Replace The Bottom Seal Of Your Garage Door To Lengthen The Door's Life
Replacing the bottom seal of your garage door when it becomes split and no longer does its job is a simple task that you can easily perform on your own. This project is typically inexpensive – you can buy a replacement kit at your local home supply retailer – and shouldn't take you long to do. If you're concerned about your aptitude for this project, it's better to call your local garage door contractor to have him or her handle the job. However, you can often complete this task with minimal tools and a bit of old-fashioned hard work. Here's how.
Step 1
Open the garage door to a point at which the bottom seal is at a comfortable height to work on. Ideally, the seal should be roughly at chest height, as this will prevent you working over your head or bending over awkwardly.
Step 2
Pull the old door seal out of its mounting bracket by pulling the seal in either direction. If it's stuck or otherwise stubborn to handle, you can cut the rubber into small pieces with a utility knife and remove them with greater ease.
Step 3
Measure the exact width of the door seal bracket – keep in mind that there's no need to replace the bracket unless it's somehow become damaged.
Step 4
Lay out the replacement door seal on the floor of your garage, have a helper hold the measuring tape at one end and cut the seal with a utility knife so that it's exactly as long as the door bracket.
Step 5
Feed either end of the rubber seal into either end of the bracket. This step is the toughest part of the job and requires a fair degree of patience. Typically, you won't be able to simply insert the seal into the bracket and slide it into place. Often, you'll need to pull the end a few inches and then continue feeding the other end of the seal into place. This step can be made easier by a helper who can either pull on one end of the seal or work on feeding it into the bracket.
Step 6
Complete the task by ensuring that the rubber seal spans the entire length of the bracket. There shouldn't be any ripples in the seal; if there are, pull the closest end of the seal to make the entire length of rubber tight. With the new seal in place, you'll no longer need to worry about water seeping under the door and into your garage. For more information about garage door repair, contact a company like All Pro Quality Garage Doors, Inc.