So you want to buy a garage door and be an expert your first time out. Here are a few tips to aid the process of finding the right door for your home. Some people break the process of looking for a garage door into very simple terms of trying to find something to fill a large hole in front of their home that looks good and is cost effective. That's a good start. Cost, appearance and functionality are part of the process, but safety, warranty, adaptability and value should also be part of the mix. Here are some general guidelines: Appearance There are a wide range of options out there. You don't have to buy a white garage door with a lot of squares any more. In fact some manufacturers can give you a door with no squares at all. Pattern and design options are multitude for most major manufacturers in garage door repair new britain.com. Most manufacturers have two or three colors, but some offer the flexibility of dozens of factory baked-on colors. What will look best with your home and bring out the features you think are important? Those are the key issues to ask. Material and Design Steel garage doors come in embossed, ribbed and flush designs. Garage doors come in steel, copper, glass and aluminum, so there are multiple options to consider. You have more options than just the one door you may be looking at in the showroom. Some manufacturers specialize in customizing your door within a very short time, so lead time for a customized door with the right material and look is another option to consider. The value of the steel in your garage door is also a major issue. Hi-tensile steel is best in at least 25-gauge for protection from denting. Ensure that you inquire about the gauge of steel used and whether the paint is baked on, or simply sprayed. This will give a very clear picture in a hurry about the quality that went into your potential purchase. Optional Windows Any garage door can be purchased with optional windows. A myriad of patterns and designs are now available that allow in natural light to liven up the garage. Weigh safety issues in your choice and whether the windows are made of acrylic or glass. Insulation value Some manufacturers tout the insulation value of garage doors. Most people question this concern, since the garage in most homes is neither heated nor cooled. If insulation is a concern to you, lightweight polystyrene foam insulation can be added to most doors. Insulated doors will help to reduce the amount of outside temperatures that enters your garage, thus keeping it more comfortable for you. An insulated door is generally quieter and has a more attractive interior than an uninsulated door. Springs The spring is perhaps the most undervalued part of a garage door initially but makes its value known very quickly. Low-cost doors tend to use extension springs. Make sure an internal safety containment cable is included in case of breakage. Springs tend to be the first part of the garage door to need service or replacement. Many springs are tested to operate between 5,000 to 10,000 cycles while some manufacturers make a spring that will last up to 30,000 cycles or more. That's a wide difference in longevity and value when you add it up. Most homeowners use their garage doors up to 3,000 times per-year so a 10,000-cycle spring could break within 3-4 years. Replacement usually costs $150 - $250. Check the manufacturer's warranty on the spring. Never buy a door with only a one-year warranty on the spring. Hardware This is another defining difference in quality and value. Is the manufacturer giving you hardware that will last for five years or 30 years? The coating on the hardware will be one of the first clues and makes the difference in rust, so common in humid areas. Check for at least a G-60 zinc coating on the hardware. Wind Resistance If you live in a high-wind region, you'll regret skimping on your garage door. The garage door industry set standards on wind loads that a door should be able to tolerate. Make sure the door you're looking at meets local building codes. Conventional garage doors usually can handle a wind load up to 35 mph, while others build one that is standard at 70 mph. Additional struts can increase the wind resistance on any door. Warranty How much of a warranty can you get? This is where manufacturers tend to thin out in a hurry. Many offer one-year warranties and limited use warranties, but there is at least one company that offers a lifetime warranty on its product. Who is willing to stand behind their product? When you're investing money in a garage door this should be a big consideration. While you may save $100-$200 in buying a cheaper door, you will actually be paying more in the long-run when considered in terms of how much you spend on your door over any given period. In many cases you get a much greater value, by spending the extra $100 to $200 up front. In general, look for a garage door warranty that covers moving parts for at least 15-20 years, and that covers torsion springs for at least 5-10 years or more. Safety This is another defining difference among garage door manufacturers. The industry tends to be lightly regulated and so the range of safety options among manufacturers is quite broad. Each year the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are thousands of injury associated with garage door use. In 2001, for example, there were an estimated 17,000 incidents related to the garage door, many involving children. The most common area of trouble is between section joints. A finger caught in a section joint can easily be broken or severed. Several manufacturers have redesigned their garage doors to protect the fingers, by blocking access and shrinking the size of the gap in the joint. For some this is found only on the higher priced model, but for at least one it is universal on all of its garage doors. Track hardware and the cable used to move the door up and down are also key. Many of the track systems, common today, have gaping holes or entrapment points where a child can stick their finger though and can easily result in a serious injury in a thoughtless moment of play. Take time to consider the safety factors of your family, especially if you have younger children, before your finalize your garage door purchase. Garage Door Opener Openers are usually available with a belt or a chain drive and a ½ or 1/3 horsepower drive. Power is usually only a factor in choosing an opener when a large door is involved. Safety standards initiated in 1993 require that a door reverse its direction when something crosses the path of photoelectric eyes in place that cross the door opening----a key safety feature. But new standards aside, many openers are still noisy and carry limited warranties. Noise can be a factor if there is a bedroom or room above the garage. 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Garage doors repair Oak Park tend to cover almost one third of your home's façade; therefore, you should be very careful when choosing a garage door for your home. This is because choosing the wrong door would result to destruction of your home's design. The good side is that there are many garage door styles to choose from. The main styles include: Traditional style These are the most common doors in most homes. The doors are usually made of one solid piece and they open straight up. When opened, they slide into the garage's ceiling space. Some of them tend to have tracks on either side. The tracks run up to the ceiling in order to hold the entire section in place. While some of these doors open to the ceiling, there are others that lift straight up then slide back. Carriage style These doors are usually made of wood; however, they can also be made from other materials. They are characters by small windows which are usually located at the top. They usually open at the middle and they are made of one piece of material. Raised-panel From their name, these doors have a number of raised panels that fold up into the ceiling when they are opened. They are usually made from different materials such as wood, steel, and aluminum. The doors also come in a number of different colors. Flat panel These are mainly made from wood. They come in smooth and wood grain textures which are usually very elegant. Ribbed panel They are made of several ribs in each panel. The doors are commonly found in commercial applications, but you can also use them in your home. These are some for the main garage door styles; however, there are other doors that come in fancier styles. For example, you will come across doors that will give your garage a cottage look. It's also common to come across some doors that will convert your garage into a couch. Although, there are many garage doors in the market, you should be cautious when buying them. As rule of thumb, you should ensure that the style that you choose matches the style of your home. You should also ensure that you buy the doors from reputable sellers that have a good track record. An excellent way of determining the reputation of the seller is by reading the various reviews given by different buyers. To be on the safe side you should only consider buying from a seller with the highest number of positive reviews. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8333420 The garage door repair arcadia is practically the largest moving object in a home. It therefore calls for proper care and maintenance if at all it is to serve its intended purpose effectively. The maintenance will also add longevity and reliability to the doors. There are very good companies that offer repair services. The companies will simply take care of any repairs that are needed. These companies also offer other garage door services such as new door installation and installation of garage door openers. When you find a good company, you can enjoy all the services that you need with your door without moving from one company. Garage door problems can result from different reasons. The spring and rollers for instance, can break or snap as a result of age. The doors can also get squeaky and unstable over a period of frequent use hence requiring repairs. It is also common to run into the door by accident or incidents where the doors get stuck and won’t move. The repairs will therefore accommodate different needs, including he repairs and replacements of door essentials such as cables, rollers and springs. image How are the repairs done? The professionals will start by examining the garage door to really identify the source of the problem that you are facing. They then will recommend the best solutions since there might be need to replace some parts. If you are working with a good repair company, you will be provided the hardware options that you need to have the problem solved. The door issues are usually not that extensive unless you are having the entire door replaced. You therefore can expect the repairs to be completed in a couple of hours depending on the extent of the damage and the labor that is needed to have it running. When going for new garage door installations, the options are numerous. The companies offer anything from traditional overhead doors to powder coated doors and steel or wood carriage door styles. These are options for residential settings. For commercial settings, they will offer rolling steel, sectional doors, dock equipment, counter shutters and access systems. During the repairs, therefore, you can have any other garage door enhancements done to make your life much easier. You can for instance, have door openers installed to offer you key less entry through transmitters and receivers. Finding the Best Repair Services The simplest way of choosing a good repair company is by looking at the services that it has for you. A good and professional company will not offer the repairs alone. With the knowledge it is supposed to have on garage doors, it should be in a position to offer you other services including installing new doors or installation of openers and other services associated with doors. Through the services, you can tell how much of the company knows hence you will find it easy to trust it in delivering quality services relating to your specific needs. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8603895 More people than ever before are attempting to do home repair jobs themselves rather than paying the high labor costs of having professionals come in. Obviously, some jobs do require the help of a pro, but there are others, such as the repair of your overhead garage door, where you can tackle most of the repair jobs. The challenge comes in learning how to diagnose the problems, deciding what you can do about them, and knowing when to call in expert help. You'll find that there are many strategies which will keep your garage door in top shape without costing you a lot of money. The door itself rolls up and down on metal tracks with the help of tension springs. The easiest preventive maintenance you can do is to regularly make it a point to check over the tracks. Look for debris, dryness, dents, or other types of damage. Tracks need to be cleaned and oiled periodically in order to keep them operating smoothly. Dents and dings can be straightened using a rubber hammer. If the tracks have more severe damage, they will need to be replaced. In addition, you need to check all the screws and bolts that hold the tracks in place and tighten them if necessary in garage door repair carson. Take a visual assessment of your door. Is it hanging straight, or does it appear to be out of plumb? Check all hinges and tracks to make sure they are in proper alignment and operating correctly. If tightening the screws doesn't tighten the hinges, it usually means that the screw hole has become enlarged, and you may need to change to a larger screw. If the wood the hinge is attached to has been torn away, wood filler may or may not give you the solid surface you need to reattach it. You can try it, but if it doesn't work, then it's time to call an expert. Tension springs that operate the door can be dangerous due to the pressure that they are under. If you only have one spring above the door, never try to repair or replace it yourself. When you have springs on both sides of the door, it's okay to tighten screws and try to straighten the springs yourself, if you know what you're doing. There are websites that will give you step-by-step instructions for tightening springs. If you feel the job is beyond your abilities, call in the garage door repair. Most overhead garage doors today are equipped with electric door openers. Once again, you can perform routine maintenance by making sure hardware is tight. If the opener isn't working, the first thing to check is to make sure that it's still plugged in. If it is, and if it isn't working properly, you may need to have it looked at. You can also replace it yourself if you believe it can't be fixed. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7280556 |