How To Install A Garage Door In A Block Wall

We have an old cinder block garage shed building built in 1967 with 2 9 foot wide garage door openings.

How to install a garage door in a block wall.

These doors come in a solid frame that must be fit into a rough opening. Cutting a hole in a masonry block wall is something that many people find is necessary if they want to add a new door. These 9 foot openings are only supported by a makeshift header consisting of 6 cinder blocks sitting horizontally across the top of the opening. Tbe row of 6 blocks have a 2 x 10 on top and a 2 x 10 below them.

It is a 2 6 stud wall and they placed 2 6 inside the entire jam making the opening 15 9 before trim. If you need to install a door in a masonry block wall here are some steps to get you started. I realized that the builders left an opening between the block of only 16 1 2. I am treating the footing and the thickened edge as a single grade beam similar to as shown in this typical detail.

After your new door is installed remove the old stop material on the outside of the door and replace it with the type that has a rubber weatherstrip gasket available at home centers. Adding one course of block to a slab keeps the garage door framing farther up from the ground which may be necessary depending on the grade. The second sheet is for a similar situation however in this case i am considering option 2 where the stem wall has been blocked out and a thickened edge slab spans the gap created by the garage door. If your rough opening is made of cinder blocks it will be easiest to find a pre hung door that is smaller than your rough opening rather than trying to enlarge your door opening.

These blocks are durable and easy to install but can be difficult to modify or remove. This is very common during a remodeling project where you want to finish off a basement or have a walk through door to the garage. The task of installing the door itself is relatively simple while creating an opening in the wall is often a bit more challenging. The most expensive option is laying several courses of blocks on top of frost footings and then resting the edges of the slab on the blocks.

For doors with torsion springs located over the door spend the 50 or so to have a garage door professional release the tension. To install a door in a concrete block wall you ll need to first create an opening for the door.