With a rise in ferocious weather events becoming frequent, many homeowners have been battling the ever-rising tides of floodwater or generalized ‘bad weather’. Protecting your valuable tools, vehicles, and generalized equipment is paramount to any homeowner. Thus the need to prevent rains from ruining said pieces. A storm, an overflowing river, a bad day from fire hydrants – any of these events can spell ruin to everything within your garage. The damage not just from the water but also the mold are two enemies that any homeowner would be hesitant to face, and thus, why waterproofing is the perfect way to safeguard against these events.
What is Waterproofing?
Garage door waterproofing is the methodology of sealing your garage from not just rain but also generalized humidity brought on by rainy and near-ocean areas your home might reside in. This is especially a topic of merit for any home with a wooden garage door, as these are the most prone to humidity damage over all other variants.
What Doors Do I Waterproof?
Any homeowner should be sure to check and see (via real estate agents or previous owners) if their garage was built with sealant or had been pre-painted to resist humidity and rain. For instance, it’s rather common for garage doors made of steel to be pre-painted to prevent rusting. If you have a wooden garage door, waterproofing is more important, as it’s likely that the wood could become laden with moisture over time and warp, causing the appearance of your door to become unsightly.
Weather And Garage Doors
If you live alongside a coastline, within rather wet, humid climates, or in any region that’s prone to frequent showers – you might have a ticking time bomb just waiting to cost a pretty penny in repairs. The first thing to take into consideration is that your garage’s mechanisms might have been adversely affected by the weather if your home had been sitting for any stretch of time – the parts like gears, rollers, and etc. can become laden with rust and decay, which will inevitably weaken the structure and catastrophically destroy the rest of the system when just the right part fails. It’s advisable to replace your garage’s parts with stainless steel, as that would prevent future events from occurring.
To further check and see if your garage is vulnerable, an easy ‘test’ would be to turn on exterior lights and look at the bottom of the door – if any light is spilling in beneath, you desperately need to replace the bottom seal and gap.
How to Waterproof a Garage Door
The most common way to seal a garage from water damage is to buy a sealant or stain from a local hardware store. The most important step would be to first clean the door extremely well, and sand away any glaze on the door itself. Any penetrating stain can be a homeowner’s best friend, as it provides a simple, easy way to save your stored items in case of rain.
Call us for more info on waterproofing your garage!