The Simple Paint Hack That Gives Your Garage Door A Windowed-Look

The curb appeal and general aesthetics of a house are greatly influenced by the garage door, which often draws attention to the front of the house. An unsightly garage door can even impact your home's resale value. An easy way to enhance the look of the garage door is to paint faux windows on it, giving it a more personalized, classic appearance. With basic DIY skills and simple tools, this project can elevate a plain garage door into something better-looking.

To begin the process of painting faux windows, first prepare your materials and tools. These include a pencil, painter's tape, a carpenter's ruler, sandpaper, paintbrushes, a paint tray, a paint stirrer, tarps, primer, and an oil-based black high-gloss enamel paint. Next, measure and mark the desired size and shape of the windows, ensuring each has the same dimensions with enough space between them to cover the width of the garage door. After marking the outline of the windows, use painter's tape to mark the edges of each window on the door, and in the middle of each window, use more tape to create a cross shape separating each faux window pane. 

After taping the areas to be painted, use sandpaper to improve paint adhesion. Before diving in, avoid one mistake when painting garage doors by placing a sheet or tarp on the concrete to shield it from paint droplets. Apply the primer on the garage door's surface and let it dry. Then paint the high-gloss black enamel, allowing it to dry as well. After the gloss paint has dried, carefully remove the painter's tape to reveal your newly painted faux windows.

As a solution to improve aesthetics without spending on actual window installation, painting faux windows on a garage door is a fantastic, affordable alternative. It gives homeowners more freedom of choice for different sizes, forms, and color schemes to complement the home. Additionally, faux windows do not have the downsides of real garage door windows, while still providing a decorative element and the impression of depth and interest.

Real windows on a garage door may seem like a better option, but they have many downsides, starting with security and privacy. Installing clear glass windows makes the garage's contents visible to others. Potential water issues may come from improperly installed or degraded seals on the glass plates, and reduced insulation and heat loss can be an issue. Lastly, real glass windows can easily shatter from a falling tree branch or a thrown rock or baseball. Shattered glass can pose safety risks both inside and outside the garage.

With faux painted windows there are no concerns about energy loss and no risk of glass damage, which means no breakage or panel replacement costs. And unlike real windows, faux windows don't require cleaning, sealing, or repair. If they fade from sun or weather, you only need a fresh coat of paint. And unlike real windows, if the next owner doesn't like them, they're easily painted out of existence.