Hey Ionized!

This requires some patience!
Are they the "sectioned" doors, or the big solid type?

Faron

This is a wood, sectioned door. I just can't see any way to do it without leaving the door open for extended periods except maybe leaving it closed for a really extended period using wedges to hold the parts that I am not painting at the moment to hold the sections that I am painting away from the moulding.

My dad said that I should just punt and buy a fiberglass door :-) Honestly, I am tempted since the whole assembly has other problems, but I am a cheapskate.

I really appreciate any advice that you can offer.

Well, there are 2 ways. One is to paint the door while it is completely closed, then open the door, get on a ladder inside the garage and paint the perimeter. The other way is to close the door, paint the top section, then open it a little so you can reach the top of the door, then paint the next section and open it a little more so you can reach the edges, then repeat until you are done with all sections and let the door dry while it is open. Both ways you should do this project early in the day and leave the door open all day long so that it can dry. Also, I don't receommend painting the weatherstrip.

Thanks, this is a separate garage that used to have a gas furnace to heat it in the ultra-short period that we might want heat. There is no weatherstrip. It is a double door that is large even for a double door. (I don't know why it has not blown in or out during a hurricane so far.)

Maybe I am over thinking this. I plan to use latex paint. My experience indicates that the paint has to cure for an extended period before it won't rub off or stick to the paint on the surface it it touching. That would be touching the door frame and moulding in this case. Am I worrying too much about this? If I paint on a nice, dry temperate or hot morning, and I close the door in the evening, will some of my paint tear off or stick? (Geez, I am going to want more than a couple of coats so this could turn into a year-long project to get 3-4 not-humid days in the New Orleans area!) I was thinking I could do the door and tape some waxed paper or something like that to the moulding to keep the soft paint from sticking, but it will still rub here and there as the door comes down. After I get the door done, I can paint the moulding.

I much appreciate your advice!

Painted surfaces aren't really supposed to touch other painted surfaces. But, I know in some situations this cannot be avoided. If you can wait until full cure (2-4 weeks depending on various factors) then you will have a better chance that the paint won't stick.

Thanks, I began to realize that my garage door is not aligned properly when I was writing my last post. In fact, I know that it has alignment problems in some other ways, but I did not think that hitting the molding at the frame was abnormal. I don't know what the prospects are for fixing that. I think it has been messed up from the start and stayed that way for 40 years judging from casual observations, (I have too many other things to fix and maintain at this point.)

The garage walls need some major rebuilding to fix rot problems. I may just get the door somewhat coated as best I can and tackle the whole project before the door needs paint again.

Although I live in a pretty safe neighborhood, I don;t like to leave the garage door open. I might go weeks with it open and have no problem. OTOH, I could leave it open for a day and find that some opportunist has cleaned out my garage for me. Maybe I should borrow a neighbor's dog.

If you need to paint between the sections, make sure they're clean, scuff-sanded, & sound.
* As stated above, do the painting in the morning.
* Do it out of the sun too!
* Consider locking your door a LITTLE bit higher...
* By this I mean, use a bolt, something thru the tracks, etc., that will allow the doors' sections to be slightly apart for a couple weeks. The door will be locked, but off the ground slightly. After that, wax-paper should be used for a while.
* If critters/bugs are an issue, don't paint between the panels.

Faron

Thanks for all of the good suggestions. I had not even thought of between the sections yet. I've just been looking at the sides where the door meets the frame.