Are you starting a business out of an old garage? Are you wondering how you can turn the broken down, ugly old garage door into a classy store entranceway? If so, check out this 3 step guide on getting ready for business by sprucing up your garage door.

1.  Clean It

Your first step is to get your garage door good and clean. You'll need a hose, a bucket full of soapy water, and a heavy-duty cleaning rag. Dish soap is a good detergent option because it naturally fights grease, making it effective against some of the stains that may have built up on the garage door.

Hose the garage door down well, and then using your cleaning rag dipped in soapy water, scrub it from top to bottom. Once clean, hose the door down again to rinse the soap off.

It's also important to scrub out any dirt and grime that has accumulated in the tracks of the garage door. Dirty tracks can cause your garage door to stick later down the road. A handheld bristle broom works well for this task; just sweep it along the tracks working from top to bottom.

2.  Repair It

A properly working garage door is essential to the safety of the customers who will enter your shop. Once your garage door is clean, it's time to tend to any repairs it may need. Call a garage door specialist and ask them to perform a safety check on your door. He or she will examine the door's mountings, springs, sensors, chains, and cables, and repair any of these components that aren't working properly.

Once these things are in good working order, you can ask the garage door repair person to lubricate your door, or you can do it yourself using a cloth dipped in regular motor oil. Only a small amount of oil is needed on the cloth, and you need do no more than wipe down your garage door's tracks, hinges, and rollers.

3.  Paint It

The more visually appealing your garage door is, the more comfortable people will feel entering your new business. Applying a coat of paint is the final step in turning your old garage door from an eyesore into an inviting storefront. 

What color paint should you go with, though? You want the color of your garage door to match the structures on your property, yes, but when it comes to business, it's a good idea to also incorporate a little color psychology into your decision.

According to forbes.com, consumers aren't a big fan of the color yellow, and the color white often leads to boredom. Blue is the most appealing color around the globe, and the consumers associate the color orange with good value. 

Do choose to paint your garage door a color that matches the structures on the rest of the property, but also select one that your shoppers will associate with a positive experience.

When Repair Isn't An Option

If you're convinced that your old garage door is just too damaged to make business-ready, then a total garage door replacement might be necessary. While it will be more expensive to replace your door rather than repair it, there are several benefits from getting a new one.

New garage doors come in nearly any color you can think of, so you'll be able to skip painting altogether. New garage doors also offer better insulation options than old ones, so you can recover some of the cost of installation by saving on your electricity bill. 

Finally, old garage doors usually have fixed-code entry systems. These systems rely on a limited number of radio frequency codes to permit entry, and can be easily cracked by thieves repeatedly guessing your code, using a keystroke logger to record your code, or even turning a simple child's toy into a device capable of gaining them entry into your business.

New garage doors, on the other hand, rely on rolling code entry systems. The transmitters on these systems deliver a different code each and every time entry access is requested, so there's no way a thief would be able to gain access to your entry code and break into your business.

If you're turning a garage into a place of business, your garage door will be your storefront and you'll need it to be in tip-top shape. If your door is extensively damaged, there are plenty of new garage door options that will be just right for your business. If your garage door is salvageable, though, you can turn it into a classy storefront fast by taking the above 3 steps. For more information, contact a business such as Shank Door.