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Here are some indications that you need a new garage door:

The rollers and tracks need frequent alignment.The roller or tracks or worn or rusted. Light, dust, or material from outside (for example, leaves) are coming in under your door. There is water damage or wood rot on your wood door. The outside appearance can no longer be improved through basic repair and paint. Your garage door does not meet current safety standards.

Some brands, like Craftsman and Stanley, manufacture many types of products. Others like Wayne Dalton and Raynor specialize in garage doors. The brands that specialize often manufacture the higher end garage doors. However these are production doors and will require replacement. You may select a higher end custom solid timber door that will last forever with little or no maintenance. Such as 2 1/4' thick solid cedar doors from Scottsdale Art Factory.

Replacing a garage door is an 8 to 16 hour job for two people. The work is straightforward if you have basic carpentry skills and are good at measuring. However, if you incorrectly install the door, you may be setting yourself up for ongoing repairs and adjustments in the future. Most people have their garage doors professionally installed, often by an installer provided or recommended by the company that sold the door.

Safety: Garage doors have become safer through the advent of three safety features: Automatic garage door reverse: In 1993, the United States federal government mandated that all new garage doors have this safety feature. If your garage door comes in contact with an object (other than your garage floor) while it is closing, it automatically reverses direction and will return to the open position. People, pets, and cars cannot be crushed when doors have this feature.

Electric Eye System: Also part of the 1993 legislation, all doors have an electric eye light beam that goes from one side of the garage door opening to the other.When something passing across the garage door opening while the door is closing interrupts the beam, the garage door reverses direction and returns to the open position.

Finger Protection: On many garage doors, the joints between door sections now come with shaped edges that push fingers out of the cracks as they close. This feature is available on many new metal and plastic doors, and is not available on garage doors constructed of wood. This is an excellent feature to have, particularly if you have children. Since it is an optional feature, you will need to inquire about it while you are shopping.

Materials: You have three general choices of materials, as well as a number of alternatives within each material: Steel doors are a popular garage door choice, largely because of its price, low maintenance. Steel doors come in 24, 26, and 28-gauge steel “ 24-gauge is the heaviest and sturdiest. Most garage doors have a smooth finish or a wood grain embossed finish.

Steel garage doors either come in plain steel, steel backed by insulation, or the top of the line with two sheets of steel sandwiching a layer of insulation. If you live in a cold climate, if your garage is attached to your home, and/or if you have a room above your garage you should consider getting an insulated garage door. Another benefit of insulation is that it insulates against noise as well as weather, so factor that into your decision if you live in a noisy area.

Wood garage doors leads in popularity because wood garage doors fit the needs of a high-end home, especially if you are already using natural construction materials throughout your home (for instance, cedar shingles), then you may well want to invest in a garage door made of natural wood.

Wood doors are not manufactured equally some wood doors are wood and composition boards. This type of mass produced wood door will require lots of maintenance and paint. Some wood doors are solid wood such as red wood, teak or mahogany. These low cost woods are common however also require a high amount of care. Cedar solid wood doors are proven to be the best and require little maintenance.

Plastic: Plastic is the newest material used to make garage doors. It is tends to be durable and inexpensive. It is a light material, so plastic garage doors tend to be the quietest when being raised and lowered. If you are shopping for plastic garage doors, make sure you know if the door you are looking at can be painted (an issue with some of the doors). Most homeowners do not want to change garage doors every time they paint their house in a new color. Plastic doors seem to have the shortest life expectancy

Style: There are many styles available in garage doors, and you should take the time to find a door that matches the style of your home. If you need help, bring a picture of you home when you shop for a new garage door. A garage door can reflect an overall design (modern, Victorian, art deco), it can reflect the design elements from your doors or windows, or it can reflect a material used in your home's facade, like wood or brick.

If your home has a distinctive architecture and you can't find a garage door that matches, you can have a garage door custom made. While this is the most expensive option for purchasing a garage door, it may pay for itself by maintaining the architectural integrity of your home and improving your home's value.