The DIY guide: how to remove graffiti from your garage door

Oven cleaner—to remove graffiti? What a good idea!

Sometimes removing graffiti takes more imagination than the so‑called artist who painted that ridiculous tag on your garage door.

You don’t have to be a genius to write your name in cartoon letters, but it will take some ingenuity to remove it.

Whether you live in the big city or the ‘burbs, you could find yourself face to face with a tagged garage door. Graffiti artists don’t discriminate by zip code.

Instead of stewing all day and complaining to your neighbors, you have two options: hire a professional cleaning company to make it go away; or roll up your sleeves and try to scrub off the graffiti yourself.

Before you start, evaluate the damage. How much surface area has been vandalized? Depending on the amount of graffiti and the size of your garage door, it could take all weekend to scrub off the “art”. If that’s daunting, call up the insurance company and ask if you’re covered for graffiti removal under the provision for damage. Depending on your policy’s deductible, it may or may not be worth it to file a claim. Still, it’s good to know your options if you don’t relish the idea of spending the entire day hauling buckets of water onto the driveway.

The DIY guide

Okay, so your insurance deductible is hefty. You better tackle this chore yourself. Here are a few DIY tips to get the job done right:

• Avoid procrastinating: Tackle this chore as soon as you can in order to discourage graffiti artists from an encore performance. Get outside the same day the vandals hit, or the next day, for the best outcome. Why give the paint more time to dry? Make it easier on yourself by attacking the spray paint before it sets in and hardens.

• Begin with household cleaning products: Before spending any money on the problem, try to remove the graffiti with common cleansers you already own. Test small areas and resist the urge to attack the graffiti with scouring pads or wire brushes. Simple liquid detergents remove water‑based paints. Then graduate to mineral spirits, paint thinner, methanol (wood alcohol), rubbing alcohol or acetone—that’s nail polish remover, guys. And here’s something everyone forgets: try the oven cleaner! Your foaming stove cleaner not only works miracles in the kitchen, but it can lift off graffiti. Let it sit on the door for 15 minutes, then wash it away in a damp cloth. Remember to wear gloves when using the more abrasive cleansers.
• Consider the environment: “Green” activists, hippies and grandma will tell you that a mixture of white vinegar and lemon juice, or white vinegar and baking soda, will give you the same results without all the corporate branding and packaging. Grandma is seldom wrong when it comes to cleaning. Here’s the recipe: mix four parts vinegar to one part lemon juice; or five parts white vinegar to one part baking soda. As always, make a test on a small area of the graffiti.
• Reach for a pressure washer: Power washers are handy—not to mention fun! You can rent one from a home renovation store for a reasonable rate or borrowed one from the couple next door who’re giving you grief about the graffiti. Start using a low water pressure, then build as required. However, strong water pressure will push the paint deeper into aged or untreated wood. If the power washer isn’t working…

• Invest in a professional product: When household cleaners aren’t strong enough, move up to a more serious product. Through a paint dealer, you can buy a commercial‑grade paint remover. It’s the same product that city workers use to remove unwanted tags from mail boxes and road signs. This type of product is also used by companies specialized in removing graffiti. Read the instructions, wear gloves and do your best not to damage the base coat of paint under the graffiti.

• Answer key questions: It’s time to investigate. Did the tagger use water‑based paint? Or oil? Graffiti artists frequently buy cheaper paint, which is (thankfully) easier to remove. If the tagger used permanent marker or a stubborn enamel, the job is much more difficult. The condition of your garage door, underneath the spray paint, is another consideration. Is the door wood, metal or something else? What type of paint is your door covered with under the graffiti? The original surface is much more resistant if it’s covered with a baked‑on paint with a polyester base. If you had the poor repainted by professionals recently, call them and ask what paint they used and how was it applied. Knowing what’s underneath will help you use the right product. Also, assessing the age of the door is crucial. Even if the exterior skin of your garage door has a professionally baked‑on paint, it can lose its resistance over time—thus making it more vulnerable to abrasive cleaning products.
• Paint away the problem: If none of the commercial‑grade cleaning products worked, face the fact that you have to repaint the entire door. Declare defeat and grab a drop sheet to protect your driveway. Remember to give the door a thorough cleaning to remove surface grease and dirt first, then apply a good primer. A high‑quality primer will dull the “ghost” image of the graffiti. Wait for the primer to dry thoroughly before painting. Be sure to buy exterior paint, if you want it to hold its own against Mother Nature.

Owners of a Garaga door—or a door with a similar surface—should refer to our website for the instructions you’ll need to repaint it. The major paint makers have an online visualize tool for exterior paint on their websites, so you can experiment with colour combinations and find the perfect look to complement your front door. Designers will tell you that oversized garage doors look best in light shades, while smaller doors can be painted a deeper shade. Bold accent colours—red, burnt orange, Wedgewood blue—look best on front doors.

Replace the door: maybe the vandals did you a favour, in a way. You’ve been meaning to upgrade the garage door for years, but never got around to it. Now’s the time. If you live near Orangeville, contact us at 519-942-1956. Ask for a no‑obligation quotation by email.

Please come and visit our showroom and use our Design Centree to select the best door for your home—from heritage single‑family houses and townhouses to contemporary bungalows and Victorian row homes. Our image gallery is a great source of inspiration.