what you need to know when buying a garage door

Maintaining Your Wooden Garage Door

If you have just had a new wooden garage door installed, doing routine maintenance will keep it from deteriorating prematurely and will keep it looking new for years to come. Here are some steps to follow in maintaining a wooden garage door.

Adding Protection

To help protect your garage door from moisture, a protective coating can be added directly to the exterior of the wood. Head to your local hardware store and look for a wood protectant. Pour the contents of the can into a paint tray and sweep the protectant over the surface of your door using a paintbrush. Allow the protectant to dry completely and add a second coating. This solution will act as a barrier between the wood and any inclement weather. Add this every year or two to keep the wood covered and protected from harmful conditions outdoors.

Filling Crevices

Over the years you are bound to have a few dings or scratches occur from normal usage. Repairing these will improve the aesthetics of your door and can help to prolong its life, as cracking can expand if left untouched. To fill in small crevices, use a wood putty filler. This is a pliable clay-like material that can be pushed directly into the areas in question. 

Use a putty knife to smooth it over the surface of the door. After it hardens into place, use sandpaper to file down extra putty from the door so that it is uniform with the rest of the wood. Touch up your paint job at this time and add a new protective layer over the newly repaired spots.

Removing Mildew

If your garage had pooled up water along the exterior bottom portion, the exposure to excessive moisture may have caused mildew to occur. This will leave unsightly green or black markings along the wood. If you do not treat these portions, they will weaken and become rotted. This can cause your door to work improperly and look less than attractive. 

To remove mildew, pour about 3/4 cup of bleach into a bucket holding a gallon of warm water. Dip a sponge into this solution and rub it on the mildewed sections of wood. Rinse the solution off your door using plain water. Allow to dry completely and repeat the process as necessary. It may take several bleaching sessions to remove the stains the mildew had caused. Follow up with a new layer of protectant to keep the problem from happening again in the future.

If it's simply time to replace your garage door altogether, contact a garage door sales professional to discuss your options.