The bottom of my garage door does not close tightly along the bottom of the garage floor (see attached photo). Leaves, grass, weeds, etc. are constantly blowing into the garage, so I’d like to find a way to eliminate the gap. I bought some “heavy duty” double sided tape and some foam air conditioner weather seal, hoping I could attach the foam to the bottom of the garage door with the double sided tape, but it won’t stick to the rubber gasket along the bottom of the garage door. Any ideas as to either what kind of glue I should use to attach the foam strip to the bottom of the door or another way of handling this?
Thanks!
Replies
Looks like your floor is either heaved up on on side or settled on the other.
Do you think that frost has lifted the high side. If so, it may go back down after the thaw.
You will need to attach a taper shaped peice of wood to the bottom of the door, unless someone knows of another product.
Or you may be able to cut a taper off the otherside (where the floor is high) IF you have enough door at the top to alllow it to drop that much.
You may consider looking into what has caused the one side to settle. Is watter running under the slab?
Eric
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
Eric,
The house is 40 years old. My guess is that the garage floor settled unevenly. See attached photo of both doors. I've lived in this house for 16 years and it's always been that way. I'm finally at the point where I want to do something about it to keep my garage clean. :)
I don't do carpentry, but I could hire a carpenter. I was hoping I could fix it with foam insulation material that would compress down on the low side and fill the gap on the high side of the door. Would adding to the bottom of the garage door be the proper fix?
Thanks.
Heed Imerc's disclaimer about the springs. VERY DANGEROUS.
Stick around this evening, you will probably get 100 or so answers.
hint:it's a simple fix.
I've seen people double and triple up the rubber strips along one side or portios just to fill in the gap.
Not what I would do.
Your doors appear to be well adjusted for plumb and square. Notice that the doors edges, or margins are equal or parallel to the openings. I'm sure from what i can see, that you have an issue with the floor being out of level.
Do you own a level that you can check it with?
Watch that imerc guy, he's a little out of plumb sometimes. ;~)
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
only a little more than a full bubble or so...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
a whole dam bubble eh??
Question is; which way are ya tilted??
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
more than and it's counter clock wise...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
and another thing...
when did you change.... I missed the ceremoney...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
sshhhhh.
I been thinking about a coming out.............
news @ 11.
11 what, I don't know!
I hate that firebird shlt.
Feel like somekinda dopey redneck.
When I signed on I did not realize that would be published..........been livin with it ever since.
I'm scarred!I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
just toss the key and leave the closet locked..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Okay, I may be a girl, but I own a level and I know how to use it. :) The door is not level. Not off by much, but looks like it needs to be lowered a little on the side that's high. I could get the company that installed the garage doors over to adjust the door. Then I can deal with adding a piece to the bottom of the door to make it fit the opening. Maybe it's time to take a woodworking class!
-- C
Okay, I may be a girl, but I own a level and I know how to use it. :)
Awright Miss Handy Hands............did you check the floor with the level??
And just how long is this level, is it a torpedo level or something a bit longer?
If your level is only 2ft long. and something is out of level 'a bit' on 2ft; means that over 8ft or the width of your door, it is out a little bit X 4.
Hope that helps.
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
Head hanging low ... it is a short level (very short ... less than a foot) ... and no, I didn't use my mini-level on the floor. I shall borrow a better level and check both surfaces. I like the idea of correcting the garage floor too.
Thanks to all who have helped me on this!!!
-- C
From an Emergency Medicine doctor. Do not touch or otherwise play/mess with a garage door spring.
You might try the black soft foam pipe insulation cut lengthwise in a quarter circle. Screw it to the bottom of your door concave side down, and see if it nestles in tight enough to keep the debris out. You can taper it also if you need to with a razor knife, but remember to keep some Georgia chrome handy if you cut yourself. Also remember the first rule of Emergency Medicine; all bleeding stops.
After studying the photos and reading the other posts, I tend to agree that the concrete slab has settled. As long as the doors function easily without binding, they are probably adjusted reasonably well and not the cause of the gap.
I like the idea of removing the rubber gasket, fastening a long, tapered wedge to the bottom and installing a new gasket. After painting, the repair shouldn't be too obvious. Scribing the door itself would weaken it and would be a bigger project.
Two quicker solutions might be to try replacing the gasket with a long piece of foam pipe insulation. This comes in different diameters; get a size a little bigger than the gap. Or, as Blue said, nail 1x4 on the inside of the door: Close the door, cut the 1x4 to length, let it rest on edge on the concrete, nail it to the door. You'll still see the gap, but it will keep stuff out.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Thanks for the additional posts. What does scribe mean? I looked it up:
a sharp-pointed awl for marking wood or metal to be cut
But still don't understand what it means.
I will oil the door opener mechanisms and see if that has any affect. I know about pipe insulation ... I just insulated lots of pex tubing as part of a radiant heat installation project. I could try that for the rest of the winter and then attempt a more elegant fix in the spring. Will that material hold up to the elements though?
-- C
Here's a litte temp solution that you can do with screw driver. If you wanted to get fancy you could trim the top to make it appear level, if you could put it on the inside then only you will see it.
I know there are more perfect soulutions but I do think you wanted to keep the mice out and the leaves ect. out. This product is availabe at the box stores. I'm trying to see if I can get the picture to post. Can't get the picture to post so go to the site at the bottom and take a look.
Garage Door PVC Stop Molding 7ft
7ft Molding Length
White
Part# WS-450-07
Shipping weight 5 lbs
Price $10.99
Garage Door PVC Stop Molding 8ft
8ft Molding Length
White
Part# WS-450-08
Shipping weight 6 lbs
Price $11.99
http://store1.yimg.com/I/yhst-19861108288157_1831_1644080
Scribing is a technique for transferring the shape of one object to another object that has to fit it closely. Here's are a couple of examples. One with an expensive tool.
View Image
And one with a cheaper one.
View Image
If you do a Google image search for scribing, you'll see lots of pictures of people scribing log walls to a remarkably close fit.
Edited 2/10/2005 6:26 pm ET by Uncle Dunc
Ok, Uncy D., what is that thing??
Looks NEAT!
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yourcontractor@aol.com
>> ... what is that thing?Here's a link. I could tell it's expensive by the circlip. You really don't need anything that complicated. Anything round with a pencil size hole exactly in the middle will work fine.http://www.m-powertools.com/products/perfect-butt/perfect-butt.htm
Uncle Dunc...those tools are nice, but they aren't necessary in this application.
Here's what I would do.....
If I lay my manly saw on it's side, next to the door, the blade is exactly 5/8" above the concrete. I'd simply run the saw using the concrete as the guide...perfect fit every time. I might need to lay a 1/2 " board on the concrete if the cut had to be 1 1/8"..or whatever.
If I was using a stock saw, that has a 1 1/2" extended table, I'd just run that saw along the concrete. In that case, I might have to raise the door slightly.
In either case, the door will fit the concrete perfectly.
I have done this many times on different types of applications.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
That'll work, too. But maybe you should explain for the novices what a manly saw and a stock saw are. Or post pictures, like I did. ;)
Sorry Unc Dunc, I can't post the pics. The thread will get yanked.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
get help... YOU MUST GET HELP.. at least a watcher that can call for more help if one of the springs decide to rip yur shorts off..
go inside...
release the tension on that side of the door... a little - little bit.... very little...do this with the door ALL the way UP... no tension on the springs... by readjusting the cables...
or increase the tension on the other side of the door... or both..
what you are trying to do is rotate the door on its verticale center axis and share the gap to both sides of the door....
Overhead door or a like company will have an over-sized nail on gasket to replace the one you have...
ya gotta approch this with a lot of common sense... working with OHD springs can get you very hurt..
considering the weathered condition of the door..
is the bottom rail warped / crowned / bowed or the door has just plain lived out it's life...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Lordy, lordy! I don't think I can do that ... scared of hurting meeself! The doors are only about 7 years old. The old doors were just the same ... the right door had the gap at the bottom as well.
Try the lubrication... spray can easy...
For the installation tweaking to fix... Call and overhead door company and tell the tech excatly what you want.. he should be gone in less than an hour.. have the tech change the axis...
you do the gasket...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
where are you..
no profile information....
bad CC installation or frost heave...
keep in mind the wedge approach..
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
the rollers coiuld be dragging and in bad need of lubrication...
use a teflon impregnated dry based lubricant... like TriFlow..
NOT WD40 ot Lithium...
they both collect trash... make more problems...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Judging from the pix, Id say the door looks pretty square in the opening, and appears fairly level, assuming the left door is. I think I'd be inclined to go the "shim on bottom" route.
Pull existing seal, cut shim and attach, new seal, done. Won't do anything for the sloping floor, but will keep the crud out.
PJ
Whatever you can do or dream you can,
Begin it
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Goethe
looks to me like the door ain't the problem. The slab/ground in that area looks low - and the rot on the bottom of the trim boards gives me the impression that water sits in this low spot when it rains hard.
Of course, it's just my opinion...
Mine is off a little less than that, but it still allowed rain and debris in. I went with a bigger seal on the bottom of the door, and adjusted the tension level to handle it. Now, just a little bit of seapage (enough to dampen the floor in that area) is all that gets through.
James DuHamel
He who dies with the most toys.... Still dies!
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" MARK 8:36
http://www.godsfreemusic.com
The bottom edge of the doors are in bad shape because the gutter doesn't work very well and water pours over and behind the gutter, splashing all along the bottom of the garage doors. I don't think any water pools in the low spot though.
First, I would concur that messing with garage door torsion springs is better left to a professional. I've done it before, but now file that activity under the heading of "things I did when I was younger and dumber". The kind of spring that expands and contracts length-wise, however, is not so dangerous since they are usually slack when the door is fully opened.
Definitely appears that your slab has settled. If you are into perfection, you may want to consider having the slab and drive mud-jacked. Not only would this fix the gap problem, but it would provide better drainage away from the house.
Barring mud-jacking, I would go with the tapered shim approach as mentioned by others. Be sure to use treated lumber or cedar for rot resistance.
No offense to Imerc, but I wouldn't touch the springs for a million dollars. I have done it twice ... once to adjust, and once to replace ... and the pucker factor is way too high for me. Messing with garage door springs is one of the most dangerous things you can do.
What about adding some concrete patch to level the sill?
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
that's why the warnings...
takes sme level of common sense and forethought to play with them...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Or she could just call a handyman that specilizes in garage doors.
jt8
Our lives improve only when we take chances -- and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves. -- Walter Anderson
aqlong that lines was suggested...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
at 1st there was no profile info...
Piff is "just" up the street... maybe............
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
do you feel that you can make a wedge and fasten it on???
being careful with a simple jig saw should do it... not to mention a few screws and exterior glue...
when you cut one wedge you'll have one for the other door just about made...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Looks like ripping a long wedge (shim) would make sense in this case. After that is installed and primed & painted, then add a garage door seal to the bottom.
Ckib,
If you push down on that side of the door, will the gap close up at all?
Do you have an electric garage door opener on this door? disconnect the opener and try closing the gap manually.
You can probably get a satisfactory seal by rebalancing the door, but you should have someone that knows what they are doing for this job
Get your power saw and scribe the bottom of that door, or add a new interiorrior sweep. You can cut the sweep from a hard rubber product like old car tires or a piece of plywood.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
let her use a jig / saber saw...
scribe the bottom of the door and cut that after she has somebody rotate the door axis....
better yet let her lube the wheels and tracks 1st... one side may be dragging and forcing the door off of axis... that's a major simple she can do...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!