How to Install an Overhead Garage Door

Overhead garage doors occupy a lot of square footage, which means they can be among the most noticeable features of a home. A good-looking garage door can add a great deal of curb appeal, whether you're replacing an old door or adding a full new garage. New insulated doors increase weather protection, save energy, and operate with smoother, quieter performance than doors of the past.

The design of overhead doors has evolved over the years. Homeowners can choose from a wide range of panel and trim designs, a variety of window configurations, and various glass options. Select your favorite color and finish, then personalize your door with optional accessories such as faux door hinges and handles to achieve the look of vertical double doors.

Here’s how a professional installer from Precision Overhead Door Service of Birmingham, Alabama, got the job done.

Install a new overhead garage door to save energy and boost curb appeal.

1| The homeowners, Michael and Paula Laney, selected new Clopay doors for their newly built detached garage. The Clopay Intellicore doors feature proprietary polyurethane foam injected into the door, expanding to fill the entire structure, providing strength, durability, quieter operation and R-values up to 20.4.

2| First step of a garage door installation is to arrange all the components on a work surface so they're easy to see and ready for assembly.

3| First step in installation is to attach the weather-stripping around the jamb.

4| Pro tip: Pre-set your nails into the weather-stripping before positioning it.

5| Fasten the hinges/rollers onto the individual door panels.

6| Professional installer Jeremy Molay places the first panel at floor level.

7| Molay uses the door’s rollers to guide position of the tracks on each side of the doors, screwing the tracks in place on the door frame.

8| To lift the door, steel cable is routed up through the roller assemblies.

9| The upper arms of the door tracks are held by metal brackets screwed to the wall. Make sure the brackets align with lower tracks and that everything is installed plumb.

10| The curved section of the tracks connect with the vertical wall tracks at the bracket to ensure smooth travel of the door up the tracks.

11| The upper horizontal sections of the tracks will be suspended by slotted angle brackets.

12| Pro tip: An angle-iron cutter makes short work of cutting the slotted angle brackets.

13| Angle brackets extending from the wall brackets to the ceiling tracks ensure strength and rigidity.

14| Additional angle brackets fastened to the ceiling joists support the tracks from above and keep them perfectly aligned.

15| Both door tracks must be aligned perfectly parallel.

16| With the tracks in place, the doors can then be assembled panel by panel.

17| The panels interconnect at each roller/hinge assembly.

18| Next, assemble the torsion spring according to the manufacturer's instructions.

19| Torsion springs are mounted above the doors to operate the door with a controlled, steady motion.

20| The torsion spring bolts to the corner brackets.

21| The torsion spring is also supported by a center bracket.

22| Attaching this reinforcement bar ensures the top panel will stay flat and rigid when lifted.

23| Winding the torsion spring requires using 18-in. winding bars made from 1/2" diameter cold rolled steel (not a typical toolbox staple). Notice the drums on each end that carry the cable up to the spring. Because of the high-degree of tension applied to the spring and the potential for injury, most manufacturers recommend this step be done by a professional.

24| Before moving forward, Molay tests the travel of the door.

25| Additional angle brackets are fastened to the ceiling joists to support

the garage door opener.

26| Assemble the garage door opener on the ground and mount it centered above the door. Essentially, a garage door opener works as a light-duty winch.

27| Installation of a lifter arm in the center of the door connects it the door opener.

28| Finally, the opener is wired to the controllers and to the sensors mounted to the bottoms of the doors.

29| Mount the controls in a location that is most convenient to how you'll be using them on a daily basis.

30| Decorate your door with optional accessories to give it a custom look.

31| The finished project adds a lot of appeal to the front of the Laneys’ garage.

SIDE NOTE

Free Online Garage Door Design Tool

How many times have you been told to "just imagine" how something would look in or on your home? With garage doors, you don't have to imagine how a new garage door would enhance your home's curb appeal, you can actually see it! From Haas Doors, HaasCreate is a free design tool that serves as an online visualizer, located at www.haascreate.com. It is also available as an easy-to-use app for the iPad, which doesn't require an internet connection to use, and is available for free at the Apple store. Once installed, you can upload a photo of your home and outline the existing garage area. Then HaasCreate helps to instantly create a new garage door with different styles, options and colors at your fingertips. If you don't have a photo of your home exterior, don't worry. You can choose from sample home images on the app. Have fun making personal product selections — including a garage door style, color, windows, overlay colors, trim colors, handles and accessories — so you can customize your garage door perfectly to enhance the exterior of your home. Visit www.haascreate.com to learn more.