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Is It Safe to Fix Your Own Garage Door?

Is It Safe to Fix Your Own Garage Door?

Is It Safe to Fix Your Own Garage Door?

When something in your house needs minor repairs, chances are your resident DIY enthusiast runs for their toolbox to fix the problem. However, trying to fix your own garage door can be very dangerous. Aside from a few very minor repairs, DIY garage door work is simply not worth the risk.

Your garage door is a surprisingly dangerous appliance if not functioning correctly. Even professional repair technicians have to handle the job with care. While performing the repairs yourself may seem tempting, there are quite a few reasons why you may just make things worse.

Attempting to fix your own garage door can lead to bad consequences and just make the damage worse. Here’s why a professional is a better idea. Click To Tweet

You Can’t Control a Broken Garage Door Motor

Remember those safety stickers on your door that warn you that the motor could crush you? Safety sensors are there to protect you from the motor. But what happens if those sensors stop working or the motor ignores them? Your already very strong motor could cause serious damage if you can’t stop it. Insulation can only make the door heavier and more dangerous. When the garage door is already malfunctioning, you can’t control what will happen or the damage your door could cause.

Parts Aren’t Readily Available

For an electrical or plumbing project, almost everything you need is in the hardware store. Garage door supplies are harder to find for anyone who isn’t a professional technician. And considering the damage your door could do if anything stopped working or wasn’t repaired properly, you can’t afford to substitute with makeshift motor parts.

Pro Tip: DIY is often promoted as a cheaper way to get repairs done. The truth, however, is that you can often end up spending more on DIY supplies than on professional work. Save yourself time and money with an experienced technician.

Springs Can Seriously Injure You

Garage door springs are massive coils of metal under tremendous pressure as they raise and lower the door. Even professionals have to be careful to not let the springs snap loose. A broken spring can cause serious damage to your garage or, worse, serious injury to you or a loved one. Avoid this risk entirely by skipping the DIY and calling in a professional to fix a broken spring.

Guarantee of Quality Repairs

A certified technician has spent years training and studying garage door mechanics. They can easily bring your door back to functioning safely and save you money and time while they’re at it. Don’t be tempted to attempt DIY and potentially make things worse.

Looking for a professional garage door service in Houston? Join the conversation to speak with our experts!

Popular Garage Door Materials for Homes in The Woodlands

Popular Garage Door Materials for Homes in The Woodlands

Garage doors can add a unique touch to your home, and come in a variety of styles to suit your needs. Perhaps your door is old and it’s time for a new one–or maybe you’re looking to remodel your home and have always wanted to change that garage door design. The right materials and local garage door installers will establish the look that you’re going for.

What are the most popular garage door materials you should consider for your Woodlands home? Click To Tweet

What Materials Should You Use For Your Garage Door?

When it comes to installing your personalized garage door, you should understand the benefits and options that come with certain materials. Do you want more of a rustic look, or modern? With or without windows? Let’s look into some of the most popular materials available. Here are some options that could be suitable for your home:

  1. Traditional Steel
  2. Insulated & Non-Insulated
  3. Steel Carriage House
  4. Faux Wood Grain
  5. Doors With or Without Windows

1) You Can’t Go Wrong With Traditional Steel

Steel is an affordable material that has been trusted for years. Steel garage doors offer the benefit of being durable and coming in a variety of textures to suit your liking. Contact your local installation specialist for help deciding what kind of steel you’re in need of.

2) Deciding Between Insulated & Non-Insulated

An insulated door is most suitable for hot summers and cold winters. Reasonably something to consider, especially in Houston. If you want to work in your garage, the blazing Texas sun can make that unbearable without any insulation. In the winter, insulated garage doors will keep the area slightly warmer, which can make a big difference in freezing weather.

3) Get Fancy With A Steel Carriage House Door

Carriage house doors are excellent for enhancing the curb appeal of your residence. They suit any sort of style you’re going for, from contemporary to classic. It might cost a bit extra, but if you’re looking to increase your home’s curb appeal, a steel carriage house door could be worth the money.

Pro Tip: Pull up some inspiration pictures you’ve saved to show your installation service to give them an idea of the look you want to achieve.

4) Spruce Up the Look with Faux Wood Grain

Step up your home improvement game by adding the faux wood grain of your choice for a wood garage door look. You can have the door painted or stained with the gorgeous color options provided. Wood grain will add a lovely rustic look to your garage door.

5) Do You Like Your Doors With Or Without Windows?

Adding windows to your garage door will provide natural lighting in your garage, but might not be energy efficient. These are things to consider when deciding if you’d like to add windows or not. It’s really up for you to decide by preference, but having windows can make your garage space feel like a functional room.

The Perfect Garage Door For Your Woodlands Home

Find the right materials you’ll need to design the perfect garage door. Now that you have an idea of what you can do with it, the tricky part is deciding between the many different looks you can achieve with it.

Want to learn more about garage door installation in The Woodlands? Follow us to stay up-to-date on all the latest offers.

 

Damaged Garage Door Panels: Repair or Replace?

Damaged Garage Door Panels: Repair or Replace?

Damage to your garage door, big or small, can be frustrating. There are lots of things to consider such as replacement costs, materials, and curb appeal. Does your garage door need repairs on some major damages or just some quick fixes for small blemishes?

Not sure how to start repairing your garage door? This guide will help you plan the best repair route for you and your home. Click To Tweet

You want your garage door repair to be cost-effective and timely. The garage door repair service that you choose should understand the importance of completing repairs effectively and on time. Do your research beforehand to find the best repair service in your area. Consider the recommendations below in order to determine the correct option to fix your damaged door.

Repairing for a Quick Fix

Some garage door damages, such as damaged door springs, need replacing completely. Replacing springs is a quick fix and, conveniently, both are replaced at the same time if just one is damaged. This helps them to last longer and keeps them working long enough in case one of them does break over time.

Pro Tip: It’s best to fix issues with your garage door as soon as you notice it in order to prevent the problem from worsening over time.

Refurbishing the Panels

There are many options available for fixing damaged garage door panels. Fortunately, garage door panel replacement is easy and inexpensive. The manufacturer may offer replacement panel sections for your door if it’s newer, but older models might require replacing the panels completely with newer ones. Bent panels might just require a quick fix, but it’s best to tend to the issue as soon as you can to prevent the door from buckling and damaging other components of the garage door. You can choose to fix the broken pieces or replace the damaged panel sections.

Replacing the Old with the New

How is the garage door’s system? Is it running properly without issue? If your garage door is older and seems to have multiple issues, it may be best to focus on a new garage door installation. Replacing the entire door is beneficial for cosmetic and security reasons. A garage door repair specialist will be able to tell you through inspection if your garage door is safe and able to use.

Conclusion

You’ll need a garage door expert to find what will work best when looking into repairing your garage door. These types of repairs and replacements require professional service to get the job done safely and efficiently. It’s important to understand what it is that needs fixing on your garage door and how you and your installation specialist can work together to fix the issue.

Follow us to learn more about our garage door services and how we can help fix your damaged garage door.

Garage Door Repair: DIY or Hire a Garage Door Professional?

Garage Door Repair: DIY or Hire a Garage Door Professional?

If your garage door has malfunctioned, you’ve probably considered fixing it yourself or hiring a professional. While Youtube and social media might make DIY garage repair seem easy, it’s actually pretty difficult and can even be dangerous.

If your garage door isn’t functioning properly, you and your loved ones’ safety could be at risk. Here’s why you should use a professional garage door repair service to fix a problem instead of tackling it on your own. Click To Tweet

Garages are automatic and mechanical systems. In the event that your garage door isn’t working the way it used to, you might think you can do some simple research online to resolve the problem on your own. However, you shouldn’t put yourself at risk by attempting to make the repairs yourself. Garage repairs require a trained professional; read further to learn why.

What’s the Problem?

In most cases, garage door malfunctions are related to the automatic doors not opening and closing efficiently. When your garage door opens and closes ineffectively, or won’t open and close, the problem might have to do with a broken spring. It may appear simple to maneuver at first but can prove to be quite complex. The seemingly easy repair should be handled by someone who is professionally trained to fix garage doors. Other issues may be electrical, which can hold you at even bigger risk if you’re inexperienced with electrical repairs.

Understand the Dangers

Undergoing a task like repairing your own overhead garage door without hiring a professional could put you and your family in danger. These days many people look to online resources to learn DIY projects around the house to save money, but at what cost? Don’t put your trust or safety into anyone’s hands but a trusted garage door repair specialist.

Pro Tip: The average garage door weighs between 130-180 lbs. If it falls during a DIY repair, serious injury could occur.

Consider the Possibility of Causing Additional Damage to Your Garage Door

DIY garage door repairs may sound like a fun idea, but without a professional garage door service to do the job correctly, you could face additional damage to your garage door, which will cost more money in repairs. It could also put you and your family in harm’s way. Especially if you try to repair your own garage without experience or expert guidance.

Why Hire a Professional?

The risks involved in repairing a garage door yourself are too large to take on. Contact a garage door professional in The Woodlands to assess and solve the problem for you in an efficient and meticulous manner.

Contact us for assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and let us know how we can help you!

How to Know if Your Garage Door Springs Need Adjustments

How to Know if Your Garage Door Springs Need Adjustments

If you have noticed some changes in how your garage door operates lately, it could be that your garage door springs need adjusting. All garage door springs lose tension over time, so it is important to recognize some of the signs that yours need adjustment and some professional attention. Is your garage door getting stuck open or moving slower than usual? Here are 4 common signs your garage door springs need an adjustment. Click To Tweet

Keeping an eye on your garage door’s performance is the easiest way to make sure that everything is operating as it should. If your door is more noisy than usual or has been getting stuck opened or closed it is a sign that you need to contact your local garage door professional to take a look at your garage door springs.  

More Noise Than Usual

A balanced garage door should be relatively quiet when traveling up or down the door tracks. If your garage door is making excessive creaking, grinding, or squeaking noises when opening or closing, your springs may be strained and most likely need to be replaced.

Door Won’t Lift or Get Stuck

Garage door springs are designed so you can lift the door manually if needed. If you are unable to lift your door, it means the springs are no longer doing their job and need to be replaced. Similarly, if you try to open your garage and it only goes up about 6 inches before stopping, your garage door opener’s force adjustment has been activated and is indicating that your garage door springs need attention.

Door is Crooked

A crooked door is often due to a damaged extension spring or cable. These springs are mounted on either side of the door and pull independently. If one of these breaks, that side won’t typically move and the door will either go up unevenly or get stuck in the tracks.  

ProTip: Always look to make sure the left and right sides of your garage door are correctly aligned. If they seem off-kilter, this could be a sign that your springs need adjustment or repair.

Slow Moving Door

If you notice that your garage door is moving a lot slower than usual, this is an indicator that something is wrong. If a spring is broken, the weight of the garage door may prevent the motor from reaching its usual speed.

Garage Door Spring Repair

Garage door springs are tightly wound and are under a lot of tension, so trying to replace them yourself can be dangerous. If you see any signs that your door needs spring repairs, it is important that you contact a professional for help rather than attempting to do it on your own.

If you think your garage door might be unbalanced, join the conversation to learn more about whether your garage door springs need an adjustment or possible replacement.

 

How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door

How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door

No matter what you use your garage for, there is nothing more irritating than hearing an ear-piercing screech of a noisy garage door when it’s opening and closing. A noisy garage door can annoy your neighbors, wake up people who are sleeping in your home, and generally bother everyone in its vicinity. Does your garage door squeak and annoy everyone around when you come home in the evening? Here are some top tips to quieting down your noisy garage door. Click To Tweet

A noisy garage door can be a serious disruption, but as long as the door is opening and closing properly, it is usually pretty simple to reduce the racket when you tighten up the nuts and bolts and lubricate rollers and hinges. Here are some great ways to fix a noisy garage door.

Tighten It Up

Sometimes a garage door can get noisy if nuts and bolts become loosened. Tightening up nuts and bolts should be the first step to quieting down your door. First, inspect your garage door for any loose parts. Then, tighten the nuts and screws with a wrench or socket. Be careful as the nuts should not be too tight..  

Get Lubricating

If your garage door is older or the weather has recently changed, it could be easy to fix your noisy garage door simply by adding lubricant to all the metal parts of your garage door. Spray lubricant on the rollers, hinges, and track. Lubricating is not a one time job. Make sure you repeat this procedure every six months to keep your garage door quiet.  

ProTip: Frequent lubrication of your metal garage door parts, like springs, hinges, and rollers, can help keep your garage door from being squeaky and loud while opening and closing.

Rollers, Hinges & Springs

If the above two fixes don’t do the job in cutting down on the noise of your garage door, there could be a more serious problem, and your garage door might need to have the rollers, springs, or hinges replaced or repaired. You should never attempt to do this on your own, so make sure to contact your local garage door specialist to discuss the repairs.

Contact Your Local Garage Door Professional

Preventing a noisy garage door can be easy when you perform monthly maintenance. Keep metal parts lubricated and all moving parts tightened. It is also a good idea to have your garage door professional come out once a year to make sure the springs and other moving parts are functioning properly.

Tired of listening to that squeaky garage door? Join the conversation to learn more about how you can help quiet it down.