How to Replace Your Garage Door's Bottom Rollers

Depending on the type of roller, replacing garage door bottom rollers could be a do-it-yourself project. Your garage door will produce some noise due to normal wear and tear, but if the noise has gotten worse over time, it could be time to repair the bottom roller.

But don't worry; it's not a particularly challenging procedure, and you might be able to complete it with just some simple equipment that you presumably already have in your garage.

The replacement of a garage door roller should be done carefully, though, as garage doors are hefty and you run the risk of getting hurt. We have created a guide on how to swap out the bottom garage door rollers in light of this.

Bottom Roller Replacement Guide Overview:

1. Different types of garage door rollers

2. How to replace garage door bottom rollers on your own

3. Reaching out to a garage door expert

Different Types of Garage Door Rollers

The possibility that you'll encounter some problems with the bottom rollers mostly depends on their type, even if, as you'll discover in a moment, you could replace the rollers without becoming a skilled repairman. Because they are the least durable, plastic bottom rollers typically need to be changed after a few years of use.

Because of this, we advise selecting steel or nylon rollers, which are slightly more expensive but will last you a lot longer. Although it largely depends on how frequently you close and open your garage door each day, you can anticipate that steel garage rollers will last you for about ten years.

They are significantly noisier than plastic rollers, though, and you'll need to remember to grease the rollers sometimes. On the other side, nylon garage door rollers are quieter and will last you even longer than steel ones.

How to Replace Garage Door Bottom Rollers on Your Own

Tools needed to replace bottom rollers on your garage door: 

• Locking pliers
• Screwdriver
• Step Stool (if replacing rollers alone) 
• Garage Door Lubricant
• Hammer (in some cases)

1. To start replacing the bottom rollers on your garage door, it can be done either manually or using the garage door opener. If you are like most garage owners, and you have a garage door opener, unplug it before you proceed further. During the entire process, you’ll be standing next to your garage door, and if it closes by accident, it could injure you seriously, which is why it’s best to be 100% sure. As an extra precaution, you could also place a stepladder under the garage door.

2. Next, you’ll need locking pliers. With their help, bend one side of the track near the seam forward so that in a moment, you’ll be able to pop the roller out. Now, it’s possible to complete the next part on your own, but it would be best if you had someone who could help you. 

3. Lower the door until the rollers are at the height of the bent track. Then, you’ll have to hold the door in place, which you could do using one hand, or, as we’ve mentioned previously, someone else could do it for you so that you could focus on the task at hand. 

4. Now, you’ll need a screwdriver or a pry bar. Using either one of these tools, pry the old roller out. Make sure to warn the other person when you’ll start doing it. After the bottom roller has been removed, slide the new roller into the bracket. Depending on the type of rollers you bought, you might want to use the lubricant so that the roller would work flawlessly. 

5. Raise the door (or ask your companion to do so) so that the bent track and the place where previously there was a roller are at the same height once again. Then, it’s time to reinsert the bottom roller into the track. You should be able to do so without any tools, but in some cases, you might need to use a hammer so that the roller would return to its former place.

6. Once you’ve replaced the roller, it’s time to focus on the remaining ones. Their number depends on the size of your garage door – the larger the door, the more rollers you’ll have to replace. Just remember not to touch the top roller. Change the position of the door to focus on other rollers, and repeat the same process. 

7. When you’ve finished with one side, it’s time to completely open your garage door and close the part of the track that you’ve previously bent. Once again, do so using pliers. Next, it’s time to focus on the other side of the door – just repeat all the steps.

8. When you are done replacing the rollers on both sides of the garage door, you can plug in your garage door opener and check whether everything is working as it should.

When to Reach Out to an Expert

Despite the fact that garage doors are rarely fully silent, with time you can notice that the ones in your garage have become very noisy. It's possible that the worn-out bottom rollers are to blame, especially if you have plastic ones, which aren't very resilient.

If you require additional assistance, call Houston (832) 400 2992 Austin (512) 543-7324, or look at our roller replacement and repair service.