Here are the most common questions we receive regarding care and maintenance of our custom garage doors. We’ve shared our recommendations and in some cases the requirements to retain your warranties, below. If you’ve recently had one of our garage doors installed, you should digest each of these questions and their responses to ensure you’re covered.
How do I preserve my timber garage door, do I need to re-seal it?
As a general rule, we recommend that your garage door be re-coated every 2 years. However, if the door has been exposed to more adverse weather conditions or sealed with clear finish, a re-coat may be needed as early as 12 months. We advise our customers to inspect their garage doors on a regular basis and re-seal when the first signs of ‘fading’ appear.
Can I receive my timber garage door raw from you then seal or stain it myself?
Yes. However, Danmar accepts no responsibility for any sealing / staining arranged by the customer.
Danmar can offer the following sealing / staining finishes to your garage door:
- Oiled Garage Door – Danmar will apply 1 x coat of nominated oil to the outside face of the garage door. This will ensure protection from external exposure for up to a maximum of 6 months. The garage door must then be re-oiled with the same or similar product. We warrant the oil finish on the door for 6 months.
- Fully Sealed Garage Door – A fully sealed garage door will have the following layers applied, this fully sealed finish is warranted for 12 months:
- 2 x stained base coat on both sides
- 2-3 x High quality top coats are then applied to the face side only
Do timber garage doors require a lot of maintenance?
It is a general misconception that timber garage doors require excessive maintenance. The time between resealing the door will vary depending on the weather conditions, however due to our unique sealing process we have been able to achieve the following results:
- East and South facing doors have been known to last as long as 7 years
- North and West facing doors usually need some attention within 3-4 years
Leaving it too long before refreshing may result in the sealer cracking and peeling. If the door has been exposed to more adverse weather conditions, there may be a need to re-coat at an earlier stage. We advise our customers to inspect their garage doors on a regular basis and re-seal when the first signs of ‘fading’ appear. If the door has been exposed to hail damage, it must be re-sealed immediately.
How do I care for and maintain a composite aluminium garage door?
The care a composite aluminium garage door requires will vary depending on what type of edges are used. If you’re not sure, reach out to our team who can advise.
Cut Edges: Composite Aluminium doors with cut edges need a regular wash down to rid the edges of dirt, grime and salt. Allowing salt to build up on the edges causes electrolysis/rust which generally damages the coating and can lead to delamination. A warm water wash with a quality car wash is all that is required.
This should be done every 3 months or sooner if located close to salt water for example in coastal areas. Also, continual movement of the doors facing the full sun may crack the glue sealer in which case it requires resealing. This can be usually done on site using a quality MS polymer or similar.
Folded Edges: As with cut edges it is important to clean the door regularly paying close attention to the edges.
How do I care for and maintain polycarbonate and acrylic garage doors?
Polycarbonate or Twinwall – these materials are very soft so care must be taken when washing panels as dry rubbing before hosing off the dust will result in fine scratches. As the UV protection is applied to the top of the polycarbonate after extruding, harsh chemicals and rough sponges must be avoided at all times.
Best results are achieved by hosing the dust off before soft hand washing. Mixing quality car wash in warm water is all that is required to clean the door. Polishing the surface with a suitable plastic polish like Plexus or Viewplex is highly recommended to keep the door looking like new while also protecting the UV coating. Please note the UV on the polycarbonate will wear off as the years goes by and discolouration of the panels will become noticeable. This is part of the product and is not covered under warranty.
Acrylic – This material is much tougher than polycarbonate but care and maintenance is the same. A warm water wash with no chemical cleaners or abrasives.
How do I care for and maintain my insulated garage door?
Insulated or thermopanel doors should be treated the same as all colorbond doors. A warm water wash with a little bit of quality car wash a couple of times per year will bring the door to like new condition. All nicks showing bare metal should be touched up as soon as they happen to reduce the risk of rusting. We recommend the paint finish to be refreshed when faded.
Do I need to service my garage door?
All moving parts should be lubricated on a regular basis using multi-purpose spray grease. In addition, Danmar recommends that the garage door is serviced by a qualified technician in accordance with the following schedule:
- Residential Doors (14m2 or 150kg) – 12 monthly
- Commercial or larger residential doors – 6 monthly
It’s important to note that all warranty claims are subject to the customer producing a satisfactory service history. We happily offer servicing of our garage doors to all clients, learn more here.
What if something goes wrong with my garage door, is there a warranty?
All Danmar Garage Doors in WA come with 4 years structural warranty (not cosmetic) and 6-12 months hardware and installation warranty (depending on door size and weight)
Full detail of these warranties and how to ensure you comply with them can be found on our Warranties page