With proper maintenance, your garage door can let you into your home for years, sometimes decades. It just takes a few minutes of attention per month to keep it operating smoothly. Below are some important maintenance tips to extend the life of your garage door.

How to Maintain Your Garage’s Entrance

1. Inspect Weatherstripping

The weatherstripping is the rubber seal between the garage door and the floor. It prevents wind, rain, and other elements from entering your home.

Over time, the weather strip can harden, crack, and decay. Inspect it occasionally to ensure it’s still flexible and in good condition. If it shows any signs of deterioration, change it with a replacement strip, which you can find at the hardware store.

2. Tighten Hardware

With the rattling and vibrating an overhead door endures, the nuts, bolts, and other hardware can easily loosen over time. To keep it in top condition, keep a cordless drill or ratcheting wrench and the appropriate sockets on hand. Every month or two, take a moment to tighten up any loose connections.

Checking the bolts holding the tracks is also important. It will keep the mechanism from making unnecessary noise, prevent it from disassembling, and help it last longer without problems or safety issues.

3. Lubricate Moving Parts

Lubrication can fix problems with how your garage entrance operates. Dirt and grime can stiffen up moving parts and cause jamming or friction. You should coat the rollers with silicone lubricating spray and apply oil to the hinges and the chain of the opener. These steps will help keep noise to a minimum and prevent the components from seizing up due to dirt or corrosion.

If the tips above are too little or too late, and you need a new garage door installed, stop by Marchant Building Center, the premier hardware store in Mountain Home, AR. They’ve served Baxter County since 1992 and specialize in doors, windows, lumber, decking, and insulation. Visit them online to learn more about the company or call (870) 425-3168 to ask about store hours, product availability, and pricing.

Their mailing address has changed to 1815 South College St. Spur. They haven’t moved, but their street name has changed.