New garage door installation

A new door changes how the house looks from the street, how warm the garage stays, and how much noise the door makes. Cranston's housing stock covers about a century, so there's no single right door. A raised-panel steel door fits a 1990s colonial in Western Cranston. A carriage house style often looks better on an older home in Edgewood. Postwar capes and ranches in Garden City and Oaklawn can go either way.

Styles

• Raised or recessed panel steel. The most common style. Durable and low maintenance.
• Carriage house. Looks like a pair of swing-out doors but works like a normal sectional door. Suits older homes.
• Flush or modern. Smooth panels, sometimes with long horizontal windows. Suits newer and renovated homes.
• Wood and wood-look composite. Real wood is beautiful but needs regular finishing in damp coastal air. Composite and steel with a wood-grain finish look similar with less upkeep.

Windows in the top section let light in. If the garage faces the street and you'd rather not show what's inside, frosted or seeded glass helps.

Insulation

Doors come uninsulated, with foam board panels, or with injected polyurethane foam. Insulation matters most if:

• There's a bedroom or living space above or beside the garage
• You heat the garage, or use it as a workshop or gym
• You want a quieter, stiffer door that rattles less in the wind

Insulated doors are also stiffer and tend to dent less, which helps in garages where kids play or bikes lean against the door.

Older and detached garages

Older detached garages bring their own challenges, and installers will want to know about them before they arrive:

• Low headroom. Some older garages have only a few inches between the top of the opening and the ceiling. Low-headroom track or a wall-mount opener can solve it.
• Out-of-square openings. Old framing settles. The installer may need to shim or rebuild the jambs.
• Soft or rotted jambs. Common where water has run in under the door for years. Tracks need solid wood to anchor into.
• No power. Some detached garages have no outlet near the ceiling. If you want an opener, you may need an electrician too.
• Swing-out or tilt-up doors. A few old garages still have them. Converting to a sectional door is common but may need framing changes.

Coastal hardware

If you're near the bay or the Pawtuxet River, ask about galvanized or coated hardware, stainless or coated cables, and nylon rollers with sealed bearings. A vinyl or composite bottom section, or a bottom seal retainer that won't rust, can add years. See our salt air guide for why the bottom of the door matters most.

Wind

Coastal Rhode Island gets strong winds in nor'easters and the occasional hurricane. Some doors are rated for higher wind loads with reinforcing struts. If your garage faces open water or an exposed hill, ask whether a wind-rated door makes sense.

What installation day usually looks like

1. The crew removes the old door, springs, tracks and often the old opener.
2. They check and prepare the opening and jambs.
3. They assemble the new door section by section, install tracks and springs, and balance the door.
4. They install or reconnect the opener, set the sensors, force and limits, and test.
5. They haul away the old door, if that was agreed.

A standard door replacement usually takes about half a day. Ordering a door often takes longer than installing it, since many styles and colors are made to order.

Permits

Replacing a garage door like-for-like usually doesn't need a building permit, but changing the size of the opening or the structure around it can. The company or the City of Cranston's building office can tell you what applies.

Common questions