Should You Repair or Replace a Garage Door?

Homeowners like you are understandably concerned about the value of their home. You have invested significant amounts of money, time and labor into transforming a house into your perfect sanctuary. 

At the same time, you also want a home you don’t have to be constantly worrying about. You want to save money on utilities while also ensuring your home is safe and secure.

You’d be surprised at how important a garage door is when considering these issues. A garage door is an essential part of your home’s curb appeal, and its insulation is one of the most important barriers against heat and cold. It’s also one of the most important lines of defense against intruders — whether they are human or vermin.

Consider these statistics from garagewownow.com: 71% of homeowners who recently replaced their garage door cite the change as the reason for an increase in home value. This isn’t very surprising, considering that a garage door typically makes up 30% of the street-facing surface of your home.

But what should you do if your garage door doesn’t seem to be cutting it anymore?

If your garage door is old, functioning poorly or not energy efficient, you will need to decide if it makes more sense to repair or replace your door.

While repairs may save you money in the short term, you need to also consider the value a new door can add in the long run.

As you decide whether to repair vs. replace your garage door, take a look at some of our tips on the best way to make sure your decision is the right one for you and your family.

Cosmetics

The first issue we’ll address is cosmetics. Considering its oversized presence as part of your home’s appearance, the way your garage door looks is important. So what kind of cosmetic issues are there, and what is the best approach for improving the look of your garage door?

Garage door paint: The paint job is one of the most obvious and easily rectified issues with garage doors. If your garage door is chipping or drab looking, a new coat of paint may be all you need.

Additionally, if your garage door is functionally fine but you are looking to transform the appearance of your home, a new, bold color on your garage door can change your curb appeal drastically. However, you also want to be careful of using paint when you may have more serious issues.

One of the biggest concerns with old doors is rust damage. While paint may stop further rusting from occurring, rust damage can weaken your door, making it both less secure and more dangerous. So if you see significant rust damage, you should strongly consider replacing the whole garage door rather than trying to repaint it.

Damaged panels: If a single panel or section is damaged — perhaps from an errant baseball or inclement weather damage — deciding whether you want to repair it or replace it will depend on the age of your door.

If your door has only been recently installed, repairing a panel makes a lot of sense. First of all, replacement parts are readily available and can be ordered quickly and affordably. Secondly, the rest of the door is likely still in excellent shape, meaning the cost of replacement wouldn’t necessarily be worth it, since much of what you’d be replacing is still in like-new condition.

However, if your door is older, a damaged panel may be the signal you need to finally replace your door. If the door is no longer being manufactured, a replacement piece will likely be much more expensive since it may be hard to find or require custom fabrication. Additionally, your door may have a number of other issues that, combined with the damage, would make replacement your best option.

If you aren’t sure about which category your door falls into, a professional will be able to fully assess the damage and give you a better sense of what option is best for you.

Warped Door: As wooden doors age, they are prone to warping. This can become a significant problem as automatic doors need to be straight in order to move up and down smoothly.

In the case of door warping, your best option is garage door replacement. New doors are designed to be more durable and thus are not prone to this kind of damage. Furthermore, new doors are far more energy-efficient and secure than the kinds of old wooden doors that are likely warp, so you will definitely be saving money in the long run with replacement.

Door Design: Finally, you may grow tired of the design of your garage door. When automatic garage doors were first installed in houses decades ago, the designs were often more plain and purely functional — there has been a drastic improvement in garage door designs over the past decade.

Today, new doors come in a wide variety of designs, all of which are made to match and accentuate the exterior of your home.

Considering that curb appeal is one of the biggest factors in improving home values, a well-designed garage door can go a long way in making your home stand out on the housing market.

View Garage Door Styles

Functionality

The next thing to consider when thinking about whether you want to replace a garage door is functionality. In other words, how’s your door working?

While certain issues can be easily repaired, there are others that are symptomatic of much bigger issues. In some cases, a full replacement is in order:

A sluggish door: Have you noticed that your door is starting to move up and down more slowly than it used to? There are a couple of things that could be causing the issue.

First of all, your motor may be in need of repair. This is something that a certified technician can fix and is best left to a professional. However, it is also something that usually does not always require a full door replacement.

Second, you may have your motor set to its slowest setting. This is especially common if it’s a newer door. For safety reasons, the default setting on an automatic door opener is always the lowest. However, adjusting the speed is easy. Instructions for doing so should be included in your owner’s manual.

Third, your drive chains may need to be cleaned and re-lubricated. If you have experience with this kind of work, you can easily do it on your own. Simply clean away any dirt and grime that has built up on the chain and then reapply a professional grade lubricant. However, if you are nervous about doing this kind of work, a professional technician can also do this job — and will be able to perform other tune-ups in the process.

The garage door opener doesn’t work: Nothing is more frustrating than getting home with a trunk full of groceries only to find that your garage door opener isn’t working.

There is some basic troubleshooting that you can try. First and foremost, make sure the car opener has fresh batteries. If that isn’t the issue, check to make sure the motor switch hasn’t been tripped. The motor in the garage usually has a dangling handle. If you pull this handle, the motor disengages, allowing you to lift the door by hand. This is helpful if you have a power outage, but sometimes it can get accidentally tripped.

If neither of these issues seems to be a problem, then you may need a professional to replace the motor. There could also be a significant jam in the mechanism, which again is an issue left to a professional because of the risk of injury. The problem may in fact be serious enough that it would make more sense to simply replace the door. A professional will help you determine what makes the most sense for you.

The garage door won’t go down: While a garage door stuck in the up position may be caused by all of the previously discussed problems, there is one more issue that might specifically cause your garage door to remain open.

One of the most common safety features that are installed in garage doors is a photo eye. These are designed to immediately stop a door from lowering in the event that something, such as a child or a car, crosses in front of them. However, if they have been knocked out of alignment, they will respond as if something is always obstructing them, thus locking the door in the upright position.

While you may be able to readjust them by hand, if you are having trouble, a professional will be able to put them back in alignment.

Garage door opens and closes randomly: While it seems humorous, having a door unexpectedly open in the middle of the night can be scary. However, there are a couple likely causes for a randomly opening door, and some of them are easy to fix.

First, make sure your neighbor doesn’t have the same brand door. It is possible that both of your openers are operating on the same frequency, meaning when they open their door, they’re inadvertently opening yours as well.

Next, make sure you don’t have a spare transmitter stored in a drawer somewhere. If there are other things piled on top of it, their weight may be accidentally setting the transmitter off.

If neither of these issues are the cause, you may need to call a professional to repair.  

Learn More About Garage Door Openers

Energy Efficiency

We put a lot of time and energy into insulating our homes. Yet we often forget to think about insulation in our garage.

If you have an old door, especially a metal door, you might as well keep your garage door open all winter. They are usually poorly insulated, thus letting all of the warm air out, and increasing the cost on energy bills.

This is one of the biggest motivators for replacing your garage door. In fact, by focusing on energy efficiency, you could actually save yourself money in the long run.

Consider these statistics from Clopay® Garage Doors. An energy-efficient garage door can reduce your energy loss by around 70%. In the end, this results in an unheated garage staying 10 to 20 degrees warmer in the winter.

These doors work better because they have been designed with the latest in energy-efficient technology in mind. Using either expanded polystyrene or polyurethane insulation, these doors receive remarkably high ratings in regards to “R-values,” the unit used to measure energy efficiency.

This is especially important if you happen to have a bedroom or other room above your garage. A cold garage will disproportionately affect the rooms that are adjacent to it. Furthermore, the builders of many older homes were more aggressive in installing insulation within the shared wall between a garage and the rest of the house, but not the ceiling – especially above a garage.

By installing an energy-efficient door, you will immediately discover that your room above the garage is far more comfortable in both the hottest and coldest months.

Personal Safety

New doors have an additional advantage over older doors: They have better safety features.

Automatic stop switches and sensors are invaluable for protecting your family, especially small children, from inadvertently being injured by a closing door. Plus, newer doors are generally lighter, meaning they have less chance of causing significant damage.

While you may have used your old door for years without a mishap, it only takes one mistake to cause significant injury to either you or your loved ones. Is it really worth the risk? If you have an aging door, you should definitely consider contacting a professional in order to explore the safety benefits of a new door installation.

Increased Security

Finally, one of the biggest reasons to get your garage door replaced is security. An aging door can give burglars easy access to your home. A poor motor can also make a garage door easier to lift. Garage doors are often left off of home security systems, giving thieves a convenient entrance point.

In fact, according to Safe Streets USA, the garage door is the point of entrance for around one out of every 10 burglaries.

While there are clearly other security concerns, having an insecure garage door definitely gives burglars an advantage they otherwise would not have.

Luckily, new garage doors come with a number of robust security features that will stop burglars in their tracks.

Remember when we discussed the possibility of having someone from another home having an opener on the same frequency as your garage? Now consider what would happen if a burglar got their hands on a random opener  and traveled through a neighborhood looking to see if it matched a garage frequency. Newer garage openers are designed to prevent unsecured entry.

Similarly, newer doors lock more firmly, meaning even if someone has a tool, it will be much less likely they can force your door open.

And of course, when you install a new garage door, this is the best opportunity for integrating your garage into your existing security system.

Ultimately, this can be one of the most important features of a garage door — let alone any door — in your home. You want to be able to sleep easy at night, and robust security helps to ensure you do.

So if you’re worried about someone breaking into your home and you want to see if a new door will make your residence more secure, contact a sales representative or design specialist. They will be able to go over your options and help you decide which type of garage door is the best fit for your needs.

Replace or Repair, Continental Door is Your Best Bet

Now that we’ve discussed the many reasons to either repair or replace your garage door, it’s time to start thinking about who is the best option for helping you make the transformation.

Fortunately, here in the Greater Spokane area, you can count on Continental Door for all your garage door repair or replacement needs!

When it comes to service and repair, no one has the experience and know-how that we do. We have spent years earning a reputation as Spokane’s quickest response team, helping you get your garage door working again as soon as possible. Furthermore, we have a wide range of experience, meaning there isn’t a problem we haven’t seen. Whether you need a garage spring replaced or a garage motor repaired, we get it done right the first time.

Learn More About Garage Door Repair

Plus, no matter how old your door is, our custom fabrication shop is prepared to provide you with the part or door section you need to make your garage door look good as new.

We even provide commercial garage door maintenance and repair. Our team has what it takes to get your operation back up and running!

However, if you have decided that it’s time for a new door installation, our selection of expertly designed, energy-efficient and high-quality doors cannot be beat!

We are proud to feature Clopay® garage doors, rated the #1 rated garage door company among dealers and made in the United States. This is a brand that we trust because they have combined unrivaled quality with a commitment to innovation.

For example, when it comes to energy efficiency, no company offers more insulation options and WindCode® compliant doors than Clopay®. Plus, their wide range of designs mean you are guaranteed to find a door that perfectly matches the exterior look of your home. With a number of different finishes and materials, each door stands out as a statement of quality and luxury.

So if you are interested in exploring what a newly installed door can do for you and your home, our expert design and installation team is ready to help you find your perfect garage door match.

We also offer a wide range of commercial doors, each one designed with business and durability in mind. Whether you are looking to install new doors on a loading dock, modular interior wall doors or even coiling doors for a storefront, our commercial door experts are ready to help your transform your business.

Whether you are looking to repair an existing door or replace it with a new well-designed, energy efficient garage door, you can count on Continental Door to not only meet your expectations, but exceed them. If you are in need of a free garage door consultation or estimate in the Spokane, Washington region, contact us today. Our courteous and professional sales representatives are waiting to hear from you. So make your home more beautiful, energy-efficient and secure today with a garage door from Spokane’s door installation leaders, Continental Door!

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