How to prepare and frame
the opening for a garage door.

In order for your new garage door to fit and operate
properly the opening should be prepared correctly to
accept the door sections, the tracks, & the springs.

   First of all the opening for your garage door should be plumb, level & completely even for the entire inside perimeter of the opening. On the inside of the the garage the opening should be framed in an “H” pattern as shown in Diagram A with 2” x 6” (when possible) wood jambs and a 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 placed across the header. The jambs should extend above the header to the ceiling or to at least 18” above the bottom of the header whenever possible.

New garage door opening under construction

   However on lower ceilings the jambs can extend 12” for standard lift track w/ 12” radius or 6” for double low headroom track. If sleeve anchors or j-bolts are used to hold the jambs to the wall the wood should be countersunk to where the bolts will be flush with the jamb face and not interfere with the placement of the door track or track brackets. In addition to the “H” pattern on the wall a 2 x 6 spring pad should be placed vertically in the center of the opening and extend to the same height as the jambs. However, large and/or heavy doors may require more than one spring pad placed in certain areas other than the center of the door.

 

   If your home is in a hurricane windload zone the state or local building codes and/or manufacturers specifications will normally dictate the number of the jamb sleeve anchors or j-bolts, the size of the bolts, and the spacing of the bolts for the garage door to meet the required wind speed hurricane rating. When you request an estimate from your local garage door dealer they can inform you of the type of windloaded garage door required and if your jambs will meet the code that is required in your area.

   Most garage door dealers can or will supply and install the weatherseal stop molding (existing molding on replacement doors may be re-used) to seal the outside of the door and to cover the inside corner edge of the jamb.

 

 

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