Is Garage Door Replacement a Do It Yourself Job?

Posted: Aug 22, 2012
Author: Doors by Nalley of Lake Norman, Inc.

Been thinking of taking a whack at a little heftier DIY project? Well, you might want to think twice about performing your own garage door replacement or installation. Garage door replacement is potentially a very dangerous job, not to mention complicated.  The process requires specialized tools, equipment, and knowledge. And though you may find plenty of optimistic do-it-yourself guides on the internet (many with little warning about the actual complexity of the job), you should leave replacement or installation to professionals.

Garage door companies will usually send a couple of guys to do a job together, depending of course, on how big the door is. The size of the door isn’t the only issue. There are many items to carefully watch, align perfectly, etc., and the doors themselves can be awkward to handle. Dropping the door could be dangerous. At the very least, it will bend the door out of shape or damage it. It’s best to have extra hands available. Professional installers also have all of the proper tools available. Although there are do-it-yourself kits available online, these are often missing tools that may be needed or contain low quality items.

One particularly dangerous part of a garage door replacement involves the springs. When working with extension or torsion springs, there is a danger of releasing the huge amount of stored energy within them. If this energy is released at the wrong moment, the free spring can cause serious damage to both people and property.

Garage door replacement is even more complicated than simple installation, as it entails the removal of the old garage door. You can’t just throw the old parts in your curbside garbage bin. Most garage door companies will take care of proper disposal of the old parts for you. This is just another reason that garage door replacement should ONLY be performed by a professional.