Your garage door seal is the unsung hero of your garage, providing a soft cushion for your door when it closes while also sealing out moisture, rodents and cold air. In fact, when a garage door seal is working properly, it’s easy to forget all about it. But once the seal is damaged or starts to fail, you’ll probably notice pretty quickly. Without that proper seal, your door will be louder when it closes and the leading edge meets the concrete. A bad seal means that edge is exposed to damaging impacts that can interfere with the way the door works and even alter the structural integrity of the door.
Even if you don’t notice a change in the sound the door makes when it closes, you may notice moisture after rain or critters sneaking in. The key to preventing these problems is replacing your garage door seal at the first sign of damage, before your garage and its contents have a chance to get damaged. Here’s how to do it!
Replacing a Garage Door Seal
The seal is an integral part of your garage door, and the good news is, it’s one part you might be able to replace on your own. This is a task that takes some muscle and some patience to get the old seal out and the new one on. The first step is to determine which type of seal your door uses. Wooden doors typically use nail-on seals, while other materials use seals that slide into a track or channel. Your manufacturer’s guide may have a model number or you might need to snap a photo and take it to the store to ensure a match. Even better, give us a call at 405-685-2200 and ask one of our pros for the correct seal for your door.
Next, remove the old seal. You might need to pry up the ends if they’re crimped. Then, you’ll need to tug up and pull to slide the old seal out of the internal channel. Nailed-on seals can be stripped away carefully. Once the old seal is off, measure the new seal carefully and cut it using a utility knife. Then, either nail the seal on a wooden door, or slide the new seal through that internal channel. Once it’s in place, you might need to re-crimp the ends to keep it in place.
Contact Us
Hiring a garage door professional to replace an old garage door seal with a new one is a relatively inexpensive job. That means you can enjoy all the benefits of a new garage door seal without having to remove the old one and measure, cut and wrestle the new one into place.
Our team at the Overhead Door Company of Oklahoma City is skilled in maintaining all types of garage doors, from the seals and tracks to the springs and motors. To learn how we can help keep your garage in top shape, contact us here.
