Garage doors have a tough job during the winter. With freezing temperatures, strong winds and damaging precipitation, garage doors can take a beating all winter long. To help keep your residential or commercial garage doors in good condition and free from drafts, try these winter garage door tips for maintenance and troubleshooting.

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If your garage door isn’t working correctly, don’t try to find the problem and fix it yourself. Not only is do-it-yourself garage door repair unsafe, it can also be more costly than having it done by garage door professionals if you don’t get it right the first time. And most garage door repairs can e done quickly by a garage door technician, saving you stress and hassle.

Below are the top five reasons to call a garage door service and repair professional. If your garage door is showing any of these signs, give Martin Door & Window a call. We promise fast, expert service for all of your garage door needs.

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At Martin Door & Window, we are committed to offering our customers the best, most professional service possible. We are an EPA lead safe certified business and follow EPA established guidelines and rules when working in places where lead paint is present.

What you should know: In 2010, the EPA established a rule that applies to all persons who are paid to perform renovation, repair and painting projects where painted surfaces are disturbed in pre-1978 housing, child care facilities and schools where lead paint is present. Window and door replacement companies were also impacted by the rule.

We are required to distribute an EPA lead safe informational brochure in advance of our work and to follow lead-safe work practices outlined in the training, including proper clean up and verification testing to determine compliance with the rule, as well as requirements for proper record keeping.

The rule also requires all firms that perform renovations for compensation must be EPA lead safe certified and use certified renovators who are responsible for ensuring compliance with the rule’s work practice standards and for training workers on the work practices on the job.

We care about your health. Make sure to always use EPA lead safe certified contractors including painters and contractors.

Martin Door & Window urges every customer and potential customer to make sure that the company they are choosing for their garage door or window needs is, in fact Martin Door & Window. Recently we have learned that a Texas-based garage door company continues to operate in the St. Charles/St.Louis area, posing as Martin Door & Window, offering low or discounted service calls then charging high prices and performing poor quality work.

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Martin Door & Window congratulates our Top Senior Repair Technician, Earl Brown, who is retiring from field service repair at the end of July. But although he is finished working on garage doors and openers, Earl will still be a part of the Martin Door family – lending his expertise in the office part time.

Earl has been in the door business since 1971 and has spent the last 20 years repairing doors and openers for Martin Door & Window.

“With an outstanding work ethic and years of experience Earl has gained the confidence and respect of customers, many of which request Earl when scheduling a service repair call,” said Martin Door VP, Jack Kaelber.

Earl plans to spend more time riding his motorcycle and getting some projects completed around his property. “The Garage Door Industry has provided me with a good living over the years. I will miss my customers as well as making their garage doors work again,” he said.

Congratulations Earl on your field retirement!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be Jack Kaelber’s favorite race car driver, but that didn’t stop the Martin Door & Window VP from making the nine hour drive to Talladega to support Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne and the #5 car – regularly sponsored by LiftMaster.

“It turned out to be a great weekend full of fun with friends and a chance to watch Kasey Kahne, a very talented, young driver, in the car my colleagues always root for – the number 5 car backed by LiftMaster,” said Jack, who camped over the weekend with friends just outside the world famous track.

Turned out Earnhardt Jr. won the race and Farmer’s Insurance served as #5’s primary sponsor, but Jack and his friends still had a blast cheering for LiftMaster’s car. “I’m very proud to work in an industry that supports NASCAR,” he said.

The skies were clear in Alabama that weekend and Jack and his friends captured some great shots including a beautiful sunset as night fell over Talladega.

The weather has changed, and it’s time for the annual Spring Cleaning. Dust out those hidden areas, get rid of the old, and shake out those rugs. People often think of the interior of their homes when they attend to their Spring Cleaning; however, some homeowners are thinking about what can be done on the exterior of their home that would make the most difference. Because the exterior of the home can be grand in size, people tend to think that the changes they make to their home’s exterior also need to be grand. Thankfully, small changes make a huge difference.

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In this day and age, leaving your home without your cell phone is nearly impossible. Whether driving in a car, walking down the street or just going to the grocery store, the modern cell phone user will always have their cell phone planted firmly in a pocket.  Another convenient possession, the garage door opener, is also a handy tool that provides instant access to your home.  Now, what would happen if these two devices became one and the same? That is, making a mobile device capable of opening and closing a garage from miles away.

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There are some ways to enhance a home’s curb appeal that are more than obvious to anyone. Ask the least informed person about the subject and even the most unenlightened will mention things like landscaping and fresh paint. What too few homeowners realize is the tremendous impact a quality garage door can have, especially if your home faces the street. For all passersby, the garage door is the primary focal point—it’s what people see first. So why not make a good first impression?

Garage Doors are 40% of the Front of Your Home

On a typical home, a garage door will dwarf any other door or window on the property. On average, it actually takes up 30 to 40% of the front of a home.  It stands to reason, then, that its aesthetic value will be even greater because of this. Imagine a home with beautiful entry portals and premium windows installed that has a cheap, weathered garage door. The very effort to make the rest of the home appealing makes that garage door into even more of an eyesore. Now, imagine the same home with a high-end garage door like a Canyon Ridge or Cypress model from Clopay. Now the biggest door on the property actually contributes to its appeal.

Garage Door Can Be Inviting

For many people, the sound of an automatic garage door opening brings on a visceral feeling of coming home. This is an often overlooked aspect of curb appeal. It is not enough to look like a home that someone has spent a great deal of money and/or effort on. The goal is to look like a home where people imagine themselves living. Very few things can inspire this feeling like the sight and sound of a quality garage door smoothly sliding open to welcome someone home.

Garage Doors Can Complete Your Home Theme

Once again taking advantage of the sheer size of them, garage doors can be used to tie different style elements together into a pleasant whole. While it works for many situations, the classic white garage door with we are all familiar may be a jarring contrast to a sleek, contemporary design.  Many of our customers choose the Gallery Door Collection because it fits most houses and has a high degree of design flexibility from colors and window styles down to decorative hinge and handle options.

As opposed to a more generic look, a custom door actually completes the statement that this is a modern home owned by people who care about its appearance. In the vast list of things someone can do to increase the curb appeal of a home, too many forget the impact their garage doors can have on the overall scheme of things. Do not make the mistake of ignoring your garage door. No one else will.