How To Breathe New Life Into Your Old Garage Doors?

Garage doors not only provide much-needed security for your home but also serve to retain or even increase its curb appeal. While newer doors have a lot of appeals as well as functionality, the older doors are not obsolete either. These old garage doors have a lot of unique traits that make them stand out from the rest. 

But as a garage door grows old, it naturally suffers from wear and tear which decreases its efficiency. But just because a garage door has grown old, doesn’t mean that it has to be replaced immediately.

There are a lot of ways you can repair these old garage doors and let them increase the aesthetics of your home, such as taking the garage door out and restoring the rollers among other steps. 

Here is how you can breathe new life into your old garage doors.

How to restore garage door which has grown old?

It is a must that the garage doors in your house work perfectly because they have a big role to play in maintaining the security of your home as well as increasing your home’s aesthetics. In this current day and age, it is easy to choose new garage doors over older ones because of how slick they look and how better they work than their older counterparts. 

But what a lot of people don’t realize is that you don’t need to completely replace an old garage door when it shows the first sign of wear and tear. As garage doors last a long time, you can easily perform some minor repairs and the doors will work as well as a new one.

Not only that, the old garage doors add a lot of aesthetic value to the house than the newer doors since the new ones have chosen function over form. 
If you are wondering about what to do with old garage doors, here are a few ideas.

Wooden garage door repair

Old wooden garage doors were a mainstay in almost every home until metal garage doors entered the market. Even then, the appeal and demand for older garage doors have not decreased significantly since wooden doors have unique designs and add a lot to a garage door when it comes to the aesthetics of the garage. 

So, if you have a wooden garage door and you want to repair it instead of replacing it, here are a few steps you can follow:

1. Removing the damaged panel

To repair an old wooden garage door, you first have to remove the damaged panel. To do that, you need to use a utility knife and cut the quarter rounds out from the inside. Next, all four pieces of the trim have to be removed, which will enable you to remove the wooden garage door panel. 

2. Repair the edges

Once you have removed the panel, you now have to repair the edges of the door. First, take a chisel and smooth these edges with it. While you are on it, also clean up the edges. After that, you need to make the newly cleaned edges harder and water resistant.

This can be done by coating the edges with a wood hardener. Now the edges are ready for the next step. 

3. Install the panel

Now, check the damaged wooden panel. If the wooden panel is not too damaged and doesn’t need replacing, you can sand the damaged areas to smooth them out.

Next, you can reinforce the damaged parts of the door with either wood or metal and paint over them, first with a wood hardener and proper paint. 

Once the panel is kept outside for a considerable amount of time so that the wood hardener and the paint dry up, it’s time to install the wooden panel into its place. First, put the panel back into place and then attach the quarter rounds with caulk and nails.

Next, use caulk on the exterior of the panel to make the door sturdier. 

Vintage garage door repair

Other than old wooden garage doors, there are plenty of other types of vintage garage doors people own which have to be repaired in due time. Here are a few easy steps you can follow to repair these vintage garage doors:

1. Removing the doors

No matter what type of old door you have, you can’t repair the doors without removing them. Remove your old vintage door by removing the bolts. Once the doors are removed, put the removed panels on the sawhorses. After the panels, you also need to remove the brackets, rollers, and side jams. 

2. Restoring the rollers

The first thing you have to restore is the rollers of your garage door. After removing them, you need to see if they are in good condition. If they are, then lubricate the rollers properly and apply white lithium grease. This will make sure the rollers operate smoothly. 

3. Repaint your hardware

One of the things older doors suffer from the most is when their paints start to fade. If you want your vintage garage doors to look as good as new, then it is better to strip all the paint from every bit of hardware of the door using a metal paint thinner and lacquer thinner.

Also, use sandpaper and other methods to remove any loose paint from the garage door. 

Once you are done removing the paint, use a primer first and then apply a coat of paint on the hardware. Select the color of your paint according to the exterior of your house as well as the garage. Give the paint some time to dry off, which usually takes between 10 minutes to an hour.

4. Restore the windows

Almost all vintage garage doors have windows in them. Over time, these window frames also wear down and need repairing. Depending on the damage they have suffered, you can sand the frames, attach new items to them, or replace damaged parts.

Next, install glass in these windows. Remember to always install glass before installing the door. 

5. Finalising the installation

Now it is time for you to install the repaired vintage door in its place. But before that, check all the hardware, especially those made of metal which tends to be exposed to any rust or corrosion. If so, either replace them or coat them with a protective coating so that the door doesn’t suffer due to these issues. 

Next, install the door panel in the order that is opposite to the one when they were removed from the garage door rails. If you find the work too tough or complicated for you, you can book our garage door repair services. 

Final Words

Old garage doors can be a lot of hassle to deal with due to their lack of functionality and other issues regarding their old age. But with a little bit of effort, you can breathe new life into your old doors and makes them look as good as new. 

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