Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door

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Mon 10 Aug 2020 10:21
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - gramar

I’m preparing to market my house for sale and as first impressions count I need to paint the garage door. It’s fibreglass and need repainting for the first time. The original coating has faded evenly and gone chalky. I researched paint on the net and am struggling to find one specifically mentioning its suitability for fibreglass. I’ve also look on a couple of DIY forums and it seems several people use ordinary gloss.

Has anyone reading this with experience repainting a similar door got any advice or recommendations please.

Edited by gramar on 10/08/2020 at 10:22

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Mon 10 Aug 2020 10:57
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - FP

Yes. Our glass-fibre/fibre glass garage door has been painted several times, with ordinary undercoat and gloss. No peeling after several years.

AFAIK there are no paints made specifically for glass-fibre, presumably because it's not necessary.

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Mon 10 Aug 2020 11:04
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - concrete

The main thing to take care of is the preparation of the surface. Some fibreglass panels, doors etc have a gel coat which is like varnishing wood only tougher. If the gel coat has broken down then the surface needs stabilising. Usually by rubbing down to remove any loose material, then sealing the surface ready to take primer and paint. If it is not gel coated then clean it down to remove grease and dirt, spray or brush on an etch primer, then gloss. Usually paint used for cars is ideal and very tough against weather and UV light. If you know a local car body repair man he can help with materials and advice on prep and finish. Large spray cans of car paint are readily available from lots of places. The panel sides of most large trucks are fibreglass sheets bonded onto plywood or insulation, they use normal vehicle paints and processes to achieve a high quality finish. This will work on your door.

Cheers Concrete

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Mon 10 Aug 2020 11:11
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - concrete

A supplementary comment. As FP points out ordinary household will do a job if the surface of your door is stable and well prepared. They will not last as long as vehicle paint but will do a job for you to smarten the door appearance. There is also Weathershield exterior paints for stone, concrete and brickwork which are very good and easily applied. But as with everything to be painted, the finish will only be as good as the preparation. The gloss or finish coat is just the decoration, the real business is beneath that.

Cheers Concrete

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Mon 10 Aug 2020 13:01
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - Andrew-T

<< Usually paint used for cars is ideal and very tough against weather and UV light. >>

Another obvious parallel would be paint for boat hulls, which are often fibreglass ?

Edited by Andrew-T on 10/08/2020 at 13:02

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Tue 11 Aug 2020 15:39
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - concrete

<< Usually paint used for cars is ideal and very tough against weather and UV light. >>

Another obvious parallel would be paint for boat hulls, which are often fibreglass ?

Quite so Andrew. Some years ago we had to erect some fibreglass structures as part of a building and have them painted. We used a paint which was used on the Intercity 125 trains at the time. It was a glorified vehicle paint which needed an etch primer but it worked a treat. We actually sprayed it on but it could have been brushed on. Spraying allowed us to control the coating weight and get the right thickness without wasting very expensive paint. A bit too over engineered for the OP methinks.

Cheers Concrete

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Mon 17 Aug 2020 09:24
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - madf

I use Hammerite Garage Diir Paint on fibreglass roofs. Lasts for years. and years..No issues.

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Mon 7 Sep 2020 13:02
Advice sought - suitable paint for fibreglass garage door - gramar

Thank you everyone for your input, thoughts,experiences and advice.

I chose Bedec multi surface paint. The manufacturers claim it can be used on any surface and lists several including fibreglass. No preparation was needed apart from washing down any dust and dirt. No undercoat was necessary and two coats of paint later - job done. It looks great now it's dry. Interestingly I found paint that had dried on the tin peels off cleanly and is very stretchy and pliable so hopefully the paint on the door won't crack,split or peel in hot weather.

Edited by gramar on 07/09/2020 at 13:04

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