How Long Should A Garage Door Last?
Buying a new garage door for your home is a significant investment, so you want to make sure that you’re getting good value for the money you’re spending. Naturally, the more you spend, the better quality you should be getting – and the better the quality of the door, the longer it’s likely to last.
But there are a number of other factors that can also affect the expected lifespan of a garage door, so this month, we’re taking a look at how long you can expect your garage door to last – and what you can do to make it last longer.
Which garage doors last the longest?
When you’re looking at the likely life expectancy of a new garage door – and assuming you don’t do anything silly like back your car into it! – you should get somewhere between 15 and 30 years’ use out of it. You should expect steel and aluminium doors to last the longest, with wooden doors likely to be hitting the lower end of that 15-30 year window.
Of course, there are other factors involved, one of the main ones being how often the door is used. Doors that are opened and closed a couple of times a day or more are going to have parts wearing out quicker than doors that are barely used.
But the best way to get maximum working life out of your garage door is to look after it properly.
How can you make your garage door last longer?
Proper maintenance is essential for getting the longest life out of your door. These are the main things you should be doing:
Lubricating the working parts
The working parts of a garage door are likely to seize up without regular lubrication. Exactly what parts you’ll have will depend on what kind of door you have, but basically, any metal springs, hinges and runners that play a role in the door opening and closing need to be looked after.
Stopping it rotting or rusting
Garage doors are exposed to every bit of weather that the British climate can throw at them. If they’re not looked after well, wooden doors will rot and metal doors will rust. Regular cleaning should be the bare minimum you do, but wooden doors should also be regularly painted or stained – keep an eye out for signs of chipping or flaking that will indicate that a fresh coat might be due. You could also consider treating a metal door with the same kind of wax you use on your car to give it an extra layer of protection.
Getting an expert to regularly check it over
Like any piece of machinery, things can go wrong at any time no matter how much you follow a sensible maintenance schedule. However, only an expert who installs and looks after them for a living will have the experience and knowledge to spot early signs of trouble and know what to do to stop them from getting worse. It makes sense to have an annual service to protect your investment and give it the very best chance of lasting the maximum amount of time possible.
What to do when you need a new garage door
Every garage door will need replacing at some time, and when the time comes, the best thing you can do is get in touch with a reputable garage door company that can provide the sort of quality you need together with a cost-effective maintenance programme. There’s no point in cutting corners or looking for the cheapest option – all that will do is mean you’ll have to go through the whole process again sooner rather than later.
Here at Doormatic, we supply and fit garage doors from all the top manufacturers, together with maintenance, servicing and repairs – all backed up by warranties. So if you want your garage door to be a part of your home for the longest time possible, get in touch with our friendly team today.
