Garage doors may seem like a prosaic topic, but they are an indispensable part of the modern residential building— if you have a garage. One needs the door to protect one’s car against the elements. (Of course, some houses have none; the house in Cape Cod belonging to my late grandparents is an example of such a building. The climate in that part of the country is relatively mild.) This long article will cover basically every aspect involved in buying, installing, and maintaining one’s garage door.

1) The door itself— What kind?
The homeowner who is replacing his old door with a new one has a number of important decisions to make. Garage doors come in several sizes and can also be made of many different materials. Standard garage door sizes have been increasing as the sizes of cars have been increasing. Currently, the single car garage door size, in feet (the width is always given first), may be 8 by 7, 9 by 7, 10 by 7, 8 by 8, 9 by 8, or 10 by 8, while the double car garage door size may be 12 by 7, 14 by 7, 16 by 7, 18 by 7, and 12 by 8, 14 by 8, 16 by 8, and 18 by 8. But in both cases, it is possible to buy a door of standard width but with a lesser height, to fit the size of one’s car. Whether or not one decides to buy a single or double door naturally depends upon whether his household has one or two cars. And SUVs and trucks, of course, require doors that are even bigger than those built to accommodate cars.

As to the material used to make doors, there are cedar wood garage doors, faux wood garage doors, and even steel garage doors that look like wood. The latter two look amazingly real. Faux wood doors are typically constructed out of synthetic polymers that have been molded out of genuine wood; the engineers mold this material so that it duplicates the grain and texture of wood. Steel doors, similarly, are more durable than wooden ones, but tend to lack the styling; by molding them to resemble the latter type, the designers enable customers to have it both ways; an article appeared in the June 1990 issue of “Popular Science” discussing this trend.

Residential roll up garage doors are also on the market. They come in two main types: One basically resembles a metal curtain, and rolls up into a cylinder; the other is composed of plates. One can buy steel roll up garage doors, which are among the strongest, and nylon garage door rollers, which make the door roll up more smoothly.

2) Openers
The programmable garage door remote is another important device. Companies have designed many types of garage door openers. Linear garage door openers appeared in 2001, designed by the company of that name specifically “for the garage door professional.” Their heads and rails can be completely interchanged, and the buyer has a choice of fifteen different designs, based on different combinations of head designs, rail types, and rail lengths. The radio controls of a Linear garage door remote are secure.

A side mount garage door opener, which is made to be placed immediately to the right or left of the door, has many advantages over other types. It is easy to install, operate, and maintain; it can be hung on a low beam, and one can lubricate it without dripping oil all over the place. Another advantage is structural integrity: The homeowner does not need to cut into the drywall and disrupt its security. It is also quite possibly the quietest garage door opener there is right now.

A multi code garage door opener is compatible with most, or at least many, garage door systems. They come in one, two, or four button types, and have dip switches to configure the opener to the particular system it is to be used with. An older universal garage door remote control may need to have an adapter plugged into it.

How to program a garage door opener— First remove the cover and push the “learn” button on the opener. Then press and hold that button within thirty seconds, until the light on the opener starts blinking. Finally, put the cover back on and see if the remote works. Cars have recently begun to be designed with garage remotes built into them.

Common garage door opener problems include: starting for no apparent reason or working only over a short distance; or the door going down only part of the way and then stopping and going back up, closing but not opening, or vice versa, or stopping before it is completely open. These problems can be remedied by reprogramming the device’s memory; putting in a new battery; checking for blockage or misalignment in the LED system; checking the wiring; seeing if the carriage is disconnected from the remote’s drive; or by consulting the instruction manual. The opener is designed in such a way that it will automatically stop working if there is something wrong.

3) Sliding garage door hardware
Wrought iron garage door hardware and decorative hardware for garage doors includes hinges, locks, escutcheons, lift and pull handles, and mounting hardware of a variety of attractive shapes. The last category includes pieces of varying shapes and gemlike colors. A garage door should, after all, be esthetically pleasing as well as functional. But be sure and measure them to make sure they are the right size for your door.

4) Seals
Garage door bottom seal is needed to prevent insects, moisture, and other undesirable things from leaking in. The type called tsunami garage door threshold seal is mounted between the base of the door and the floor. It is all the more valuable if one has a sloped driveway in which extra water can seep in. Garage door rubber seal also helps lower energy costs by keeping the garage— and the house as a whole— warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

5) Garage door screens
Garage door screen kits can also be purchased and installed to get rid of mosquitoes and other bothersome insects. Magic Mesh is one such valuable screen— with its many interlocking magnets it can be installed in seconds, and lets in fresh air even as it serves its other purpose. Retractable screens for garage doors can also make the door look beautiful.

6) Garage door installation instructions
This is really a task for two, as the help of another person will make the work much easier. The following instructions are based on those demonstrated by Tom Silva on the famous documentary “This Old House.”

First, attach the hinges in the middle of each section, to allow the door to turn. Drop a roller into each hinge to keep the door in track. On the bottom is a bracket to which is attached the cable that goes up to the spring that lifts and lowers the door. Insert a roller in that part also. Attach the weather stripping to the bottom of the door by tilting it into place, and fix it there by screwing on the brackets. Take each panel and center it in the garage door opening, and put each wheel in its bracket. Wrap the tracks around the wheels, and screw them to the frame. Do this in succession with each panel, and tighten the track. Do not screw the track so tightly as to create friction when the door opens and closes. Next, get onto stepladders and screw the arc- shaped horizontal track into place before putting in the last panel (if you wait till after you have done this, the door will fall in on you). Slide the top wheel onto the horizontal track.

The last thing to install is the spring. Hang it from the ceiling. Open the door manually and lock it in that position. Guide the cable over the pulley and attach it to the bottom bracket. Put the other end through the pulley at the end of the spring and loop it through the remaining bracket. Attach an S- hook to the bracket and install it to the horizontal track. Finally put a safety cable through the center of the spring (this is ESSENTIAL— the action of the door creates tension, which could cause the spring to go flying off and hurt somebody), and attach it to the bracket. The entire process can take anywhere from six to eight hours.

7) How to insulate a garage door
Non insulated garage doors can be a liability to a homeowner, as they can allow the destructive forces of nature to take their toll more easily. Thermawrap garage door insulation is ideal, as it can improve the garage’s ability to retain heat, and is lightweight and flexible. Reflectix garage door insulation is also useful, as it blocks over 90 percent of all the heat energy that comes in. Garage door foam insulation typically consists of sheets of polyurethane foam. All insulating materials must be installed properly or they will not do their job; and you will need to measure your door before buying.

Thanks to the New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit bill that went into effect at the end of last year, it is now possible to get insulated garage door tax credit— provided, of course, that the homeowner signs the proper IRS forms. It is available to the owners of any new house that uses less than half of the energy of one that met the credit requirements of the “model energy code” of 2003.

8) Some aspects of maintenance
Adjusting garage door springs should be done if the springs are preventing the door from being closed all the way— but can be done only if the springs are not broken. And only the extension springs should be adjusted by the homeowner himself— adjusting the torsion springs is too dangerous and requires the help of a professional. To adjust the extension springs, one simply transfers them from one hole to another— or else loosen the clamp and adjust the cable. Garage door torsion spring replacement is a longer and more complex process that requires special tools, and people have lost limbs trying to do this work.

9) How to repair a garage door
Garage door torsion spring repair, as mentioned above, should be done only by people who know what they are doing. By contrast, garage door opener repair is usually quite easy. Make sure the battery is fresh and that the unit is receiving its power, that the breakers have not been tripped, and that nothing is blocking the tracks. When working on the pulleys, make sure you adjust both together. Be sure they are not wiggling.

Before you do garage door panel repair, ALWAYS unplug any automatic openers first. Remove the springs and guide the door into closed position. Then unscrew the panel, remove it, and put in the new one.

Emergency garage door repair is offered 24/7 in most large communities, and serve smaller ones in the surrounding area. Some of these people urge that repairing garage doors not be done by do- it- yourselfers because of the potential for injury.

10) Garage door prices
Divine and secure wood designs may cost upwards of £1,600 (US$2,555). If one is more enticed by a less luxurious design, they may save up to £600 (US$958). Wooden garage doors also offer selections of electric or manual. Often, intricately designed doors will be customized for either electric or manual door frames. They will not be interchangeable.

Roller garage doors are low maintenance and ideal if you are looking to preserve precious space. They typically will be weather sealed and insulated. Roller garage doors prices range from £600 to £1,400 (US$958-$2,236). The lower costing roller garage doors will feature manual lifting and aluminium siding. The higher price bracket will showcase electric doors and offer various styles of finishing.

Electric garage doors prices are the most expensive, yet most convenient. One’s choices are typically wooden, roller, aluminium, and steal. Electric garage doors truly offer the most in depth options. With that being said, the more specific requests from a person, the greater the price. A basic electric model can be found close to £800 (US$1,278). As previously mentioned, multiple amenities and greater quality of an electric garage door will cost more, up to £2,100 (US$3,354). If one desires a wooden or roller garage door to be electric, this will also increase their prices.

11) Replacing parts
When buying replacement garage door track parts, make a note of the essential information for the part you are replacing, and also ask about the returns policy in case something goes wrong. Sectional garage door parts can be bought at large hardware stores, or they can be ordered online.

Old garage door parts need not necessarily be gotten rid of. Some places specialize in selling these parts for low prices. There is a place called Manta, in Atlanta, Georgia, for instance, that recycles all old pieces. Such parts may also be auctioned off at Ebay or some other online company. You may even be able to make money off of your own, so check to see if there is such a place in your own area.

There is nothing like a garage door that is well- maintained.