subject: Maintenance Tips For Wood Garage Doors [print this page] Garage doors come in a variety of materials such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass and wood. There are pros and cons to each type. The one that you select should align with both your house design and your time available for maintenance. A wood garage door is a lovely and rich upgrade to a house and can complement a variety of house designs.
A garage door that is made of wood would align wonderfully with a home that is designed to look like a cabin or rustic country abode, especially if the wood is stained rather than painted. A stain tends to accentuate the lovely grain of the wood. If paint was used instead, this style could complement nearly every decor, as long as the paint color matches or blends with the house color which exists on either the body of the house or the wooden trim. Here are a few things to remember in caring for your wood garage door.
- Annual maintenance is essential on all of the working parts. Springs, rollers, hinges and other hardware that move need to be lubricated. Your average household lubricating product will work. Just be sure that it really seeps into the mechanism. This will surely aid in continual smooth movement.
- Check to see if there are any loose screws, nuts or bolts. Inspect the whole mechanism with tools at hand in order to tighten up anything that may be loosening. This will prevent repairs that are waiting to happen.
- Look at is the tracks' system. Are they properly aligned with the rollers? Track and roller alignment will keep the system from catching and becoming stuck. If they're out of alignment, loosen the bolt and then maneuver into the correct position with a hammer. Finally, retighten the bolt.
- Some one piece doors will start to sag in the middle but amay be reinforced by using a metal support rod attached to the inside. The metal rod that you'll need may be found at a garage door supply company.
- If the gate has become difficult to lift, you'll want to check its spring tension. If this is the case, you'll need to call in a professional.
- The wooden exterior will need to be repainted or re-stained every year or even more often if it begins to show signs of wear. This will depend on what type of weather your garage door is up against. The harsher the climate, the more protection it will need.
- The interior of the door must be repainted, also. If the inside begins to wear, it could warp and hamper the functionality of the entire thing.
Follow these tips and you will have many years of worry free use from your wood garage door.
