Garage doors are the largest mechanical fixtures in most homes. The prospect of assembling and installing one yourself may seem daunting; if you are relatively inexperienced with home improvement or do-it-yourself projects, it's probably best to hire someone else to do it. But, there are doors on the market that are more geared toward installation by non-professionals. This guide will give you a general idea of the process and some tips that will help as you go.
Before You Start
If you are replacing an older garage door with this new one, do not immediately start tearing down the other door. Older garage doors operate with heavy-duty springs and cables; the kind you purchased is geared toward a do-it-yourselfer. A professional should help you with taking the old door down, or you will risk serious injury to yourself.
During installation, always follow the manufacturer's instructions and warnings. This guide can't give you the step-by-step setup for your door since it will vary from brand to brand.
Tips for Garage Door Installation
There are a few things that should be pretty universal to each garage door installation. Keep these in mind as you put up the door:
- You don't want to screw the tracks into rotting wood. After you remove your old door, check the frame to make sure it is solid. Otherwise, you'll have quite a safety hazard on your hands.
- Center the bottom panel in the opening and put the wheels on the bottom bracket and first hinge. You can then easily fit the track on over the wheels and see where it needs to be positioned for screwing.
- Screw the track in bit by bit. You want to be able to fit the rollers in there with ease, so having both vertical tracks screwed in tight is probably not the best idea.
- Make sure the vertical tracks are both plumb so that they are parallel. If they aren't parallel, your door is going to have a lot of problems.
Have someone nearby to help you with lifting and positioning the panels of the door; they can be pretty heavy, and you'll want a set of eyes on both the left and right sides.
- Make sure you use the right screws when you attach the hinges. Some may be designed to go into metal and some into wood. Garage doors are sometimes made out of a few different materials in different places. Again, read the instructions carefully.
- Before you put the top panel and wheels on, install the top tracks. This will keep the door from falling in on you.
If you are at all uncomfortable with the prospect of getting this job done yourself, there's no shame in hiring a professional to do it. He or she is sure to get it finished in no time (expect to set aside a day's work to get this done yourself). But, if you like a little bit of a challenge, installing a new garage door yourself is doable and rewarding.