Summertime means warm weather, a perfect time to tune up your garage door after the harsh winter conditions have abated. Maintaining your garage door extends its lifespan and increases reliability. Many maintenance tasks are easy do-it-yourself tasks, but you can always have a Certified Overhead Door Technician come out to inspect and maintain your door if you prefer. Unless you are specifically trained, do not attempt to service the door's extension or torsion springs or cables yourself, as they are under heavy tension and can cause serious injury if improperly released.
Garage Door Springs Are Under A Lot Of Tension
Inspect Your Door
Begin the summer maintenance ritual by thoroughly inspecting your garage door hardware. It's not difficult and will help ensure your door continues to operate smoothly. View all the visible parts and check for loose/bent hinges, frayed cables, balky rollers/pulleys, rusty or broken springs and loose or missing bolts/screws. Tighten down loose fittings and replace any missing or damaged hardware. Apply the recommended lubricant to pulleys and rollers. In addition, look at the track to make sure it is aligned properly.
Clean Is Good
A clean garage door looks nice and increases your home's curb appeal. But it also removes grease, grime and dirt that may have accumulated over time. Use a mild detergent and warm water to wash down your doors. You may want to use special cleaning products if your doors are made of wood, but otherwise the process is the same: wash and rinse. When dry, you can apply a high-quality wax to protect the surface finish.
Kick Rust to the Curb
Rust is the enemy of metal, and it’s a great idea to remove it whenever you notice it forming. Doing so will extend the door's useful life. A rusty door indicates moist conditions, and can be aggravated if the door is exposed to rain and salt, or is located in a humid climate. The fix is easy: use sandpaper to remove the rust, prime the part with a zinc-rich primer and then apply a properly colored, high quality exterior latex paint.
Paint and Refinishing
Man Painting A Garage Door
If you have a metal or vinyl door, you can follow the wash and rust-removal tasks by applying a fresh coat of paint. Reserve painting for days that are not windy, rainy of excessively sunny. Steel and aluminum doors should be painted with 100 percent acrylic latex paint rated for exterior use. Sand any plastic parts to remove their gloss before painting. Vinyl doors require special acrylic/urethane paint specifically labeled for use on vinyl. If your vinyl door is light-colored, refrain from repainting it a dark color, as this can cause heat buildup that may buckle or crack the door. Always check with the manufacturer or his local representative before painting a vinyl garage door. You may wind up voiding your warranty!
Wood doors may be painted or stained. If your painted door has loose or flakey paint, wash it with tri-sodium phosphate and, after it dries, use a hook-blade paint scrapper and/or random orbit sander to remove loose paint. Feather the rough edges with the sander. Dust the door and then apply primer, followed by a couple coats of exterior latex paints. If your doors are relatively free of gouges and dings, use a glossy paint to better protect the door from dirt, abrasion, grease and staining.
Natural finish doors can be sanded with medium to fine sandpaper down to the bare wood. If the doors have been varnished, you can accelerate the process by first applying the appropriate stripper before sanding. You can use a power washer to remove the stripper, or simply a bucket and rag. If your door shows any signs of mold, apply a dilute bleach solution before sanding. After sanding, apply several coats of exterior penetrating finish formulated for the preservation of outdoor wood. The choice of sheen is up to you -- many folks prefer the look of satin or semi-gloss, but a high-gloss finish will provide the maximum protection. The product should be treated to protect the wood surface from harmful UV rays.
There you have it -- some simple ways to keep your garage doors looking great and operating smoothly for decades to come.
