What Causes Cracks Above Your Garage Door and How to Fix Them

If you have noticed cracks above your garage door, you are not alone. This is a common issue that many homeowners face. Cracks in your garage door can cause major headaches for homeowners and can even be a sign that your garage door might cave in! There are several things that can cause these cracks, and it is important to fix them as soon as possible. In this blog post, we will discuss the causes of these cracks and how to fix them.

How do the cracks get there in the first place?

One of the most common causes of cracks above your garage door is settling. Settling is caused by the soil beneath a building. This happens due to water getting into the ground around your home. As your home settles on the shifted, soaked and displaced dirt, it can cause the framing around your garage door to shift. This can put stress on the drywall and cause it to crack. If you see cracks above your garage door, it is important to have a professional inspect the framing to see if it has shifted. If so, they will be able to make the necessary repairs and ensure the framing is moved back into place and does not shirt further, causing more damage to your home.

Often, these cracks are not caused by the framing, but by the failure of a critical piece of a garage that holds the area above the garage door into place: the lintel. This lintel is the large support beam that runs in between the garage door and the brick above the garage door opening. Want to know if your lintel is failing? Take a look at your garage from the street. is your garage "smiling"? In other words, can you see that the garage door is bowing in towards the ground a little? If so, you likely have some lintel failure! If you're not sure, please call your local garage lintel experts to come inspect your lintel for you; it should be free to inspect if you are the homeowner.

Another common cause of cracks above your garage door is poor installation. If your garage door was not installed correctly, it can put stress on the drywall and cause it to crack. It is important to make sure that your garage door is installed by a professional who knows what they are doing. Otherwise, you could end up with bigger problems down the road.

So, what should you do to fix them?

Many homeowners might be tempted to DIY this repair. It seems simply enough: climb a ladder, seal the crack and move on! Unfortunately, it's not so simple. For one thing, unless you solve the underlying cause of the cracking (i.e., settling or poor support of the area above the garage) then the crack will simply reopen and get bigger! Resulting in wasted time, money and effort on the part of the homeowner, and often an even greater mess!

For true and permanent results, you should hire a foundation repair professional to not only seal the cracks with professional effort and product, BUT to also make sure you solve the root issue causing the lintel or garage cracks, ensuring those unsightly cracks don't reappear after closing them up. The professional will also be able to thread in additional support, usually in the form of galvanized steel rebar, into the mortar between the rows of failing bricks, making sure the rows of bricks stay in place and do not wiggle free or sink. Finally, a foundation professional is going to have access to the best sealant for mortar, making sure that those gaps stay close, AND they will be able to match the color of the existing mortar much more closely with their wide range of color-matching technology.

Should I get the cracks above my garage fixed soon?

If you have cracks above your garage door, it is important to get them fixed as soon as possible. If you ignore these cracks, they will only get worse and could eventually lead to serious damage. So, if you see cracks, don't wait - call Redeemers Group today! We'll be able to assess the situation and make the necessary repairs to keep your garage door looking great for years to come. Thanks for reading!