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Garage Door Installation
General Guidelines

Garage Door Replacement

by Ralph Davis, hgtv.com
www.hgtv.com

Problem: Your wooden garage door is damaged.

Solution: Replace the wooden door with a steel garage door. Steel doors are virtually maintenance-free, and they provide much better insulation than wooden doors.

Equipment list:
 
drill with socket bit, drill bits and a Phillips driver bit
safety glasses
hammer
adjustable locking pliers
open-end wrench
level
two 1/2-inch diameter rods

*  Garage door installation is usually a two-person job.
 
*  Measure the width and height of your door before ordering a replacement door.
 
Remove the existing door

  1. Release the tension in the torsion spring.

    - Clamp adjustable locking pliers onto the torsion spring shaft, and wedge the pliers against the header wall above the door.

    - Insert a steel rod into one of the holes in the spring winding cone.

    * The torsion spring cone has four holes that are used for loosening and tightening.

    - Hold tightly to the rod, and loosen the setscrews holding the winding cone in place.

    - Use the steel rods to loosen the spring 1/4 turn at a time. Alternate the two rods, using one rod to hold the cone steady and the other to turn the cone after the first rod is removed.

    *  Always wear safety glasses when loosening or tightening the torsion spring.

  2. Remove the door and tracks

Install the new door

  1. Install weather stripping on the bottom panel of the new door.
  2. Attach the bottom bracket to the bottom door panel. Attach the lift cable to the lift cable stud on the bracket.
  3. Place the bottom door panel against the doorjamb, and make sure it is level. Toenail a nail on either side of the panel, and bend the nails so that they hold the panel in place.
  4. Attach the second panel the same way, and attach the two panels with hinges.
  5. Insert the lock in the second panel, and secure it with screws.
  6. After attaching the third panel, attach a truss to the panel for additional support.
  7. Add support trusses to the top panel. Then set the top panel in place and attach it with hinges.
  8. Install rollers into the hinges, and install the intermediate hinges in the middle of door.
  9. Install the locking mechanism.

Install tracks

  1. Attach latch brackets and strike plates to the track.
  2. Position the outside edge of the vertical track over the rollers, and then fit the track over the rollers.
  3. Nail the track brackets in place. Then, pre-drill pilot holes, and secure the brackets with lag screws.
  4. Assemble the curved track, horizontal support bracket, and flag bracket. Place the curved end over the top roller, and make sure the brackets are straight.
  5. Attach the flag bracket to the vertical track. Pre-drill pilot holes, and secure the bracket with lag screws.
  6. Attach the horizontal track to the ceiling joists using slotted angle iron braces and lag screws. Attach the braces to the track using nuts and bolts.
  7. Make sure all screws and bolts are tight, and remove the nails from the track brackets.
  8. Install the torsion spring assembly, and tighten the torsion spring by reversing the loosening procedure. Tighten the spring as many turns as recommended by the manufacturer, and secure the spring by tightening the set-screws.

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