DIY Gel Stain Garage Door Update
Remember when we transformed our faded garage door with gel stain to give it the look of real wood? It’s still one of my favorite DIY projects! Since sharing the original makeover, I’ve received lots of questions about how well the finish has held up over time.
So today I’m sharing an update!
We originally used gel stain on our metal garage door back in May 2014. We wanted to give the door a faux wood finish without spending a fortune on a replacement. The transformation cost us less than $15 and only took a few hours.
But the big question is: How did it hold up after years of hot summers and plenty of sunshine?
Our Original Gel Stain Garage Door Makeover
When we moved into our home, our garage door was already looking a little tired. The brown paint had faded over time, and each summer seemed to make it look a little worse.
Our garage door faces east, so it gets plenty of sunshine. And we live in an area where summer temperatures regularly hover around 100 degrees from July through September.
We decided to try something different and use gel stain to create a faux wood look.
The garage door was metal, and we loved the idea of giving it the appearance of wood without the expense of replacing it.
The results were amazing! The gel stain transformed the faded finish and gave the door a beautiful wood-look appearance.
And the best part? The entire project cost us less than $15!
You can read the complete original tutorial, including the products and application process, here:
DIY Garage Door Makeover with Gel Stain
How Did the Gel Stain Garage Door Hold Up?
After four blazing-hot summers, the color was still looking beautiful!
I was so happy with how well the faux wood finish had held up. The color remained rich, and the garage door still looked so much better than it did before the makeover.
Our garage door gets a lot of direct sunlight, so I was especially pleased with the results.
I still loved the faux wood look, and this remained one of my favorite inexpensive home improvement projects.
Would I Still Recommend Gel Stain for a Garage Door?
Based on our experience at the time of this update, absolutely!
I loved the transformation, the cost, and how the finish looked after several summers.
For less than $15 and just a few hours of work, we were able to give our faded metal garage door a completely different appearance.
If you’re considering trying this project, I recommend reading through the original tutorial first. It includes the details about the gel stain we used and how we applied it.
A few things to keep in mind:
Affiliate links are provided for your convenience.
- Our garage door was metal, not wood.
- We used Minwax Walnut Gel Stain.
- Our door faces east and receives plenty of sunlight.
- Results can vary depending on the existing finish, surface preparation, weather exposure, and protective coating.
I’d also recommend testing the finish on a small, inconspicuous area before tackling the entire door.
Want to Try Gel Stain on Your Garage Door?
If you’ve been thinking about giving your garage door a faux wood makeover, be sure to check out my original tutorial.
I walk through the project and share the products and steps we used to transform our faded metal garage door.
Read the Complete DIY Gel Stain Garage Door Tutorial
We loved the results, and it was such a budget-friendly way to give the exterior of our home a fresh new look!
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UPDATE!!! We used GEL STAIN ON OUR FRONT DOOR – READ ABOUT IT HERE!
Other Great DIY’s to Check out!
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We did our garage door about 5 years ago with Old Masters gel stain and an exterior poly and it looked great until this year. The finish is now powdery and flaking off. I am not sure if it was the poly or the stain. We are going to have to get that off and start over. I am considering the Giani kit for garage doors this time. Any suggestions. Thanks
Did you use a rag and wipe off the gel stain after being applied? Or did you leave it on?
No need to wipe it off. You can read all the details in the link above.
You may want to edit your heading to include “METAL” Garage door. This technique does not work for wooden garage doors and the title is misleading to those of us who have WOOD garage doors.
I gel stained my garage door a “coffee” dark brown… It turned out too dark. Is it possible to gel stain over it with a lighter color?
I gel stained my garage door a “coffee” deep brown and it looks too dark. Is it possible to gel stain over it with a lighter colored stain?
I live in a townhome community. 70 garage doors were gel stained. They all started with the factory white primed metal, wood grained garage doors.
The doors were given two coats of gel stain with the first to create the light overall base color and the second to simulate wood grain. They were all top coated with a marine grade clear UV resistant sealer.
It was recommended that they all be resealed at least every three years, but they were not done. At year 5, the doors receiving the most sun started to show cracks in the finish. The cracking accelerated. In year 6 or 7, the worst doors were restrained and sealed. The original stain was not removed as it was mostly still adhered.
They are darker from the additional coat and a water based sealer was used. We will see how they hold up in another year or so.
I think the lesson is to have a fresh primer on the doors so the gel stain sticks well, then maintain that UV protectant finish every 2 to 3 years depending on sun exposure. Also, if you restain over the old coat, expect the color to get darker.
Thank you so much for this post!
do you know if you can use this on a fiberglass garage door?
This was the easiest and fasted project my husband and I ever did. 2 years later it’s, discolored, bubbling and peeling down to the metal. It took me 11 hours from start to finish to remove everything down to the metal. I first tried to power wash it with poor results. I bought a gallon of Citrus Strip at Home Depot and hung leftover plastic disposal table cloths I had left over from a party so it wouldn’t dry out. 2 hrs later I started to scrape the the door down to the metal with a plastic scraper. A mess . Power washed again. Still not all Was removed so I made a squirt bottle with 50/50 hot water and the gel stripper. I repeated the process a few times over the areas that were baked on. I had to hose down the driveway because the paint and old stain were now back to a gel forum and sweeping made it a gooey mess. I built a little damn in our gutter to collect the paint chunks and not go down the storm drain. I’m down to metal and looking for information on how to proceed. Primer and gel stain, just gel stain or primer and paint.
Mine is doing the same thing, what do I do now?
Yes! I used it on my fiberglass front door and it turned out beautiful.
I did this to my garage in the summer of 2017. I loved how yours turned out! I loved mine at first but now it’s just a mess. I live in Indiana and not sure if it’s the weather but it’s all peeling off. I’m so disappointed because I really liked that we weren’t like all the other homes in our neighborhood. It’s not only peeling the stain but the primer coat underneath:(
Ours is doing the same thing…peeling down to the bare metal. Just curious on the best way to repair…just fix the areas that are peeling or re-do entire door?
I am in the process of removing the gel stain and I’m going on about 4 hours. The bottom 2 rows came just a bit easier but it was also peeling a lot worse than the top 2 rows. I am currently using the citristrip and it seems to be working a bit easier. I’ve also been using a pressure washer through the whole process. Good luck to you!
Mine has done the same thing. We did ours the summer of 2016. I’m so bummed and frustrated that I’m going to have to try and scrap it all off. Ugh.
Hi, just wondering how much stain you needed for your garage door?
It didn’t even take 1 quart.
Hi Mary ann, I stained the front door today and it is not drying. Did you wipe any of the stain off?
Love the door!
Which protective coat did you use?
Wow. That stain really makes your garage door look amazing. How long do you think it will last before you have to repaint it?
Do you think you could use gel stain on engineered wood siding to give it the look of real stained wood?
I haven’t tried it. I’d suggest trying it in a small area and see what you think.
Thanks for sharing! I did this last spring and it is by far one of the best, inexpensive and very impressive projects I have accomplished…. like you said… For like $12 and a couple of hours time!
Did you have to put a top coat or sealant on the gel stain once it dried?
I noticed that your garage door is very faded. I painted my garage door several years ago and it has no noticeable fading yet. Could I still do the gel stain on this “non-faded” paint or would I have to strip off the paint first and start on bare surface?
Hi Brenda! I think the only difference might be the darkness of how it turns out. What color your door is currently and the shade of stain you use would determine that. Whether or not it’s faded shouldn’t matter. If your door has a high shine still from the paint you might want to test a small part just to make sure it sticks good.
I am so thrilled that you did an update. I was just looking into doing this to our garage, and since we live in the desert, I was concerned about fading and the heat. Thank you for this post!
You’re welcome! I’ve got my year update post coming this week!
Your doors look wonderful in the photos! I have read both pieces and many comments. I still have a question though! Would you say this does actually in person look more like wood than a beautiful paint job? My budget is super tight. Paint would cost less but I’d be willing to pay the extra buck for a true wood look. Your thoughts?
I actually used her method and it looks like wood on my garage door. My aluminum garage door has a wood grain texture on it, so that definitely helped. Not sure what it would look like if the door didn’t have any wood grain texture.
Hello!
What color gel stain did you use for this project? Looks amazing!
Hi Brooke ~ We used Minwax’s Walnut Gel Stain. You can find all the details in the original post here: https://www.domestically-speaking.com/2014/05/diy-garage-door-makeover-stain.html
We live in South Georgia and I’m concerned about the humidity. Will the gel stain hold up in our conditions? I would love to do this to our front door!
Hi Karen ~
We only get high humidity a couple weeks in the late summer, so I can’t say for certain.
Looks great!
Do you think this would work on vinyl siding type of garage door? Metal front door?
Karen I”m not sure. We don’t have much humidity here except for a couple weeks during the summer. I would think if you sealed it you’d be safe.
Hi, Came over from Centsational girl. Thought you should know that whatever that ad is that pop up over the bottom of your photos is too annoying to deal with. Makes it difficult to see your pictures and it`s just a hassle. Perhaps you want to reconsider using it if you want to attract new readers . Glad your doors worked out for you.
Your garage door looks great, so smooth and no brush marks. Looks like you found the right product to use. Did really great job on garage door.
Our son in law did their garage door and some furniture with gel stain, it’s gorgeous and has held up so well. The furniture is so pretty with gel stain. Their garage door faces north so don’t have the beating yours took. But it’s hot here in summer also thru Sept. Just now cooling off to Fall temps.
It’s very dry here. Depending on where you are maybe have some humidity?
Happy Fall Thanks for Trick or Treat
Is your front door metal? Ours is fiberglass. We have the same exposure here in the AZ desert.
The garage is metal aluminum but our front door is wood.
I put this on two of my outdoor planters at the beginning of summer and the gel stain has held up great! I love your garage doors!
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT BRUSH DID YOU USE?
You can find all the details in the original post here: https://www.domestically-speaking.com/2014/05/diy-garage-door-makeover-stain.html
Is that an interior stain?
It’s a gel stain, you can click the link to read all the details on the can. Most stains aren’t considered “exterior” – you just need to finish with a protective coat.
I used an old white cotton t-shirt for my outdoor planters!
https://www.lucysnest.com/sprucing-up-the-planters-with-gel-stain/