Installing Sectional Garage Doors

When you visit a showroom of garage doors, you will see sectional garage doors and trackless garage doors. Sectional doors are the most popular with multiple panels that roll open and closed on tracks. The trackless doors come in one piece and they tilt out before the opener lifts them up and into the ceiling of the garage. Before you start to install a sectional door, you have to have the garage door framing in place. Once this is done, then you are ready to begin.

You need to fasten the door panel brackets and place the bottom panel in place. Check it to make sure that it is level and nail it to the side jamb temporarily just to keep it in place. Tack the remaining panels in place and install the hinges, the handles and the rollers. Then you need to assemble the side roller tracks by fitting a track over the rollers on one side. You can use a spacer block of about ¾ inch between the track and the door when you are tacking it in place. Once you have it spaced correctly, then you can use lag screws to attach it to the jamb permanently.

Now it’s time for the top. Bolt the top track piece to the side piece and make sure that it is level. Then you fasten the rear track bracket to the nearest roof truss, again using lag screws. Add an additional angle bracket and level the other side, but don’t attach it permanently until you know that you don’t need to make any adjustments.

Next you have to check the gap of the top tracks. You will need some help with this because you have to lift the door about 4 feet and keep it in place. Check the top gap with a ¾ inch block of wood. If gap is more than 1/8 inch over the block, you will need to correct the top track. Once you have this done, then you add the additional rear support bracket. All you have left to do is connect the extension springs and install the hardware.