How Often Should I Replace My Garage Door?

Updated: March 29, 2022

If you’re thinking about replacing your garage door, you’re not alone. A new garage door can dramatically increase the appeal and property value of your home. In fact, replacing a garage door is one of the highest ROI home improvements you can make to your home. If you haven’t looked into replacing your garage door and you’ve had your home for a while, you may be wondering if the time has come for replacement.

Garage Door Parts Lifespan

Garage Door Panels, Frame, and Opener Lifespan

lifespan garage door parts

The panels and frame that make up the garage door should last you quite a long time. A steel or aluminum door can last 20 years or more, and a wood door can last almost as long with proper maintenance. However, your garage door system is more than just your door. It’s your garage door opener, torsion springs, cables and more. You can expect a good garage door opener to last you about 15 years.

Garage Door Torsion Spring Lifespan

Torsion springs, the little pieces of tightly wound metal responsible for doing the heavy lifting of your door, usually last 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, with a cycle being one opening and closing of the door. Depending upon how often you come in and out of your garage, this usually equates to 8 to 12 years or so.

What all this means is that even if your garage door in Issaquah is still holding up, you may want to consider replacing the garage door after about 15 years. This is around the time you can expect other parts of the system to start breaking down. You may want to start fresh with a whole new garage door, rather than invest in the rest of the system and find the door needs replacing a few years later.

Garage Door Repair vs. Replacement

You may also want to consider the fact that if you have a dented, cracked or broken panel, your garage door professional may able to fix it and have the whole door looking almost like new. Therefore, if your garage door is not that old, you will often want to opt for repair rather than replacement. Unless dented or cracked panels seem to keep happening, or they are accompanied by frequent breakdowns in other parts of the system, repair rather than replacement is often the way to go.

Other Reasons to Replace Your Garage Door

There are many reasons you may want to replace your garage door other than the age of the door or the garage door system. For example, if your garage door is 20 years old, you may not realize all of the amazing new options available. If you’re in the Seattle area, stop by our DistribuDoors showroom at 421 Warde St. in Algona, Washington, to see samples of some of the amazing Clopay® doors we have for sale.

Clopay® is the gold standard when it comes to garage doors, and here you’ll find carriage house-style doors, traditional doors and modern doors available in wood, steel, steel with faux wood-grain finish, composite and aluminum. These doors are fully customizable with different colors, finishes, windows and decorative hardware to match your home’s exterior décor and your personal taste and style.

You also might be considering swapping out your existing garage door for an insulated garage door. Insulated doors sandwich a foam core of solid heat-blocking insulation between layers of steel. They not only make your door more durable and quieter, but they also block heat transfer, helping your home stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and saving you on energy costs.

DistribuDoors Can Help You With Garage Door Replacement in the Seattle Area Today

If you’ve been putting off replacing your garage door because you don’t know where in the Seattle area to go for reliable garage door products and services at a reasonable cost, you don’t have to wait any longer. DistribuDoors has an incredible selection of doors and a staff of highly trained garage door professionals who can install it for you quickly and correctly. We provide a free estimate beforehand that is fair and accurate and comes without obligation, so you know just what to expect regarding cost.

One of our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff will be happy to go over the options with you and help you decide what’s right for you, or feel free to play around with our garage door visualizer online to help you make the determination. Give us a call at 206-443-1640 today to get started, or get in touch with us online right now to request an estimate on a new garage door or installation.