20 - Friday, October 3, 1986 - North Shore News Mprove ment— Pant Garage doors, too, need care ALTHOUGH THE garage door is the largest piece of operational equipment in the home, most homeowners don't realize its im- portance. Most cven ignore the garage door unti! # stops working, when, in fact, the property-selected garage coor can add a great deal of security to a home. DRY CLEAN YOUR CARPET WHY? © Short drying tme « No fading © Removes difficult dirt * No shampoo residue ® Stays cleaner longer Our exclusive purification process leaves your carpet “OZO-FRESH” Recommended by Carpet Manufacturers WIN 10 INSTA ITEM | The homeowner can choose from two basic types of garage doors: Steel or wood. A major dif- ference between steel and wood residential doors is the amount of maintenance required to keep the door looking like new. Steel doors pre-painted with baked-on enamel require fittle or no maintenance. Because of the baked-on finish. a steel door «ill telain its appearance for muny years, requiring only minor touch-ups to cover any scratches acquired over the years, However, steel doors can also be painted. Most will receive a heavy-bodied exterior paint very well, which is a way to comple- ment any exterior home design. With or without paint, steel doors will resist the elements. Made from galvanized steel, rain, sleet and snow will not tarnish these residential doors. 5% SAVINGS TLY ON ANY OUR STOCK! Wood doors, on the other hand, can weather, and eventually crack and sag unless given proper cure. Prior to exposure, an industry rep- resentative suggests the homeown- er apply at least two coats of oil- based paint, stain or other exterior finish to aff surfaces of the door. Every year thereafter, the home- owner should apply a single coat to the exterior of the door to preserve the wood. PROTECT WOOD DOORS In following these guidelines, a wood door will retain its ‘‘like- new'' appearance for many years. In fact, wood doors often retain their new appearance longer than steel] doors because they are more flexible. The flexibility of wood gives a wood door more impact resistance than a solid steel door. For exam- ple, a wood door is not likely to bend, and most definitely will not dent if hit with a hard object. A steel door will probably dent, and may even bend under similar cir- cumstances. All steel and wood flush doors can be insulated; wood panel doors cannot. This does not mean that steel and wood flush doors are bet- ter at keeping out cold in the winter and heat in the summer. Insulation alone will not keep out cold or heat. For this, weather stripping is necessary along the bottom, and around the sides and top of the door. Insulation does make for quieter operation of the door, and will add some strength. Homeowners should remember that insulating the garage door is not the way to insulate the entire garage. Before actually buying a garage door, whether it is wood or Steel, the homeowner must supply the dealer with the size of the opening in the garage, as well as the head room and side room in the open- ing. SIZE OPENING The size of the opening is measured as width by height. The headroom measures the distance from the top of the opening up- ward to the nearest obstruction. Similarly, the side room measures the distance from the side of the opening to the nearest obstruction on the wall. It is essential that the measure- ments be accurate in order to mount the hardware properly. The homeowner may want to ask the dealer to measure the opening. No matter how expensive a garage door, an industry repre- sentative recommends the home- owner have it installed and servic- ed by an authorized dealer. How- ever, instructions are available with most residential garage doors that explain how the = do-it- yourselfer can install the door. If the homeowner chooses to in- stall the door, extreme caution should be exercised. Be sure to have the appropriate tools needed for the job before beginning and follow the manufacturer’s safety precautions carefully. It’s obvious that the garage door is no longer a part of the home to be ignored. When purchasing a garage door, the homeowner now has several factors to consider: Maintenance, style, flexibility, in- sulation and cost. Each of these should be consid- ered in conjunction with the style of home the door is intended for, as well as the amount of use anc abuse the door will receive. DEERWOOD GARDEN & LARDSGAPE SUPPLIES