What is the Best Way to Remove Rust from My Garage Door?
Garage doors are an important part of your home’s appearance and security. They provide your home with protection by keeping intruders out of your home and away from your automobiles. Of course, in a perfect world, your new garage door would stay new forever.
But let’s face it: rust happens.
As a result, if you have an older garage door, particularly a steel door, it’s probably starting to show signs of wear and tear. Not only does this look bad–it’s a safety hazard. Rust in the tracks can lead to a door that doesn’t open and close properly. And, unfortunately, if you have an older door, you’re probably looking at a lot of money to install a new one.
Fortunately, there are ways to make your old door look new again. In this article, we’ll discuss how.
Preventing Rust
The first thing you can do is to prevent rust in the first place. The best way to do this is to take regular care of the garage door tracks. Run a lubricant along the tracks every once in a while, which will help prevent the metal from wearing down and rusting. You can also apply a rust inhibitor to the garage door tracks. This will help prevent rust from setting in.
Remember – rust spreads, so even a small spot of rust can quickly expand to cause major damage.
Cleaning Rust
This process takes some elbow grease but it’s much easier and cheaper than replacing the entire door. If your garage door is just starting to rust, all you need to do is to clean off the rust.
Start by rubbing down the area with a cloth soaked in white vinegar. If the rust remains, try using a wire brush or steel wool.
The track can be cleaned with a wire brush and a little water. Then you can spray the door with a rust remover. Be careful when using a steel wire brush, as a wrong move can easily damage the door panels and track. The brush may also loosen bolts, allowing them to fall out and become lost.
After cleaning the rust from the garage door, you can apply a rust-inhibiting compound to prevent it from spreading.
Fill the Rust Holes
If you allowed the rust to spread for too long, you may find the door is completely rusted through. You can fill in the holes with a product such as Bondo, available at auto parts stores. The Bondo can be applied with a putty knife, and you can use a little sandpaper to smooth out any rough spots. Add additional coats of Bondo if needed until it is flush with the rest of the garage door.
Paint the Garage Door
If you have a steel garage door, you can paint the door with rust-resistant paint. Make sure to use a primer and paint specially designed for metal garage doors. This will not only make your door look nice; it will protect it from rusting in the future. You can use a spray can of rust-resistant paint, or you can take the door to a professional garage door company like Madison Local Garage Door Pros to paint it for you.
If you have any questions regarding how to remove rust from your garage door or how to repair damage from rust, please don’t hesitate to ask us!