Asked on Sep 24, 2014
Stain the garage or keep it painted?
by
Amber Thach
+82
We live in a community where we have a few houses with stained garage doors and they look lovely. What's your thoughts on keeping this painted or staining it?
41 answers
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I think it looks very nice as is, but I do love a stained garage door. If you like it, go for it.
Z
on Sep 24, 2014
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I do too. I was thinking about staining it and putting some handles on it and adding those beam like deals right above it. I'm a picture person, I'd have to see it to visualize it.
Amber Thach
on Sep 24, 2014
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I vote stained! Add a level of interest, and you can always change it back if you don't like it :) If you do it be sure to post it to Hometalk I'd love to see the after!
Hannah V
on Sep 24, 2014
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Hannah, you know I will! I was just saying that I'm having withdrawals from our old home built in 1919, it had soo much character. I'm trying to think of things I can do to with some character back. Hometalk is full of ideas. Ty for your opinion!
Amber Thach
on Sep 24, 2014
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• I'm trying to think of things I can do to this home to add some character•
Amber Thach
on Sep 24, 2014
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I think it is very pretty as is, thought I imagine it would be lovely stained, as well. Curious, though - would you have to sand it all down to stain it? You couldn't just stain over the paint, could you?
Cindy D.
on Sep 24, 2014
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Lovely big home. Looks new. I'd leave the doors as is just now and opt for spending the money on planting a couple of trees, getting some monster black urns for flowers.
Marion Nesbitt
on Sep 24, 2014
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I like them painted. Maybe try some hardware?
JessieMacD
on Sep 25, 2014
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do it, if you don't like it, at least you can change it, but I think it fades away as it is now.
Edna Canas
on Sep 25, 2014
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I like it painted, it blends in so well with the rest of the house. If you change to a stained doors it will make them stand out and the garage doors will dominate the look of the house. Garage doors should not be the focus of your home.
Linda Sharp
on Sep 25, 2014
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I think your biggest satisfaction would come in creating a large and beautiful planting bed with colorful tree leading towards your front door. That will make the door the focal point and take attention away from the massiveness of the garage doors. Leaving the garage doors as is will help them blend in, rather than making them a focal point. Good luck!
Petunia
on Sep 25, 2014
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I'd say they would be better painted to blend in with the rest of the house. I don't like it when the garage stands out.
Liliana Wells
on Sep 25, 2014
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I remember hearing on that HGTV program, Curb Appeal, that you should make your front door the focal point of your home because you want to draw eyes there. That is why you see people using an accent color on their doors and creating interest with potted plants, etc. at the entry.
V Valencia
on Sep 25, 2014
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Since the trim on the rest of the house looks so nice, you might think about adding interest to the garage door by incorporating matching trim. And, just a thought about staining: maybe wait until the garage door really needs to be painted? Looks quite nice for now.
XEllle
on Sep 25, 2014
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For the best Feng Shui of your house- leave it painted. The garage doors should not be a focal point of the house. The front door should be your focal point. Leave it painted, as it blends in with everything else.
Lorraine-Lori Johns
on Sep 25, 2014
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I would leave it like it is I put hardware on my door and it is beautiful it makes a statement.
Louis.hargrove
on Sep 25, 2014
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I think the garage looks quite nice as is, but I guess it is kind of over-powering your front door. The landscaping around the front door is certainly helping. Maybe staining the concrete drive would tone that area down and funnel the eye into your lovely front entrance.
Linda
on Sep 25, 2014
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Staining them would give your home a richer look. Can your front door also be stained to match??
Lezlie
on Sep 25, 2014
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A lot of the houses around us are kind if ginger bread like and then you have ours.
Amber Thach
on Sep 25, 2014
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I like it painted but maybe paint it the same color of your front door to give it a pop of color. Love the color of your front door.
Bibi Sweet67
on Sep 25, 2014
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Beatrice, unfortunately where we live we have to have earth tones. No red garages! :)
Amber Thach
on Sep 25, 2014
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Since you have a lot of garage door on the front of your house I would leave it the color it is since it blends in. Perhaps urns with flowers in front on each side and I also agree with the curving flower bed to the left to mimic the curve of the sidewalk.
MaryAnn B
on Sep 25, 2014
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I thinking painting it to match the trim would be best. The house is so dark as it is and it could use some brightening up.
Brianna Stieby
on Sep 25, 2014
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i like it the way it is just need landscaping around the house.
Gail
on Sep 25, 2014
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I would try planters @ garage doors in a contrasting color & landscape from the drive to the front door with easy care plants first. Then if I was still not satisfied with the chg I would revisit either painting the garage the trim or a contrasting color or stain. Maybe brighten the front door area.
Melinda Columbus
on Sep 25, 2014
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A pergola over the garage door painted to match your trim would be gorgeous. Not that big of a job, either. Plant some flowering vines and it would be so pretty. I know they say the garage shouldn't be the focal point on a house, but I've seen some gorgeous garages that I'd be more than happy to feature, so make the most of what you've got!
Centrd
on Sep 25, 2014
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A couple more examples...one with natural wood, the other with a pergola that extends over the entry way as well.
Centrd
on Sep 25, 2014
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I would paint it a lighter color to much brown right now
Bobbi
on Sep 25, 2014
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Since they do match the house color, why don't you continue with a painted brick pattern to the same height as the existing bricks. You can then put faces of children or animals looking over the top outwards towards the street.
Larry Chura
on Sep 25, 2014
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You can gel stain your garage doors. You can apply the stain directly to them as they are. It will make them look a little aged and rustic, staying with the earth tones.
Lisa Schoeffler
on Sep 25, 2014
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I would just frame out the garage door windows and glass divide lines in the trim color on both doors, add some black iron and glass scones on both the sides of the main garage door and at least one by the house door.(even if you never use them or have them hooked up to power) then add the landscaping with something black in it too.
Bonnie S
on Sep 25, 2014
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I like it as is. If you stain or paint a different color it would draw attention away from the house...would end up being the focal point...the first thing you notice...unless that's what you had in mine. You might just add some bright , contrasting landscaping to the left of the door and maybe up the sidewalk. Lots of potential..good luck
Cynthia
on Sep 25, 2014
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So many fantastic suggestions...Please post photos of your decisions :)
Lezlie
on Sep 25, 2014
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You could paint it to match your front door. I think it looks good the way it is though.
Jeannie Darnell
on Sep 26, 2014
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@ Amber, I like gel stain in some situations where you don't want to strip the existing finish. , But to make a non wood door look like there's wood grain, you're going to have to do a faux treatment. Do a google search for "gel stain faux wood garage door" and you'll see some amazing examples. But just understand it's going to take a lot of work and some skill to get it too look like that. But like I said before, if you don't like it, you can always paint it back the way it was. Here are a couple of photos of gel stained faux wood doors that were done well. When you do the above search you can find a lot of tutorials on how to do it.
Centrd
on Sep 26, 2014
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Whatever you decide to do make sure you have that color someplace else. You have a lovely home as is too. The wooden doors across the street look nice but they also need to have the wooden door on the house....so they don't look out of place/off balance.
Bonnie S
on Sep 27, 2014
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I worked at a paint store for years and know what you mean about HOA restrictions. What I did with my house was paint the trim around the door the same color as the door itself. It make the door sort of "disappear". I got a lot of compliments on it, but I realize it's not to everyone's taste.
Shari
on Sep 27, 2014
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I would not paint or stain the doors darker than the house. It would make the doors the focal point of your home instead of the house. Paint them the same color as the paint on the house to make them less obvious.
Janet Smith
on Sep 27, 2014
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I have never been a big fan on driving up to a home and the first thing that hits you is the garage doors. So I would do what ever to make them blend in to the house. Or get some really fancy old time hardware and paint them Black so they really stand out. That is just me. Good Luck with what ever you do.
Linda
on Oct 21, 2014
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@Amber Thach .. Your home is gorgeous but I think staining the doors a nice rich somewhat dark color would make the brick pop and look very. very classy!! Good luck!
Kelly French Johnson
on Nov 30, 2014
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I like the trellis idea so the flowers are the attraction, not the garage door.
Angelina
on Mar 23, 2015
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