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DIY for Homeowners

Garage Door DIY Windows

3/10/2017

4 Comments

 
​text by Vicki     ​Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!
Like many homeowners, Steph had those plastic decorative panels on the outside of her garage windows. She never liked them, so when we recently made some changes to her garage door, one of those changes was to muscle those out and toss them in the garbage.

She liked the look of the open windows, but this being Florida, she didn't like the overabundance of light and heat the windows now let in! I know, Florida problems ?

The solution came in the form of painter's tape and frosted glass spray! Here's what we did to reduce the amount of heat and light coming in and add a little update to the windows.
Materials:
  • Painter's tape--we used Scotch blue Platinum, 1.41"wide
  • Rust-Oleum Frosted Glass spray paint 
  • Window cleaner/rags
  • Large piece of some what transparent paper to make pattern
  • Additional painter's tape and scrap paper
  • Safety gear--goggles, respiratory type mask
  • Ryobi hybrid fan
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Old plastic inserts
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
The windows stripped of their 'decorative' plastic panels.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
The end result- the windows with their freshly painted 'faux' window mullion.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Before taping the windows, we made sure the glass was clean.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
We tested our idea with this widow. We taped and then painted the glass to see if we liked the look and to see if it was visible outside the garage.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
We used Rust-Oleum Frosted glass.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
We used two coats of spray.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Once satisfied with the look, we made a paper template to be able to tape the windows quickly and precisely.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Steph held the template outside the windows, while I taped the inside--this method works very efficiently.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
We used painter's tape and paper to protect the door from overspray.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Because we were spray painting in a closed garage we wore respiratory type of masks to protect ourselves from the overspray.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Once the first coat was sprayed we immediately opened the door to air out the garage.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Our Ryobi One+ battery operated fan helped us to move the spray out.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Once the first coat dried, we closed the door and applied a second and final coat.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
The Scotch Blue Platinum tape left a crisp line and was easy to remove.
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Here's the garage door with the finished windows. See that hardware? You all voted on which you liked and hardware A won! (See our post here to read the details about the hardware we used and how installation is as simple as putting a magnet on your fridge!)
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
Since we work in the garage a lot, we will appreciate the reduction of heat and light into the garage this summer!
Learn how to make your garage door more modern and add curb appeal! This technique is decorative and heat reducing.
This was a low cost solution to the problem of too much heat and light, plus it can be considered reversible as the paint could be scraped off with a razor blade if we wanted to change up the look. But for know, we are happy with the change. 

What could you do to update the look of your garage? Hardware, change out the windows? paint? Let us know in the comments below!

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our pro
ject. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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4 Comments
Suzanne Taylor
7/6/2022 11:40:21 am

Hello. I am wanting to remove the cracked sunburst inserts on my garage door. If I remove them, do I need to add anything to make the glass panels stabilized now that the insert thickness is gone?

Reply
Steph
7/9/2022 08:13:46 pm

After we removed the inserts in my garage door, there was no stabilization needed.

Reply
Derek
8/26/2022 11:21:01 am

How did this hold up over time?

Reply
Steph
8/26/2022 01:31:04 pm

They are holding up great. No issues!

Reply



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