How to Paint a Garage Door to Look Like Distressed & Rusted Metal

Crackle Effect

• 1

  Wash and dry your garage doors, then paint your garage doors with latex paint. Use a gray or other metallic color for the base coat for your wooden or metal door. Let it dry for at least four hours.

• 2

  Paint a crackle finish on top of the base coat. Use a foam brush and make a series of marks in the form of the letter "x" across the garage doors.

• 3

  Paint vertical and horizontal strokes over the garage doors to smooth out the crackle finish. Use a thick coating of the crackle finish to make pronounced cracks in the finish. Let it dry for several hours, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• 4

  Dip a rag in an aging finish. Rub the finish on in small circles until the desired area is covered to develop an old, rusted appearance on the door as the crackle medium takes effect and lets some of the base coat show through the cracks.

Patina

• 5

  Prime the wooden or metal garage doors with latex primer, using a paint roller, after thoroughly washing and drying the doors. Let the primer dry.

• 6

  Mix ingredients together to form a mixture that will speed up the patina process to simulate the look of an antique door if you have a metal door. For example, for a green patina look, mix 1/3 ounce of ammonium chloride, 3 ounces of cupric sulfate and 1 quart of distilled water. For an antique white look, mix 2 tablespoons of bismuth nitrate with 8 ounces of distilled water. Use a metallic surfacer product first if you have a wooden door, applying the chemicals after it has dried for a rust finish.

• 7

  Add the chemicals to a spray bottle and spray the mixture onto the doors from two feet away from the surface.

• 8

  Rinse the door with running water to stop the chemical reaction. Try not to remove too much of the patina. For a wooden door, you can seal the door using a sealer or paste wax after a few hours have passed to allow the rust and patina to form, or you can apply another coat or two of the patina solution before you seal the door.

• 9

  Use a propane torch to heat the chemicals on a metal door. Continue to heat the chemicals slowly, working in one section at a time. The heat level is correct when a drop of water bounces off the surface.

• 10

  Repeat the process by applying more of the patina solution to the garage doors and then heating it with the blow torch. Continue the process until you are satisfied with the color and result.

• 11

  Add a coat of paste wax to seal the patina effect on your exterior garage door while it is still barely warm. Let the door cool completely and add another coating of wax.