If it’s been several years since you’ve replaced your garage door, you might be starting to think about investing in a new one. Depending on the condition of your garage door, you may be able to get away with a few repairs to restore its original luster or it may be cheaper to simply replace your existing door.

In order to tell if it’s time for a new garage door, you’ll need to do a full assessment of your existing door. We recommend starting from the bottom and working your way up: check the weatherstripping, the age and condition of the door itself (including paint conditioning and any rotting), worn out springs, and squeaky hinges or rollers. We’ll explore some of these issues in more detail, but if you’ve found that most or all of the items listed above are in need of repairs, it’s likely time to replace your door rather than trying to maintain it.

Age of Your Door: If your garage door is 10 years or older, your springs have likely reached the end of their life cycle. The simplest way to think about it is most garage doors have a 10,000-cycle spring, meaning that they can open and close your door 10,000 times before they need to be replaced. If you open and close your garage door 4 times per day, that’s well over 10,000 cycles over the course of 10 years. At that point, you’re probably at the end of the manufacturer’s life cycle, which means that these springs are more likely to break, making them a safety hazard and potentially causing damage to the opening and closing mechanism, as well at the property in your garage.

Rot Concerns: We still see many wood garage doors in our area which are beautiful when well-maintained but can start to rot overtime. Rot begins at the bottom sections of the door where they have the most contact with outdoor elements, so many times people will simply opt to replace these bottoms sections. The truth is that the cost to replace these sections is not much different than the cost for an entirely new door, making your existing door a great candidate for replacement.

Safety Concerns: There are several other ways to clearly tell it is time for a new garage door. A few telltale signs to look out for are a visibly bent track or loud noises as your garage door moves up and down. Both are indicators of problems with your garage door open and close mechanism, and could mean damage if not addressed immediately.

Our team of garage door professionals at Omaha Door & Window is here to help you. Whether you want to fix your existing garage door or invest in and install a new one, ODW is happy to provide pricing information for both projects and help you decide what the best option is for you and your home. Click here to learn more about our garage door options.

For more information on garage door repairs and replacements, give us a call at 402-733-6440 or click here to visit our website.

A  Special Giveaway Just for You!

We at Omaha Door & Window are huge fans and supporters of Nebraska and Iowa football! If you visit our showroom or send an email to marketing@omahadoor.com with your name and email address, you can enter a drawing for 2 tickets to the Nebraska vs. Iowa football game on November 24th.