, however, is, the sheens are not available for all colors. So that is a bit of a tradeoff. Here is a table of what the colors available for different sheens
| Gloss | Semi-Gloss | Satin | Flat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple red, colonial red, dark gray, hunter green, navy blue, sun yellow, white, almond, black, kona brown | Black, white | Hunt club green | Black, white |
Obviously, there are lots of different colors to choose from when you go for a glossy finish.
Krylon Colormaxx Acrylic Latex Paint
Krylon is a brand popularly known for its colorful spray paints. However, they make excellent acrylic latex paints, which are perfect for a fiberglass garage door. Their vibrant paints leave your door looking brand new, and they are easy to apply as well.
What’s the price?
A gallon of Krylon Colormaxx Acrylic Latex Paint (Amazon) will cost you about $45. It also comes in a smaller quartz and half-pint size, which obviously costs less. However, if you are doing two coats on your fiberglass garage door (which I recommend), a gallon is what you need.
People love this paint, and the reviews on their amazon page say it all. Check out specific product information, different colors available, and buyer reviews here.
Why is this a good fit for your fiberglass garage door?
Krylon calls the ColorMaxx acrylic latex paint a general-purpose paint. And that is precisely what it is. Here are a few reasons why you should pick up this particular paint for your fiberglass paint job.
Comes in five colors
With Krylon’s acrylic paints, get up to five colors to choose from – black, white, banner red, leather brown, and sun yellow. You have a lot of options and unique sheens with their spray paints. But I wouldn’t recommend their spray paints to a beginner. Because, generally, they are harder to work with. And to get spray paint to work with a fiberglass garage door requires a certain level of skill.
Dries faster
Krylon acrylic latex paints take about 30 to 60 minutes to completely dry up. That is convenient if you are going to apply a second or even a third coat. So if you don’t have all day to spend painting your garage door, this is a good option for you.
How to Properly Paint a Fiberglass Garage Door
The surface of a fiberglass garage door is described as nonporous, which simply means it doesn’t allow any liquid to pass through it. This makes it ideal for exterior doors because there is no way a material like that can rust. However, this poses a challenge when you want to paint it. Because it can’t absorb liquid, even with the best paint, it becomes harder for the paint to stick to the surface of the fiberglass door.
Regardless, with the right preparation prior to painting, you can successfully paint your fiberglass garage door without any issues. Follow these few steps to prepare your fiberglass garage door for the next paint job.
Clean your door
After using your garage door for some years, it is going to be dirty over time—no two ways about it. And you definitely don’t want to paint over a dirty garage door for two reasons. First, it will require more paint and at least three coatings to have a smooth garage door surface. That’s a waste of paint and your time as well. Secondly, the paint will begin to peel off after a few years or sometimes months. That’s because the paint does not adhere to the fiberglass door surface but rather, dirt. I know you don’t want that.
If you have a pressure washer, great, use it to wash off the dust accumulated on the surface of your fiberglass door. If you don’t, no problem. Wash your garage door with water and a lint-free cloth.
Now use soapy water with sponge or cloth to clean the door. Take your time and clean it properly. You don’t want to leave any dirt on the door surface.
When done, wash your door one more time with clean water. This will get all the dirt and soap bubbles off the surface.
You can either leave the door to dry up or use a bigger cloth, preferably lint-free, to wipe the water off. I prefer the latter because it is quick and a sure way to get the dirt off completely.
Mask the door
You want to cover any part on the door that doesn’t have to be painted. If there are any door handles or door hinges, cover them with a blue painter’s tape. Also, if there are decorative windows on the door, you want to make sure they are adequately sealed with tape. ScotchBlue Original Painter’s Tape (Amazon) is an excellent tape for this type of job. It has a large enough width to seal any part without using so much tape. Also, it doesn’t leave any sticky residue on the surface after they are removed.
This is an essential step if you don’t want to spend another hour or two cleaning paint stains. So take your time and do it right.
Sand the Fiberglass garage door surface
Sand the surface of your door with fine sandpaper. Sand it just enough to be able to hold the primer. This is a step to increase the adhesiveness of fiberglass, but don’t overdo it. Remember to wear a nose mask during this process.
Once you are done, clean the surface with a lint-free cloth, or just brush the sanded dust off with your paintbrush.
Apply primer on the door surface
Now that your fiberglass garage door is cleaned and sanded, it’s time to coat your door with a primer. Just as you would with paint, apply the primer on every corner of the surface. One coat of primer on your door is good, but apply two coats is even better.
If you are looking for recommendations on which primer to buy for a fiberglass garage door, then check out the Stix Acrylic Waterborne Bonding Primer (on Amazon). It as an acrylic primer that works exceptionally well on almost any surface, including fiberglass.
After applying the primer, wait for it to completely dry up. How fast it dries up will depend on the weather. As a rule of thumb, give it at least 2 hours to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Apply the first coat of paint on the door
After the primer is dried up, it’s finally time to paint your door. With fiberglass, there are no grains to follow, as in the case of wooden doors. However, you still want to carefully paint the door in a way not to leave brush strokes.
After first coat is complete, wait for it to dry up, and then apply a second coat. The drying time depends on your paint of choice as well as weather conditions. So keep that in mind.
Having the right paint for the job is also very essential. You don’t want to go with an oil-based paint. They are challenging to work with, especially for newbies. Just stick to the best paint for fiberglass garage door, as recommended in this post, and you will do just fine.
