Simple Steps to Measure for a New Garage Door

Measuring for a new garage door is the first step in getting the right fit and making your home more beautiful and functional. If you’ve never measured for a garage door before, then it might seem to be a bit intimidating, but with these simple steps to measure, garage door replacement can be easy.

What you’ll need to measure your garage door

  • Tape measure (make sure it’s long enough to gauge the full length of the door – a digital tape measure is a great option)
  • Stepladder (for easy access to every corner)
  • A level (to ensure that your garage door opener is plumb)
  • A helper (to make stretching the tape measure easier)
  • Pen and paper (to write everything down)

Steps to measuring a garage door

  1. Measure the width of the door at its widest point.  From the left edge of the opening to the right edge of the opening. Use your helper or a digital tape measure.
  2. Record your measurement in feet and inches.
  3. Measure the height at the highest point. Go from the flat of the floor to the top of the opening.
  4. Record your measurement in feet and inches.
  5. Measure the width of the wall on either side of the garage door. You need as much as 3 ¾ inches for the vertical track. If you have a double garage door, you’ll need to account for 10 inches of width for the center post.
  6. Measure the distance from the top edge of the door opening to the garage ceiling. Known as the headroom, this is the space that you’ll have for the garage door to roll up into when it’s open.
  7. Measure the distance from the garage door to the back of the garage. Known as a backroom, this is an important piece of the puzzle because this is where your door is going to go when it’s up. Sectional doors require the height of the door plus an additional fifteen inches (for manual doors) or eighteen inches (for automatic doors).

With these quick and easy steps, you can measure the fit for your replacement garage door or your new garage door in less than half an hour if you’ve got a solid helper to get things moving!

If you can’t get your door working correctly, and you decide you need a new one, here is a good place to look.