A first look at all of the parts and pieces that comprise a garage door can understandably intimidate you. The huge chunks of pieces of metal tracks, hinges, rollers, springs, cables, handles, struts, door panels and a heap of nuts, bolts and screws are enough to overwhelm even a hardened mechanic. We all know that the garage door is the largest piece of equipment found in the average home. So a degree of apprehension is unavoidable when you first embark on a home improvement project involving installation of garage doors.
To help you deal with the job of regular assembling your garage doors, some eminent garage-door manufacturing companies have started to market user-friendly door kits. These come with easy to comprehend instructions. If you go through the instruction manual thoroughly and make an effort to understand the entire procedure before actually starting the work, it will be easier for you to complete the task successfully. Get yourself familiarized with all the terms; Learn to recognize all the parts and the hardware, and your job will become simpler to execute.
However, one word of caution - do hire professional help for removing an existing garage door. The powerful springs that control the maneuvers of the door are under a lot of tension when the door is closed and can cause serious injuries. You must not even attempt to cut the cables attached with the spring or the spring itself on your own.
After the old door is removed, you would need to scrutinize the wood framing around the garage door opening. Ensure wherever there exists any wood rot. The door track needs to be fastened with bolts to a solid framework. So any rotten wood should be promptly replaced.
Smooth operation of the door requires the tracks to be level and parallel. All the sections of the garage door are stacked over the first one. The first section of the garage door must be faultlessly level. If the new door is made of wood, cut the excess wood and sand the bottom of the door so it matches the slope of the garage floor.
Always make sure that you use permitted and standardized hardware provided by the garage door manufacturer. The bottom brackets that fix to the bottom corners of the first section must be firmly secured to the door. However, over-tightening may strip the bolts. Do bear in mind that the cables that hoist the door are connected to these brackets. The brackets are put through massive lifting forces. This this can tear away from the door be hurled like missiles if not fastened properly.
The weight of a garage door, amassed with all the hardware components can easily reach 400 pounds or more. Here, it is vital to make sure that the overhead track is strongly supported and in faultless configuration. Otherwise, when the door begins to go up the track may fall or the door may come out of the track and fall, causing critical injuries.
