A new garage door, specified before it is shopped

What is garage door replacement?

Replacing a garage door means removing the old sections, springs, track and hardware, and fitting a new door counterbalanced to its own weight. Almost every job goes into an existing opening, so the constraints are already set: headroom, sideroom, backroom and the condition of the timber the track fixes to. Those four measurements decide what you can buy, and they are the part of the decision no product shelf and no install-booking page will help you with.

Signs you need garage door replacement

• Sections are rusting through at the bottom rail, or the skin is delaminating from the core
• Several hinges have cracked or torn out of their fixings, which is metal fatigue across the door rather than one failure
• A vehicle impact has creased multiple sections
• You are on the third repair in two years and each one has found a new failure
• The door has no insulation and the garage is now a workshop, gym or room you actually use
• The house has changed hands or is about to, and the door is the largest tired-looking thing on the front elevation
• Replacement panels for your door have been discontinued and cannot be matched

Seeing something not on this list? Browse garage doors problems by symptom →

How garage door replacement actually works

1. 1

   Measure the opening, not the old door

   Width and height of the finished opening, headroom above it, sideroom either side, and backroom into the garage. A low-headroom track kit, a double-track arrangement or a wall-mount opener may be needed, and all of that is decided here.

   Watch forA quote produced from a photograph. Headroom in particular decides which track system is even possible, and finding out on fitting day means either a compromise or a second visit.

2. 2

   Check what the track will be fixed to

   Track and spring hardware bolt into the timber jambs and the header above the opening. Rot, splitting or a header that was never properly sized turns a door replacement into carpentry.

   Watch forRotten jamb timber being covered rather than replaced. Everything holding the door up is anchored to that timber, and it is invisible again five minutes after the door goes on.

3. 3

   Specify construction and insulation honestly

   Doors run from single-skin steel to multi-layer insulated sandwich construction, plus timber and composite. Insulation matters if the garage is conditioned, attached with a room above, or actually used; it does far less on a detached, unheated, uninsulated garage.

   Watch forInsulation sold purely as an energy saving on a garage with an uninsulated ceiling and gaps around the frame. Where it earns its money more reliably is door rigidity, noise, and a garage that is simply less unpleasant in winter.

4. 4

   Confirm wind and impact requirements where they apply

   Coastal and high-wind jurisdictions regulate garage doors specifically, because a failed garage door pressurises the building and takes roofs with it. Requirements vary by location and are enforced at permit stage.

   Watch forBeing told wind rating "does not really apply here" without anyone checking. Ask which standard your jurisdiction enforces and get the door's rating on the paperwork - this is a checkable fact, not a judgement call.

5. 5

   Removal, and a fresh counterbalance

   The old door, track and hardware come out; springs are wound down safely and disposed of. New springs are selected for the new door's weight - a heavier insulated door is not counterbalanced by the old springs.

   Watch forA quote that reuses the existing springs "because they are newer". Springs are sized to a specific door weight; carrying them over to a heavier door produces a door that fights the opener and wears out early.

6. 6

   Fit, balance, and set the opener up again

   Sections are stacked and joined, track and hardware fitted, the door is hand-balanced with the opener disconnected, and the opener's travel and force settings are re-calibrated to the new door.

   Watch forAn opener reconnected on its old settings. The new door has a different weight and a different travel, and old force settings on a new door are the classic post-installation reversal complaint.

7. 7

   Seals, trim and the handover

   Bottom seal, perimeter stop weatherstrip and any trim are fitted, the door is run through several cycles, and both safety functions are tested. You should get the model details and the warranty documents.

   Watch forNo paperwork. Section warranties, hardware warranties and the installer's labour warranty are usually three different terms, and you will want them in writing.

What does garage door replacement cost?

Replacement pricing is driven by size, construction and insulation level, window sections, and whether the jamb timber or the opening needs work. A wind-rated door costs more where one is required. See the garage door cost guide for current ranges.

See the full garage door replacement cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →