Beautifying My Garage Door

An automatic garage door can be a very useful feature for a home. Yet homeowners can frequently neglect to follow the steps that are necessary for getting the most out of these doors. For those that typically use the spring months to clean and organize your house, you may want to add several garage door maintenance tips to your spring cleaning routine.

Apply Lubricant To The Door's Lift System

Being properly lubricated is easily among the most important factors for limiting the damage that the friction of opening and closing the door will generate. Sadly, the lubricant that you apply to the garage door will weaken, evaporate, and otherwise become degraded over time. In order for you to keep the garage door protected, you will need to regularly apply more lubricant to it. By making it a point to apply this lubricant during the spring months, you will be able to replenish it before the intense heat of the summer arrives.

Inspect The Exterior Paint

It can be common for the warmer months to bring more rain. While this may be welcome for your landscaping, it can cause problems if your garage door's exterior paint is damaged. Chips and scratches can allow the door underneath it to rust and corrode. Checking the exterior of your garage door prior to the arrival of spring will give you the time that you need to repair any damages to your garage door's exterior paint so that you can minimize the risk that rust develops on your door.

Test The Garage Door's Balance

Keeping the garage door perfectly balanced will be required to avoid causing serious damage to the system. When a garage door becomes unbalanced, there are a number of different types of damage that can be caused. For example, the weight of the garage door may lead to the railing becoming misaligned, the motor suffering extreme wear and tear, as well as the door making extremely unpleasant sounds. To test the balance of the door, you will want to closely watch it while it is opening and closing. When one side is raising or lowering more quickly, this is a sign that you should call a professional to balance the door.

The spring months can be an excellent time for you to do some basic maintenance to your home's garage door. Using these months to check the lubricant on the garage door, inspect the exterior of the door for paint damage, and test the balance will allow you to minimize the issues that you may be likely to encounter.