Sealing and repairing a garage door
Good evening, hope all is well. I have a 2 car detached garage with old wood doors. Not sure if these are solid wood doors but the price to replace them is high. The doors are in decent shape, with a good paint job they could look descent. The problem is sealing the door. The left door is manageable, but the right door is worse. When I bring the door all the way down there is a gap underneath the door and the top panel is not flat against the opening. Obviously not great for not only air but critters and pests. I’m not sure how to adjust it without breaking the bank. One company wanted over 2 grand just to adjust the old doors. I attached some pictures, anyone have an idea on how I can easily repair this problem? What is causing the door to have a gap on top and bottom?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
Hammer,
I'll give you a bump.
May be helpful to you to watch some you tube videos on adjusting garage doors.
Those doors usually have fiberboard panels, in my experience. Keep them painted or else they will disintegrate. I believe some are plywood, which will hold up better.
The gap may be because the bend in the track is too low, or the standoff for the roller is not deep enough. When there isn't enough headroom, as appears to be your situation, often installers will use a double track that allows the door to seal more tightly.
Alternatively--is the gap at the bottom of the door level or crooked, with the door hitting on one side but not the other? If that's the case, you would need to cut down the bottom door panel.
Or is the door not closing all the way but with a relatively parallel gap at the bottom? If that's the case, something is preventing the hardware from operating correctly; likely a protruding bolt.
IF you look at the upper wheels they should be on an adjustable bracket, so that you can make the door sit properly in the frame
Thanks for the tips, I’m going to try to adjust it this weekend. Is it possible just to start with néw hardware including the metal brackets or every door has a specific track system. I saw this low headroom conversion kit. I wonder if it’s universal
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Clopay-Garage-Door-Low-Headroom-Conversion-Kit-4125477/100021966
Oh, I understand you very well. I have encountered such a problem. When my family and I moved into a new house 2 years ago, it had an old wooden garage door. And the wood was so old that it was covered in cracks and bends, and that kind of sealing was out of the question. I didn't have much money at the time. Still, I spent what little I had and went to the guys at https://advantagegd.com/ for a garage door replacement service. The guys estimated the amount of work, took the money for a new door, and installed it. It took about two days for everything. But I don't regret spending it then.
I remember the days when my father and I started the renovation of the family garage. It took us around three to four weeks to fully finish changing the roof and floor and buying new tools. The architect made the garage plan, but it wasn't cheap at all. We bought a new wooden door from https://doorsdirect2u.co.uk/product-category/garage-doors/ after my friend's recommendation. Most of the time was spent working with the necessary acts and permissions to start the construction. It was an unpleasant experience, and I hope it will never happen again.
It's funny how sometimes it's the smallest components that can throw a wrench into the whole process. Kudos to you for troubleshooting and taking it to your dealer to get it sorted out. It's reassuring to know that your opener was working perfectly fine on other cars, and the culprit turned out to be a faulty home link module.
I can imagine how frustrating it must have been to get stuck at step 1 of the process, but your story is a reminder that solutions are out there if we dig a little deeper. Your advice about having the home link module tested is truly valuable for anyone who might be facing a similar issue.
And hey, don't worry about the timing of your response! Your input is still very much appreciated, and I'm sure it will help others who come across this thread in the future.
Speaking of garage door fixes, I've actually come across a company that specializes in garage door repair. They've got some great tips and services that might come in handy: https://fixgaragedoors.ca/service-areas/garage-door-repair-in-mississauga/. It's always good to have resources like these on hand.