How to Replace a Garage Door

Q: I live in Skokie, IL, and my widowed mother backed the car into the garage before first opening the door. Can you tell me how to replace a garage door?

A: First, take away your mother’s car keys.

I spoke with my favorite  garage door repair guy, and he laid it all out for me:

  1. Measure the door width from the structural member. Measure the head room.
  2. Raise the door, remove the tension spring cables and then lower the (now heavy) door.
  3. Take off the door panels. There is a pin on the top center brace that you remove to loosen the brace. Then remove the hardware from the top panel and lift off the panel. Repeat for remaining panels.
  4. Remove the laser sensor and the old door tracks. Then remove the old opener by unfastening its brackets and snipping its wires. Lower the motor gently.
  5. Remove old header trim and reframe the rough opening with new 2x4s and 16 penny nails.
  6. Trim the bottom panel of the new door to make it conform to the concrete floor. Transcribe a level line and cut with a circular saw.
  7. Install weather stripping on the bottom panel using galvanized roofing nails.
  8. Place the left and right corner brackets flush to the door bottom and screw in. Build the hinges from the bottom up, using the numbers on the hinges as a guide. Install the hinges on the bottom panel.
  9. Install rollers in each bottom hinge location. Then set the track around the bottom two wheels, and attach the track to the new 2×4 framing.
  10. The middle hinges are to go 4 feet from the panel edges. Mark the spot. The last hinge goes 1 ¾ inch from the edge. Mark its spot as well. Use a carpenter’s square and a pencil. Install the hinges loosely.
  11. Put the tension rod assembly together. Then attach each panel’s tongue over the groove of the panel below.
  12. Fasten the track with screws, connecting the horizontal and vertical tracks. Check your alignment, and then connect the tracks on the other side.
  13. Install the two plates for the end bearing on the outside, using a hex head bolt on the bottom and a carriage bolt in the top. Install the end bearing.
  14. Set the power unit on the frame and slide it in. Attach the center bracket and make sure it is level. Fasten down all the hinges.
  15. Install the cable and spring. If this concerns you, hire a pro.
  16. Install the door opener, then the trim. Paint to your liking, or apply two coats of a good car wax.

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