The garage door is an important part of your home, and it is also a significant investment. So how do you know when the time comes for you to replace it with a newer, better functioning, or more attractive model? Learn about five different signs that could signal you need a new garage door.
1. Advanced Age
Garage doors are easy to forget about, especially if they work well over the years. But if your garage door is older than 15 years, you run the risk of running into problems. The average lifespan of a garage door is 15 to 30 years, but careful and regular maintenance could win you a handful of more years. Even if your garage door isn’t exhibiting any outward signs of problems, the older it gets, the more likely it is that it will break down.
If you purchased your home instead of building it, make sure you know the age of your garage. If you have lived in your home for more than a decade or plan to sell your home, you may want to consider replacement.
2. Disappointing Appearance
If your garage door is original to an older home, or if it just doesn’t look great, you can improve the look of your home by getting rid of it entirely. There are other fixes, like painting it or adding decals, but neither of those has the same longevity as an entirely new garage door.
Garage doors come in a number of different styles, materials, and colors, and if yours is positioned to be very visible on the exterior of your home, you can drastically improve your home’s overall appearance just by replacing the garage door. Clashing colors, old-fashioned styles, and even just personal preference are all reasons to look at getting a new door.
3. Visible Damage
Whether caused by natural disaster, the passage of time, or an accident, any visible damage on the outside of your garage door harms its appearance and can even affect its function. Wind, hail, and sun exposure can leech away color and break down the door’s material, which doesn’t look nice — but it doesn’t compare to the structural problems that ensue from large dents caused by small or large auto accidents.
4. Strange Sounds
Some garage doors are quieter than others, but none of them should make loud clanking, squeaking, or squealing noises when opening or closing. These sounds have a lot of different possible culprits like loose nuts and bolts, damaged rollers, unlubricated components, and worn hinges — all of which should be inspected by a professional.
A repair specialist can make some simple changes to improve the sound of your garage door, but if the problems are widespread or persistent — or even if your garage door is just plain loud in its normal operation — you can deal with the sounds by replacing it.
5. Operational Difficulties