How much does it cost to paint a garage door in the UK? (2026)
Published 20 October 2026 · Last updated 20 October 2026 · ~7 min read · By a working Glasgow painter
Short answer: in 2026, painting a garage door in the UK costs about £250–£650, usually including paint, depending on whether it is a single or double door and how much preparation it needs. The average is £350 (MyJobQuote, updated October 2026). Replacing the door instead costs £770–£990 for a new single up-and-over door, fitted, from the same publisher.
When we searched, MyJobQuote's was the most detailed UK guide we found that prices the job itself; most other results were garage-floor price pages with one line about the door. This guide sets the price, the time behind it and the cost of a new door side by side, so you can see what a quote is paying for and whether a repaint is still worth it.
How much does it cost to paint a garage door in the UK?
About £250–£650, usually including materials, depending on the door and the preparation it needs; MyJobQuote's average is £350 (updated October 2026).
| Job | Price (usually labour and materials) |
|---|---|
| Single door, light preparation, brush or roller | £250–£350 |
| Single door, full preparation, several coats | £350–£450 |
| Single door, sprayed | £300–£450 |
| Double door, light preparation | £350–£500 |
| Double door, full preparation and priming | £450–£650 |
| Double door, sprayed | £400–£600 |
Source: MyJobQuote, garage door painting cost guide, updated October 2026, whose prices "will usually account for both labour and materials". Its headline range is £250–£600, but the top row of its own table reaches £650, so we use the table. The guide names timber, metal and uPVC doors without pricing them separately, and it does not say whether the inside face of the door is included. Ask for both points in writing.
Why does painting one garage door take a whole day?
Because most of the price is time: MyJobQuote says a single door with average preparation takes around one day, and closer to two full days if it needs heavy preparation.
MyJobQuote puts a painter's day at £150–£250. Take one day's labour off its £250–£350 price for a single door with light preparation, and both ends of the range leave the same £100 (our arithmetic) for primer, paint, sundries and travel. On MyJobQuote's figures, a garage door is priced as a day or two of labour, not by the square metre.
The second day has two causes. Rust and flaking paint have to come off before anything goes on, and the paint needs time to dry: Hammerite says to let its Garage Door Paint "dry overnight before applying a second coat", and it needs one or two coats depending on colour. Where a second coat is needed, that means two visits, even if each one is short. Two days at MyJobQuote's day rate is £300–£500 of labour, so a quote near the top of MyJobQuote's £350–£450 range for a rusty single door is probably pricing that second day. Above £450 it is outside that range, so ask what the extra covers.
Is it cheaper to spray a garage door or paint it by hand?
Brushing a lightly prepared door is cheapest: MyJobQuote lists £250–£350 for a single door, against £300–£450 to spray one and £400–£600 to spray a double. Once the door needs full preparation, brushing it (£350–£450) costs about the same as spraying it.
MyJobQuote does not say what preparation its spray prices assume. HaMuch says it costs "around £300 to spray paint a garage door, including the paint" (HaMuch garage cost guide, June 2025), without saying whether that is a single or a double door, so it matches only the bottom of MyJobQuote's £300–£450 for a single door. In our reading, the extra over brushing pays mostly for masking the frame, the wall and the drive against overspray before any paint goes on.
Should you repaint or replace a garage door?
Repaint it if the door works and only the finish has gone: a repaint costs roughly a quarter to 60% of the price of a new single up-and-over door, which is £770–£990 fitted (MyJobQuote, October 2026).
| Door | Single | Double |
|---|---|---|
| Repaint, brush (light to full preparation) | £250–£450 | £350–£650 |
| New up-and-over, fitted | £770–£990 | £1,100–£1,500 |
| New roller, fitted | £1,100–£1,550 | £1,500–£2,300 |
| New sectional, fitted | £1,200–£1,650 | £1,600–£2,500 |
| New side-hinged, fitted | £1,850–£2,300 | £2,400–£3,400 |
Source: MyJobQuote garage door replacement cost guide, updated October 2026 (fitting "usually included"); the repaint row is from its painting guide. The guide lists "Removal and disposal of the old garage door" as an extra with no price, yet also counts "Removing the old garage door (if required)" as part of the work, so ask whether it is in your quote. Most standard installations take 3 to 6 hours, it says, and more complex ones a full day or longer.
By material, the same guide puts a new single door at £770–£1,100 in uPVC, £1,000–£1,700 in metal and £2,000–£3,500 or more in timber. That makes the strongest case for repainting a sound timber door, because timber is the most expensive door to replace. A repaint will not fix a door that sticks or drops, though, so have the mechanism looked at before you pay for a new finish.
Painting more than the garage door?
The free paintingquotation.com calculator prices rooms and woodwork instantly, with no sign-up, email or postcode.
Can you paint a steel, aluminium or timber garage door?
Steel and aluminium doors, yes, with the right preparation and primer. For timber, one door maker recommends a glaze instead of paint, though Hammerite sells its garage door paint for wooden doors too.
Novoferm, which sells garage doors in the UK, says in its painting guide: "If you have a steel or aluminium garage door, you can paint the garage door to give it a fresh look." On steel, the first job is rust protection, and an aluminium door needs "a special primer" before it is repainted. For timber, the same guide says "the natural material wood is not suitable for painting the garage door" and that "a glaze is usually sufficient". The paint maker sees it differently: Hammerite sells its Garage Door Paint "for metal and wooden garage doors".
We found no maker's guidance on painting uPVC or GRP (fibreglass) garage doors that we could check, so ask the manufacturer before painting one. If your door is still under warranty, read the maker's terms on repainting before you start.
What paint should you use on a metal garage door?
Degrease it, remove loose rust and flaking paint, prime any bare galvanised steel or aluminium with a primer made for those metals, then apply an exterior metal or garage door paint.
- Clean: degrease the door with a detergent solution, rinse it with clean water and let it dry.
- Prepare: remove loose rust and flaking paint, and dull the gloss on old paintwork so the new coat can grip.
- Prime bare metal: Hammerite Special Metal Primer is "a water-based primer to promote adhesion to stainless steel and non-ferrous metals", galvanised steel and aluminium included. It is touch dry in 30 minutes and can be overcoated after about 2 hours.
- Top coats: one or two coats of exterior metal or garage door paint; Hammerite says 1 or 2 coats of its Garage Door Paint, depending on colour. If a second coat is needed, let the first dry overnight, as Hammerite advises.
Do not put metal paint straight onto bare galvanised steel or aluminium: Hammerite's Garage Door Paint page says to prime both with its Special Metal Primer first.
When is it too cold to paint a garage door?
Below 5°C, or when rain or frost is likely, is too cold for Hammerite's primer, and Hammerite gives 8°C to 25°C as the ideal range for its Garage Door Paint.
Hammerite's primer page says: "Do not apply when there is a risk of rain, frost or if the temperature falls below 5°C." For the Garage Door Paint itself, Hammerite calls 8°C to 25°C "an ideal application temperature range": a recommendation rather than a ban, but one with an upper limit as well as a lower one. In practice, that makes an outdoor repaint a job for the warmer months, done on a dry day and out of strong sun.
Could old garage door paint contain lead?
It could if the paint is old: HSE says lead pigments were widely used in household paints until the 1960s and were not removed from commonly used paints until the early 1980s.
This matters most on an old timber door or frame. HSE's guidance for builders (information sheet CIS79) says paint in good condition can be keyed with "waterproof abrasive paper"; for paint in poor condition it recommends chemical paint stripper, wet abrasive paper and on-tool extraction. It lists dry sanding and stripping with blow lamps or gas torches among the risky jobs, says hot air guns should be set below 500°C, and advises disposable overalls and an FFP3 mask.
Is there a free way to price the job without handing over your details?
Yes. Quote-matching sites such as MyJobQuote, Checkatrade and Bark take your details so that tradespeople can contact you. The paintingquotation.com calculator gives you a figure instantly, with no form, email or postcode. Price the rest of the job there, then add the garage door at the figures above: about £250–£350 for a single door with light preparation and £350–£500 for a double (MyJobQuote).
Price your job in two minutes.
The free calculator needs no sign-up. Doing the front of the house as well? See the front door guide, the window frames guide and the house exterior guide.
Related questions
- How much does it cost to paint a garage door in the UK? About £250–£650, usually including materials, average £350 (MyJobQuote, October 2026): £250–£350 for a single door with light preparation, up to £450–£650 for a double door with full preparation and priming.
- Is it cheaper to spray a garage door or paint it by hand? Brushing a lightly prepared door is cheapest: £250–£350 for a single door, against £300–£450 to spray one and £400–£600 to spray a double (MyJobQuote). With full preparation, brushing (£350–£450) costs about the same as spraying. HaMuch puts spraying at around £300 including paint.
- Is it cheaper to paint or replace a garage door? Painting, if the door works: £250–£450 for a single door against £770–£990 for a new single up-and-over door, fitted (MyJobQuote). Roller and sectional doors cost more to replace.
- How long does it take to paint a garage door? About one day for a single door with average preparation, closer to two with heavy preparation (MyJobQuote). An overnight dry between coats usually means two visits.
- What paint should you use on a metal garage door? Degrease and rinse, remove loose rust and flaking paint, prime bare galvanised steel or aluminium with a primer made for those metals, then use an exterior metal or garage door paint.
- Can you paint a garage door in cold weather? Not below 5°C, or with rain or frost likely, for Hammerite's primer; Hammerite gives 8°C to 25°C as the ideal range for its Garage Door Paint.
Sources: MyJobQuote, garage door painting cost guide and garage door replacement cost guide (both updated October 2026); HaMuch garage painting cost guide (updated June 2025); Novoferm UK, guide to painting garage doors; Hammerite Special Metal Primer product page (Dulux Trade Paint Expert); Hammerite Garage Door Paint product page (hammerite.co.uk); HSE information sheet CIS79 "Old lead paint". Prices are typical UK figures for 2026 and are not a quotation.