Creating Garage Wall Art Is Fun And Easy!

Every garage workshop deserves custom wall art.  With a little imagination and fun, you can create custom art for your wall.

In my case, my garage had a blank space large enough for a car door. That empty space was a problem in search of inspiration.

Inspiration For Wall Art

Inspiration comes from many sources, so when you see it you must act!  While watching an episode of Tommy’s Toybox on YouTube,  I saw two Dodge truck doors hanging on the wall of his showroom. 

Tommy’s showroom art was the perfect solution.  I liked the vintage doors and the company graphics. It was at this point that I began my search for the right doors.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a great source for used auto parts. The 1970s is my favorite era for cars and trucks, so I started my search.  It did not take long before I found a pair of doors from a 1978 Chevrolet C-10 pickup.  

The doors were in decent shape, with some dings and scrapes. My vision was a commercial truck door with graphics, so perfection was not desired.

The seller was a courteous older gentleman. Even though I only needed one door, we struck a deal. The price was $200 for the two doors.

Prep For Paint

Overall, the doors were in good shape.  I removed the door glass and window regulators to make the doors lighter to lift.  That also made prepping for paint relatively easy.  I used 220 grit sandpaper to remove some light surface rust, and to level out some other blemishes.  

Once I cleaned the door with mineral spirits, I sprayed Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer.  This gave the color coat a good base for uniform coverage.  

Applying The Paint

Most of my paint projects get a two stage automotive paint finish.  For this one, I chose to use Rust-Oleum enamel paint for two reasons. The paint closely replicates the paint used in 1978, and it is cheap.  

Enamel paint is cheap, but it is too thick to shoot through a spray gun.  As such, I thinned the paint with acetone and added a small amount of hardener.  This mixture sprayed very well, and left a smooth finish. For those of you looking to spray enamel, here is the mixture:

• 8 ounces of paint
• 2 ounces of acetone
• 1 ounce of catalyst hardener (purchased at Tractor Supply)

If you do not have a paint sprayer, you can get a good result using a four inch foam roller. Enamel paint levels after application, so rolling it should yield a nice finish. In fact, it is OK to have a less than perfect finish for this type of art.

Graphics

A few days after the paint dried, I created vinyl graphics.  I struggled with what I wanted to put on the door, so I turned to Facebook for inspiration.  My friends told me it had to have “Vehicle Nanny” included in the graphic.  Since I like to paint wheels and buy tires, I added “Wheel & Tire” and a tire on the door.

Making the graphics was easy using Cricut’s Design Space, and cutting the vinyl using a Cricut vinyl cutting machine was a natural. Once I found the right location on the door, I used a spray bottle of water to wet the door and the back of the graphic.  This let me adjust the location once applied, and to remove any air bubbles.  

Final Thoughts

Making this wall art for my garage was a fun and rewarding project.  The cost was minimal when you consider the visual impact.  

From a cost standpoint,  the doors cost $200, but I recovered $50 by selling the door glass and regulators. I used about $20 in primer and paint, and $3 in vinyl for the graphics.  I still have one door left over for another project!