Can You Install a New Garage Door on Old Tracks?

If you're investing in a new garage door, you may be wondering if you can install a new garage door on old tracks to save on other parts of your garage door system. Skimping on a set of new garage door tracks could cost you more in the long run. So, to ensure your garage door operates safely and adds to your curb appeal, we’ve rounded up the benefits of swapping out those old garage door tracks before installing a new garage door.

Reasons You Can’t Use the Old Tracks for a New Garage Door

While planning a new garage door installation, switching out the old tracks for new and improved ones may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, reusing old tracks can pose several problems—some of which can lead to injury or structural damage to your home. Below are four cons to using old tracks for a new garage door. 

Safety Concerns

Safety is no joking matter when it comes to your garage door. A good garage door opener can make a garage door seem almost weightless, but in reality, garage doors are extremely heavy and can even be fatal if they were to go off track due to a dinky, old track. 

Garage doors weigh between 100 and 300 pounds on average. If your old tracks are rusty, corroded, bent, or in some other way compromised, this increases your new door’s likelihood of malfunctioning and crashing down. This can be detrimental to your pets or loved ones.

Property Damage Concerns

For the same reasons that compromise your safety, an off-kilter garage door track can cause your new garage door to slam down on your car, garage, or property. Garage door repair costs range from $50 to $350 on average, while garage door replacement costs range from $500 to $2,000. 

Add the cost to repair your car and other sections of your garage door’s frame or your property, and you may have a hefty bill that could have been prevented by simply replacing the old garage door track. 

Void Garage Door Warranty

Your new garage door typically comes with a manufacturer's warranty that's good for one to five years—but this could come with a catch. A garage door that uses a garage door track that isn't compatible with the garage door or isn’t purchased from the same garage door manufacturing company can void the warranty if your garage door becomes damaged as a result of the garage door tracks. You’ll end up paying out of pocket for any repairs if this happens.

Compatibility with the New Garage Door

Lastly, every garage door comes with its own track system. Manufacturers can use different thicknesses, weights, lengths, widths, and more to cater to that specific garage door and rollers. This applies even to garage doors from the same manufacturer, as companies alter the specs over time and based on the dimensions of your new door.

In choosing to reuse outdated tracks, you may find that your garage door is incompatible with the old tracks, even if you use the same brand.

Garage door tracks that are incompatible with the new garage door can:

• Cause the garage door to get stuck or fall

• Wear down your garage door opener as it strains to operate the door

• Bend or break the track

• Lead to injury or property damage

• Increase expenses as you repair any damage and replace worn down parts

Benefits of Using New Garage Door Tracks

After waving goodbye to your old garage door tracks, you’ll want replacement garage door tracks that are compatible with your new garage door. Investing in new garage door tracks can set your new garage door up for success. Below are three ways that using new garage door tracks can benefit your home.

Noise Reduction Compared to the Old Track

There is nothing quite like waking up in the morning to the sound of a family member opening a garage door that's rolling across cranky, old tracks. Even if you forgo a chain belt garage door opener in exchange for a quiet type of garage door opener, your garage door will perform an unpleasant solo every time it drags across an old track. 

Choosing a new garage door track can help silence your garage as it makes its way up and down the track, creating a more peaceful atmosphere in your home.

Garage Door Will Open and Close Smoother

There's nothing quite like a rust-free, straight, and properly lubricated track when it comes to your garage door’s smooth operation. A new garage door track and rollers can make your garage door glide across the tracks like an ice skating champion rather than like a rickety gravel road—or worse, a garage door that won’t close or open when you’re in a hurry to beat rush hour. 

Not to mention, this smoother operation could increase the lifespan of your garage door and garage door opener.

Improve the Home’s Resale Value

Curb appeal matters. It matters so much that, according to a Cost vs. Value report conducted by Remodeling, replacing your garage door offers a 98.3% return on investment (ROI). This ROI can either increase as a result of shiny, new garage door tracks or it can decrease with old, rusted tracks. Homeowners with a keen eye will feel safer as they tour your home during an open house when they see a safe-looking garage door system.