Deciding whether the door should be replaced
We are asked to replace doors that need only repair, and to repair doors that ought to be replaced. The distinction is not always obvious to the owner, so we begin with an assessment and say plainly what we find.
A door is a candidate for replacement when its sections have failed. Hardware can always be renewed. Springs, cables, rollers, hinges, and even track are consumable parts with predictable lives. The sections are the door itself, and when they are compromised there is little to be gained by fitting new parts to them.
Conditions that point to replacement
- Perforating rust. Corrosion along the bottom rail that has gone through the steel. The lowest section carries the lifting brackets, and it cannot be patched reliably.
- Fatigue at the stiles. Cracks in the vertical members where the hinges fasten, usually on several sections at once.
- Water damage in wood. Sections that have swollen, split along the grain, or begun to delaminate. A waterlogged wood door grows heavier each year.
- Discontinued sections. When the manufacturer no longer produces the panel design, a single damaged section cannot be matched.
- No insulation. A single-skin door on an attached garage is a continuous source of heat loss and noise.
- Absent safety provisions. Very old doors may lack pinch-resistant joints, and their operators may predate photoelectric sensors.
Conditions that do not
A broken spring, a frayed cable, a noisy roller, a worn bottom seal, or a single dent are matters for repair. So is an opener that has failed on a door that remains sound.
Hardware can always be renewed. The sections are the door itself.
What is replaced, and what is kept
| Component | Usual practice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Sections | Replaced | The purpose of the work |
| Track | Replaced | Track is made for a particular door thickness and radius. Old track under a new door invites binding and uneven wear. |
| Springs, drums, cables | Replaced | Sized for the weight of the new door, which will differ from the old |
| Rollers and hinges | Replaced | Supplied with the door and matched to it |
| Perimeter seals | Replaced | Old stop molding has usually hardened |
| Operator | Retained if sound | A good operator will outlast more than one door |
| Jambs, header, exterior trim | Retained unless decayed | Repaired or capped where necessary |
Owners occasionally ask whether the existing track might be kept to reduce the cost. We decline to do so. The saving is small, and mismatched track is behind a large share of the doors we are later called to quiet or realign.
Choosing the new door
Replacement is an opportunity to correct whatever was unsatisfactory about the old door, and to reconsider how the garage sits within the architecture of the house.
For warmth
Polyurethane-insulated steel doors of three-layer construction are the standard recommendation for attached garages in this climate. Paired with new perimeter seals, they change a garage from a cold buffer into a moderated space. Plumbing in the adjoining wall, a second refrigerator, and the floor of the room above all benefit.
For quiet
The same construction is quieter, since a bonded sandwich panel does not resonate as a single steel skin does. Nylon rollers reduce noise further.
For appearance
On many houses in Hartland, Delafield, and Chenequa, the garage doors occupy a third or more of the street elevation. A door chosen to suit the house, in its proportions, its panel layout, and its glazing, is among the most effective exterior improvements available for the cost. We would suggest looking at the house’s own windows and trim for cues. A grid of small lites suits a colonial. A plain horizontal band of glass suits a ranch. Board-and-batten overlays suit a farmhouse.
Our pages on raised panel, carriage house, and contemporary doors treat the principal styles in more detail.
For daylight
A glazed top section brings natural light into a space that usually has none. Insulated and obscure glass are available where warmth or privacy is a concern.
