Proper Garage Door Maintenance Can Add Years Smooth Operation

Having a garage is a great addition to any home. In addition to providing safe cover for automobiles, they offer a wonderful place for storage, workshops and a covered play area for children during inclement weather. That is why maintaining garage doors is an important way to protect this important area of your home. While some homeowners feel that the doors of a garage should easily be cared for by just making sure no dents or gouges occur, there are a few other important ways to maintain and protect them.

Over the years, garage doors usually require maintenance in order to preserve the longevity of the door. Even those doors that are of high quality can start to see wear and tear if they are not properly maintained. While some people think that a majority of the concerns with garage doors is with ensuring the track is well maintained, there are two other vital ways that maintenance should be attended to that ensures greater life for the doors.

Painting

First, high quality doors for garages are usually made of metal or wood. These two types of materials do not puncture as readily and can usually last for years beyond those made of plastic. However, either of these types of doors is subject to deterioration if they are not painted with weather resistant paint or stained with weather proofing stain on a somewhat regular basis. While this does not need to be done annually, doing this every three to four years as part of home maintenance is a good idea. Regular staining and painting of these doors can stop rust penetration and wood rot from seeping into the doors of the garage.

While the Atlanta area is not inclined to snow, the state certainly sees enough other types of inclement weather that can cause them to age prematurely if not cared for properly. Preserving these doors with an updated coat of high quality paint and stain every three or four years can add 10 to 15 years into the life of the doors. Two of the greatest culprits for wood and metal damage are from rot and rust. Fortunately, this type of damage can be minimized with proper upkeep and care.

Weather stripping

Secondly, another important way to preserve the integrity of the doors of a garage is through weather stripping them. Replacing the weather stripping every three to four years can also add years to the life of the doors. Weather stripping can protect against rodent infestation as well as protect against excessive weather elements. Weather stripping involves putting a rubber or plastic tubing on the bottom of the doors of the garage to stop weather related infiltration or rodent damage.

Weather stripping should also include examining the sides of the doors to ensure there has been no damage to them over the years. As a general rule there should not beany excessive space between the door and the tracks. Small dents a gouges can usually be repaired easily if caught early.

Garages beautify a home, add value to a home and provide more useable space in a home for a wide variety of things. That is why preserving the integrity of them through proper maintenance is important. The old adage of “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is great advice that applies to garage door maintenance. Remember, a garage door that has wood rot it metal rust is more inclined to lead to damage to property inside the garage, lead to early replacement of the doors and cause a potential risk for infiltration of weather, rodents and burglary.

Let All Four Seasons handle your maintenance chores, we’re your garage doors Alpharetta GA specialists! Call 678-981-8454 or click All Four Seasons Alpharetta GA to find out what we can do for you.