Your Old Garage Door Could Put Your Family in Danger

If you are currently looking to buy a home with a garage, you will want to make sure that you have a basic understanding about the needs for garage doors. Several prevalent myths concerning garage doors are often believed by new homeowners, and this may cause them to encounter problems with their doors or to fail to use these doors to their full potential.

Myth: You Must Have A Large Garage To Install An Automatic Door Lift

Having to manually raise or lower a garage door can be a surprisingly difficult task. Additionally, you will find that it may be very uncomfortable to have to do this during rain, snow or other poor weather conditions. If you are considering a house that does not currently have an automatic garage door opener, you should be relieved to know that these systems can be installed in garages of all sizes. While it may seem like there would need to be a lot of space for these systems, they can come in very compacted sizes that can be ideal for those with small garages.

Myth: Garage Doors Can Not Be Painted

One of the key benefits that you may like about owning your house is that you will be able to regularly have it painted to change and update its color. To achieve a holistic appearance, you will want the various areas of the home to compliment each other. Regretfully, some people assume that garage doors can not be painted. As a result, they may be worried about the garage door clashing with the colors that they choose for the rest of the house. Luckily, most types of garage doors can easily be painted. In fact, wood garage doors can use the same paints that will be applied to your home's exterior. However, metal or vinyl doors will need special paints to prevent premature peeling.

Myth: These Doors Do Not Require Additional Maintenance During The Winter

It is often thought that the maintenance needs for garage doors will be the same throughout the year. However, the winter months can present unique threats to these doors, and you will want to take steps to minimize any damages that may occur during these months. In particular, deicing chemicals that are applied to your driveway can get on the door, which can strip paint and rust metal. Also, thick ice can form on the exterior of the door, which can strain the motor or prevent it from opening the door at all. As a result, you will want to regularly rinse the exterior of the door to remove any deicing chemicals that got on it, and use an ice scraper to remove the thickest accumulations of ice that form on the door during winter storms.