How to Install a Garage Door

Remove the Old Garage Door

If you already have an existing garage door, you’ll need to remove it and any parts that came with it using pliers, screwdrivers, or a drill. Remove hangers, pulleys, guide tracks, rollers, cables, springs, pulleys, and more. You may need to call a junk removal company near you to haul away your old garage door and its components.

Attach the Weather Stripping to the Garage Door

The bottom of your new garage door should come with rubber weather stripping for insulation. To install it, simply slide or press the weather stripping along the base of the garage door until it completely covers the bottom of the door.

Place Brackets Onto the Garage Door

You’ll need to install two brackets—one on each corner of the base of your garage door. These brackets eventually attach to the cables to allow the door to open upward and close downward. Lay the brackets just over the weather stripping and use a screwdriver to secure them together. 

Install the Hinges Onto the Garage Door

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The hinges of your door hold the panels together, allowing the door to have mobility. Install the hinges on the top of your panels using your drill. Your hinges should go on the top center and corners of your garage door panels. This will prepare them for the rollers that will attach to the base so that the panels of the garage door can slide. Keep in mind, every garage door is different, so check your instructions as you install the components of your garage door.

Insert Rollers Into the Bottom Brackets of the First Panel

After you’ve installed the hinges and brackets, insert the rollers into the brackets of the bottom-most garage door panel so that your panels can easily slide into place as you install them. This will help prevent the panels from moving as you go. 

Avoid installing the rollers into the following panels until after you install each one, however, as you’ll have a hard time sliding the rollers into place if they’re already attached to the panels. Instead, install the outermost hinges and rollers as you attach each panel to the panel before it.

Install the Roller Track

Some instructions may say to install the roller track after assembling the garage door panels, so follow the instructions on your particular garage door. For this guide, you’ll want to install the roller track after assembling the first, bottom-most panel. Doing so will help you avoid having to shift the entire weight of the assembled panels to get them to fit the roller track. 

Screw the roller track into the wall framing using lag screws and a ratchet or screwdriver—leaving enough wiggle room to adjust the track and assembled door panels as you install each panel in the next step.

Attach the First Garage Door Panel

The first panel and last panel in your garage door installation require different installation methods than the rest of the panels. You will need a friend to help you center the panels and lift them into place. You’ll also need shims and a leveler to ensure the door is level as you go. If you notice one side is unlevel, place shims under the panel to even it out. To install the first panel, fit it into the roller track, making sure that it’s firmly in place. 

Install the Remaining Panels, Hinges, and Rollers

Connect the remaining panels by centering them and stacking the panels on top of each other one at a time. Use your drill and 3-inch screws to secure the top brackets of the bottom of the panel to the bottom of the subsequent panel.

Install the hinges in the upper corners of each panel as you attach them to the panel below, and slide rollers for each panel into the roller track as you stack the panels on top of the bottom panel. Check the track and adjust it if you notice the door rubs against the track. Repeat step eight until you’ve installed every hinge and roller and connected all but the last panel together. This step comes after configuring the rest of the track.

Connect the Verticle Track to the Horizontal Track

Photo: Andrey Popov / Adobe Stock

Your next step is to connect the two pieces of track. You must do this before you install the final panel to avoid the panel falling in on you while you adjust and install it. To do this, screw the horizontal section of the track into the vertical section using a ratchet wrench and lag screws.

Install the Final Panel

Now that your track is in place, you can install the last panel following the same method used in step eight. Line the panel up against the panel below it, secure it to the brackets on the below panel, and then install the hinges and rollers.

Attach the Garage Door Spring

Hook the end of the spring to the hook at the end of the track. With your helper, lift the door up until it slides all the way up the track. 

Tighten Locking Pliers

Use your locking pliers to clamp down on the track and prevent the door from sliding down as you work on attaching the cable in the next step.

Attach the Steel Cable

You may need a step ladder for this step. Attach the cable to the bottom bracket of your garage door and string it through the pulley system, then pull it through the bracket that came with your garage door. Place an S-hook on the bracket and then hook it to the track. 

Put a Safety Cable Through the Spring

Your garage door’s cable holds a lot of tension, and the last thing you want is for that cable to break and for the spring to go flying and damage your car or harm you or your loved ones. To protect yourself from this worst-case scenario, weave a safety cable through the center of your spring and attach it to the bracket.

Test the Cable Tension

Lower your garage door down to test the cable tension and make sure you’ve completed the job correctly.