Folding doors are a great addition to your home and make for an excellent porch door or bedroom patio doorway. However, if you’re somebody who has a bit of an artistic flare, then you’re probably wondering how much you can customize your folding doors and whether or not you can paint them.

If you’re interested in colorful, painted, doorframes, then your only choice is to go with aluminum bi-fold doors. These can be customized from the factory with your choice of paint and can be re-painted if you ever get bored of the color. While re-painting your doors does take a bit of effort, it’s a fairly simple DIY job that you can take on or pass to a professional painter.

In today’s post, we’re going to discuss your color options for aluminum doors, the difference between painted and anodized aluminum, and answer some of the most commonly asked questions about painting your aluminum folding doors.

Do Aluminum Bi-Fold Doors Come Painted From The Factory?

Generally speaking, almost all aluminum folding doors come painted from the factory. That being said, aluminum doesn’t need to be painted thanks to the fact that it’s naturally corrosion and rust-resistant (as there’s no iron content in the aluminum). However, the natural color of aluminum isn’t too appealing, which is why it’s almost always painted or anodized from the factory.

Powder-Coated Paint Vs. Anodized Aluminum Finish

If you want colorful folding doors, then you’re going to want to go with a powder-coat paint finish. Most manufacturers will be able to paint the doors any color you could imagine. They’ll usually have a few signature colors; however, you can almost always request custom colors.

The advantage of a powder coat is that the paint goes on extremely even, so you’ll never have to worry about streak lines or one section of the paint fading before another.

Anodization, on the other hand, is an electrochemical process in which a metallic finish (usually bronze, gold, silver, or a variation thereof) is applied using electricity. The main benefit of an anodized finish is that it can easily last for 15 to 20 years, in contrast to powder coats, which last around 8 to 10 years.

Can I Paint Over Anodized Aluminum Doors?

Yes! If you ever get tired of your anodized finish or realize that it’s starting to fade, then you can sand the doorframe down and repaint them using high-quality aluminum paint.

How Often Do I Need To Re-Paint Aluminum Folding Doors?

Generally speaking, the powder coat paint on your aluminum bi-folds should last around 10 years before it needs to be re-painted. Depending on the conditions and elements that the doors are exposed to, the paint could last a little bit longer, or it may need to be replaced sooner.

For example, if your aluminum folding doors are in direct sunlight for 8+ hours of the day, then the UV rays may cause the paint to break down sooner, causing you to have to re-paint them after 7 or 8 years. Conversely, if you’re aluminum folding doors are in a heavily shaded area of your home, then the paint may remain vibrant for up to 12 years.

Is It Expensive To Re-Paint Aluminum Folding Doors?

If you end up hiring a professional to re-paint your aluminum doors, then it shouldn’t be too expensive. This is because aluminum doorframes are usually very low-profile, which means there isn’t a lot of surface space to be painted.

In fact, the hardest part of the job will be covering all of the glass, door hardware, and the surrounding surface with painters’ tape and covers to prevent the paint from getting on anything else. Once the actual painting starts, the job is usually very quick and easy!

Can I Paint Folding Doors Myself?

If you have some experience painting aluminum, then a DIY aluminum doorframe paint job is pretty simple. In fact, we even wrote [an entire guide] that you can read here!

The process is relatively simple and begins with cleaning and sanding away the old finish. Then, you’ll cover every surface that you’re not painting, and apply a few coats of paint, giving each coat time to dry between applications.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for colorful folding doors, then you can’t go wrong with a beautiful set of aluminum bi-folds. When you’re ordering the doors, you’ll be able to customize them in almost any color of the rainbow from the factory. If they stand the test of time and the doors outlast the paint, then re-painting them yourself is a fairly simple and easy process!