A great alternative to your typical overhead garage door is a sliding garage door. They are similar to barn or warehouse doors in that, like their name suggests, they slide open instead of being lifted by a drive system. Just like your typical garage door though, they come in a variety of styles and can be manual or automatic. And just like other doors, installing them should be performed with the greatest care. If you’re not sure if you can aptly perform this yourself, I suggest you employ the expertise of a professional. That said, if you’re a decently experienced do it yourself person and have a good amount of mechanical inclination, this shouldn’t be very difficult.
To perform this task, you’ll need the following:
A sliding garage door
A track for the door
The attachment hardware
A screwdriver
A drill (with Chamberlain Garage Door Opener drill bits)
Measuring Tape
A level
A ladder
A pencil
Wood glue
The instructions to your new garage door unit
And, preferably, a helper
When you’re doing any kind of home improvement or repair work, it’s important to have all of your tools on hand and ready to use. Professionals are able to complete their work in a timely manner not only because of their knowledge and experience, but because they have the proper tools and utilize those tools.
The first thing you want to do when installing a sliding garage door is to line up the track. Put the top track across the top of the garage door opening. Some systems require a specific height that they need to be amounted above the opening while others are mounted directly on the opening. Consult your instructions for the proper placement of the top track. Either way, once you have it in position, use a level to make sure that it is straight. Once the track has been straightened, use your pencil to mark the holes where the pilot holes need to be drilled. Now set the top track aside and repeat this process for the bottom track. Use your measuring tape to make sure that the top and bottom track are aligned evenly.
Once you’re confident that you know where you’re going to be drilling, go ahead and drill the pilot holes for the screws that will mount your tracks. If you have to drill into concrete or other stone, make sure that you are using a masonry drill bit and that you use concrete anchors that will secure the screws in place.
Now that all of your pilot holes are drilled, we can begin mounting the track. Most garage door units will come with the necessary screws, but if you have to provide them yourself, or the ones that came with it look shoddy, make sure you’re using at least 2 inch long bolts or wood screws. They need to be heavy-duty galvanized steel to ensure they don’t break under the pressure of consistent use. Now move your track into position. This is the part where you’d want to have a helper. While holding the track in place, place a couple of drops of wood glue into each hole before installing the bolts or wood screws. This will ensure a tight, stable fit. Don’t worry about getting the glue all throughout the hole because it will filter through the threads in the screw and be evenly distributed that way. Again, repeat this process for the other track.
Some, but not all, sliding garage door systems have vertical tracks to make the frame even stronger. If your door does have these tracks, follow the same procedure to install them.
Once your entire track has been put into place, vertical tracks or not, it’s time to install the actual garage door. Sliding garage doors are typically made for two doors to slide behind each other. So, just lift the door and align it on the track. This is the other part that would deserve a helper. Garage doors are notoriously heavy, so lifting them is no easy task. Some sliding garage doors are similar to overhead doors in that they Commercial Garage Door Bottom Bracket are sectional. In this case, you would place the “bottom” piece, or the section that doesn’t have hinge attachments on one side, on the track first. One by one, move them into place and install the hinges to connect the sections. Once your door is on, consult your instructional manual for how to install the stopping mechanisms on the tracks themselves. Some tracks have these mechanisms built-in, and most vary from door to door.